Re: [Usability] Re: Screenshots as videos

[Shaun McCance <shaunm gmail com>]

On Wed, 2005-07-13 at 02:35 +0100, Alan Horkan wrote:
> > Just got started on some documentation stuff today, and I want to
> > revisit this thread, since I don't remember a consensus ever being
> > reached.
> 
> So my comments that a Screen Recorder is a different application from Take
> Screenshot didn't do it for you then?

Your comments don't constitute a consensus.

> > The more I think about it, the more I think having the 'Take Screenshot'
> > menu item bring up a "What do you want to do?" dialog is the best route.
> 
> Stop for a second.  Read that back to yourself.
> 
> The users chooses to Take a Screenshot.
> "What do you want to do?"
> 
> Take a screenshot, they have already said so.
> Why second guess the user?

Because I (the user) haven't yet said what to take a screenshot of.
I sure as hell don't want to take a screenshot of the menu I found
the screenshooter tool in.

> > I have three reasons, one of which is selfish:
> >
> > 1) In order to ensure that I take screenshots with all the default
> > settings, I have a seperate user on my account.  It's really handy
> > to be able to run that user's desktop in xnest.  But I can't do the
> > Alt+Printscreen trick, because my top-level session eats it.  Being
> > able to do a single window screenshot without a global keybinding
> > would help me a lot.
> 
> There is a bug report requesting this feature, several approaches have
> been suggested but I'm not sure if it has been fixed yet.
> 
> And then there is the GIMP (and the option to take screenshots without
> window decorations was added back in case you have a version missing the
> feature).

Yes, there are other tools I can use.  I mean, that's always the
answer right?  No, we don't do that.  No, we think you should use
somebody else's software.

I noticed you cleverly snipped my other two points, which were
my much stronger points.  Particularly, please do tell me how
anybody is supposed to discover the keybindings.

> > So, more thoughts on this beaten thread?
> 
> Loads more ... but I'll finish with the classic bit of software design:
> 
> Do one thing well.

Pithy phrases do not make good software design.

--
Shaun