On Sat, 2008-03-29 at 19:38 +0100, daniel g. siegel wrote: > On Sa, 2008-03-29 at 12:27 +0000, Calum Benson wrote: > > In summary, now that you're a core desktop application and there are > > no other core applications with a similar function, your menu entry > > should not include the word "Cheese". It should be something like > > "Webcam Snapshot" (I'm sure we can do better than that, I haven't > > really woken up yet!), and the tooltip something like "Take photos and > > videos directly from an attached camera". You can use the name > > "Cheese" in the application itself, and in the documentation if that's > > what the current docs guidelines allow, but preferably no more than > > necessary. > > i can do that without a problem, BUT i would like to have that > "standarized" over the GNOME desktop. i thought about the 3 things we > use at the moment and i came up with this: > > [application name] (e.g. cheese) > + strong identity for the application > - confusing for people > > [application name] [short description] (e.g. f-spot photo manager) > + enhances the projects identity > + gives an idea what the application is about > - the application name is confusing for people > - looses its romance (unreal tournament vs. unreal tournament first person shooter game) > > [short description] (e.g. text editor) > + gives an idea what the application is about > - probably not easy to find? > - the project could loose its identity and finding the project page or > bugs page could be more difficult for users > - if several applications, which do the same are installed, this > creates confusion, e.g. firefox and epiphany > > now the HIG suggests to use [application name] [short description] > or [short description] if this is possible. could we agree to just use > one of those three mentioned or at least do the same? It's a shame that in 2008, we're still limited to 1980s menus and very short labels. I've attached a very bad mockup of how descriptions could be right there in the menu where users can see them without hovering for the tooltip. Hypothesis: Users will scan the description for a given application at most three times before they learn the title and/or the icon. Hypothesis: Scan times for users who know titles will not be significantly adversely affected for reasonbly sized menus. Real designers could make something better, I'm sure. On a more here-and-now note, I've long opposed using only the generic name for any application that does not have OnlyShowIn=GNOME in its .desktop file. It would be presumptuous of us to put Epiphany in KDE users' menus as "Web Browser", for instance. And honestly, I tend to think any application that only uses a generic name should just get renamed. (And yes, I know I'm guilty here.) We can never seem to get consistent name usage in documentation, online forums, marketing material, etc. Short version: Say Cheese :) -- Shaun
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