[Usability] Gnome-keyring terminology and UI wording

[Alexander Larsson <alexl redhat com>]

[re-sent to both usability and gnome-doc-list]

Hi, i've recently introduced a new module in the gnome desktop, and I'd
like some help with deciding on the way it is exposed in the user
interface. 

Here is a short description of the module:
http://mail.gnome.org/archives/desktop-devel-list/2003-November/msg00555.html

The current integration of gnome-keyring into the ui is pretty minimal.
There are a couple of checkbox in the default gnome-vfs authentication
dialog (in libgnomeui), and there is the gnome-keyring-ask app that the
keyring daemon launches to get passwords (for unlocking and creating new
keyrings) and to ask if apps are allowed to read some password.

Today I polished the UI for gnome-keyring so that it at least doesn't
look like total ass, but I think we need to think some about what
terminology and wording to use in these user visible dialogs.

Here is what the UI currently looks like:

the authentication dialog has two checkboxes at the bottom (defaults to
both unchecked):

[ ] Remember password for this session
[ ] Save password in keyring

the first means the password will be stored in the "session" keyring
(which is not saved to disk), and the second one saves the password in
the keyring the user specified as the default keyring. (If both are
selected the password is saved in the default keyring)

Gnome-keyring-ask has four dialogs:

Unlock keyring: (gnome-keyring-ask -k)

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|  Enter password for default keyring to unlock
|
|  The application 'File Manager' (/usr/bin/nautilus) wants
|  access to the  default keyring, but it is locked.
|
|  [---entry----]
|                                               [Deny] [OK]
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

When app creates new keyring with no password: (gnome-keyring-ask -n)

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|  Choose password for new keyring
|
|  The application 'File Manager' (/usr/bin/nautilus) wants
|  to create a new keyring called 'foobar'. You have to choose
|  the password you want to use for it.
|
|  [---entry----]
|                                               [Deny] [OK]
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

 
Choose password for default keyring (gnome-keyring-ask -d):

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|  Choose password for default keyring"
|
|  The application 'File Manager' (/usr/bin/nautilus) wants to
|  store a password, but there is no default keyring. To create
|  one, you need to choose the password you wish to use for it.
|
|  [---entry----]
|                                               [Deny] [OK]
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

Ask for access for a specific keyring item: (gnome-keyring-ask -i)


+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|
|  Allow application access to keyring?
|
|  The application 'File Manager' (/usr/bin/nautilus) wants to
|  access the password for '127.0.0.1' in default keyring.
|
|                                [Deny] [Allow Once] [Always Allow]
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

At some point we will also get a keyring manager ui that allows you to
list the availible keyrings, change settings of the keyrings and manage
the items in the lists. Similar to the MacOS X one that you can see at:
http://developer.apple.com/documentation/Security/Conceptual/keychainServConcepts/02concepts/chapter_2_section_4.html

I'm not sure we should expose the term "keyring" in the user in the
interface. MacOS X use "Keychain", and KDE uses "wallet" I believe.
Since we allow people to create several keyrings, and the keyrings can
have different properties like lock-on-idle etc, we probably do need to
expose them in the UI. The question is how.

I'm also not sure about whether to show the pathname of the app when
referencing it like that, however thats the only part of the app
reference thats nominally secure, since the display name ('File
manager') is just what the applications choosed to call itself.

Another issue is the checkboxes in the authentication dialog. Is that
easy enough to understand? Will people be confused by the fact that
there is two checkboxes? Maybe it should be a radio button with a third
"don't remember" state (although i don't like do-nothing alternatives).

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
 Alexander Larsson                                            Red Hat, Inc 
                   alexl redhat com    alla lysator liu se 
He's a witless guitar-strumming card sharp on the run. She's a disco-crazy 
tomboy lawyer with the power to see death. They fight crime!