[KDE Usability] On the future of the menubar

[Aurélien Gâteau]

Dotan Cohen wrote:
>>> How is System Settings different than any other KDE application in this regard?
>> Many KCM modules need a lot of vertical space. Some can be improved,
>> others cannot (speaking as someone who spent quite some time trying to
>> fix some of them before 4.0 was released). Therefore it makes sense to
>> leave most space available to what matters.
>>
> 
> Is that not true of a PDF viewer? The whole page doesn't fit on a
> vertical screen (even less on a widescreen). So why does Okular still
> have a menubar?

Possible reasons:
- Because its menu is too complex to qualify for "reduced menu"

- Because having to scroll to reach all the content of a dialog
   (systemsettings) is really poor UI, whereas having to scroll through a
   document which in most case won't ever fit in the screen (okular) is
   more acceptable

- Because in Okular one can:
   - zoom the document to fit the page
   - enter fullscreen mode to use all the vertical space of the screen

> 
> Or how about a web browser?

Rekonq is a web browser...

> Or an office suite?

An office suite menu is usually too complex to qualify for "reduced menu"

> Most apps are limited
> by vertical space, System Settings is not special in this regard.

Indeed. This is what I wrote here:

>> This is not specific to System Settings, so I think it would be good to
>> standardize a "reduced menu" in the HIG, similar to what Rekonq created.
>> The use-case would be applications which do not need large menus and
>> have important vertical space needs.
>>
> 
> In general, I agree. I have not seen the rekonq implementation, though.

Aurélien