[Digikam-users] Interface idee

[David]

Hello,

I would like to thank you for creating this great program! Also 
congratulations with winning the tux magazine price!

My parents who don't know much about computers (and especially linux/kde) use 
digikam to store and edit photos. I find it very interesting to see someone 
work with a computer who is very new to it. 

Here are a few things I see when they use digikam.

They often click multiple times on the digkam launcer multiple digikam 
instances start, somethimes this cause to crash digikam and with it kde. Of 
course they have to learn not to click often on that button but maybe it is a 
good idee to do the same as kontact has done that only one instance can be 
started?

When they click on a image to see it bigger a new window is opened. I 
explained that to go back to the album they have to click the cross on the 
right top. But they asked if it wouldn't close the album to! They saw digikam 
as a browser so to go back to the album they wanted to click on the back 
button (which is of course to go to the previous photo).

To make this easier I have this idee which uses the very cool kparts 
technology.

The main window should have a TabWidget with a couple of tab pages

The first tab would be the same as the current main view, with the albums, 
tags and miniatures.  
The second tab should show the photo as big as possbile, clicking the photo 
would show it fullscreen, on this tab there should also be navigate buttons 
(next, previous).
If a picture in the first tab is clicked the program automatic navigates to 
the second tab with this picture shown very big.
The third tab would be the edit tab. On the left there is a ListView with the 
names of all the image edit plugins (kipi plugins?) Clicking one would not 
open a new window but would show it on the rest (the right side form the 
listview) of the screen using kparts. 

I think this idee would make it easier and more intiutive for people new to 
computers. They always see the three tabs: Albums, Image, Edit. So they can 
always navigate to the correct view. I think not much explanaiten is needed 
for someone new to computers to be able to use it.
Also I think it would be faster for "power users" because for instance on the 
edit tab you can fast navigate thought the listview to direclty see the 
different edit operations. Also I don't know much disadvantages, because 
currently it is for instance already not possible to edit more photos at the 
same time

Of course this is just an idee and I don't expect you to implement this but I 
hope it can be of any help to you.

Sorry for the long mail ;)

Cheers,
David