[Bug 238624] New: menubar section of KDE's HIG needs rethinking

[Jakob Lehmann]

https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=238624

           Summary: menubar section of KDE's HIG needs rethinking
           Product: kde
           Version: unspecified
          Platform: Compiled Sources
        OS/Version: All
            Status: NEW
          Severity: normal
          Priority: NOR
         Component: general
        AssignedTo: unassigned-bugs at kde.org
        ReportedBy: jamano910 at googlemail.com


Version:           unspecified (using Devel) 
OS:                All

The KDE Human Interface Guideline (HIG) declare, that a menubar is mandatory
for every single application, quotes:

"Provide a menubar in every application main window"
"Don't make the menubar 'hideable', users may not easily be able to make the
menubar viewable again"

This has grown to be a problem, since application developers tend to get away
from menubars and as such - violate the KDE HIG.
Applications that in their current state violate this part of the HIG are for
example rekonq, konsole, kget, the systemsettings and palapeli to name a few.

There are valid reasons to replace the menubar how it looks today with
something more useable, more visually appealing and less space wasting.

But first of all let us see, what is good about the menubar:

- provides an easy way to access every functionality of a program
- accessibility features (press alt+*key*)
- menubars are also present in Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, GNOME etc.

So what is bad about the menubar?

- wastes vertical space, which is a problem on smaller screens and annoying on
bigger screens
- menubars are flat, thus they are not usable on touchscreen devices
- doesnt look appealing
- uses deprecated labels like "file" (quassel has a "file" entry with the
entries "networks -> join network" and "quit", where is there a file involved?)
- text only which makes it hard to use for people who have trouble reading (for
example disabled people), also this makes it harder to find what you are
looking for since you dont have self explanatory icons

What could be done to improve/replace the menubar?

The menubar should be merged with the right side of the toolbar, entries should
be reordered and renamed, in general there should be less entries (for example
there could be an entry "actions" with basic actions such as "save" "open"
"print" and "find", "help" doesnt need to be an own entry). Menubar entries
should have icons. It should be configurable in system settings whether icons,
text or both should be shown, this should also apply to the toolbar.

Problems with that:

- some applications do not have toolbars (I just know one: Konsole)
- needs work, a template needs to be written and applications need to be
changed
- KDE would be the first one to fully replace the menubar, breaking same look
and feel as other desktop enviroments

Why this would still be better:

- saves space for applications
- makes it work on touchscreen devices
- would look better
- increased accessibility
- less confusing to find the right function
- more modern look and feel
- would stop violation of the HIG

I hope you see the opportunities that are open for KDE, to be a pioneer in this
issue.
Please note that this should be considered a draft, it needs further discussion
and tweaks, maybe a completely different solution will be found in the end.

I will attach a poorly done mockup of this concept.
Thanks for reading :-)

Reproducible: Always

-- 
Configure bugmail: https://bugs.kde.org/userprefs.cgi?tab=email
------- You are receiving this mail because: -------
You are the assignee for the bug.