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

[Rob Adams <readams readams net>]

Beyond the minor usability gains from not having a super-mega-advanced 
config dialog you get to by pressing "Advanced..." in a config panel, 
software with fewer options is much easier to maintain and discover 
bugs.  Different options creates a combinatorial explosion in the 
possible code paths.

In metacity, the biggest compromise we have in the configuration issue 
is clidk-to-focus vs mouse focus, and its a major source of 
hard-to-track-down bugs.

-Rob

Christian Schneider wrote:
> Robert Fendt
>
> >  
> >
> > > > 4) Simple details of themes, like the size of icons in applications
> > > > cannot be modified. The icon size and arrangement of most themes is
> > > > almost ridiculous. At least on a 1024x768 laptop screen. Simple
> > > > possibility to reduze size and space between icons? Not that I know
> > > > of.
> > > >     
> > >
> > > I find it quite usable if there are just icons and no text below.
> > > Still, work towards "scalable user interfaces" would most likely be
> > > appreciated by the gtk developers.
> > >   
> >
> >
> > Again, the problem is that what I find usable and what you find usable
> > will naturally differ. As it will for many users. Everyone is 
> > different in
> > his/her preferences. So it _has_ to be configurable.
> >
> >  
> You have wirtten that kde is bloated. Have you ever wondered why?
> I think it is because they try to expose too many options in the interface.
>
> Gnome gives up some configurability to keep options simple. Naturally 
> this means that not every thinkable option can be configured.
> It is of course a tough decision which options keep in and which not. 
> The browse mode is an option that came in again after much discussion.
>
> Some of your special settings are probably not as widely used. So 
> probably these won´t be configurable from the interface.
>
> btw. There is another problem in having too many options. Gnome will 
> look and behave very different for each user if there is too much 
> configurability. Imagine you try to help someone over the phone. If he 
> uses very different options you won´t be able to help him because on 
> your desktop it will work in a different way.
>
> greets
>
> Christian Schneider
> http://www.liquid-reality.de
>
>
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