Re: [Usability] GNOME 2.6+ usability: points of critique

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

http://advogato.org/person/AlanHorkan/
Inkscape, Draw Freely http://inkscape.org
Free SVG Clip Art http://OpenClipArt.org


On Mon, 11 Oct 2004, Luca Cappelletti wrote:

> Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2004 14:07:49 +0200
> From: Luca Cappelletti <luca cappelletti gmail com>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] GNOME 2.6+ usability: points of critique
>
> Hello Robert,
>
> <snip>
> > I am on the verge of switching. Where to? Anything. Essentially just
> > away from GNOME. Why? Well that is what this mail is about; just
> > silently switching away from the desktop environment I have been using
> > for many years just does not feel right.
> >
>
> You start with a religion war.

> Your point of view smells like a problem of a generic geek but the
> audience of the Gnome is desktop for everyone (like my syster, my
> mother and so on...)

Sure that is our primary audience but we want to retain the geek audience
too if at all possible, as they will invitably be the ones forced forever
to act as tech support for other users and there help evangelising is
important.

It is difficult to cater to both but so long as we have the priorities
clear I think we can do it.

> Again...
> Just one time.
> Nowadays you cannot use something different from a navigational mode
> or a spatial one.
> Gnome goes spatial.The decision was made.

I still think it was a bit early to make spatial the default (and of
course I'm biased and going to try and resist it) but on balance spatial
works well and is a good idea.

> Is absolutely fundamental that you rave this problems to the Gnome community.
> You cannot make only simple critics.

If a bit of raving is what it takes to get it off your chest and keep you
using Gnome it might be worht it.  If you take the next step and followup
with polite feedback to the relevant developers and a few well chosen bug
reports then it was certainly well worth hearing a bit of ranting.

> nothing personal against you,
> just my 2 cents,
>
> Luca Cappelletti

If you have nothing nice to say ...
... disguise it as a joke!
or try not to say anything

It takes less effort not to bother complaining about the few people who
need to vent their frustrations every so often.  Lets face it computers
can be really annoying and frustrating machines.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan