[Kde-accessibility] do we need menubar in kmag?

[Pupeno]

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On Monday 27 January 2003 12:17 am, Sarang Lakare wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> This topic was raised recently on the list and I wanted your opinion.
> Earlier versions of kmag had a menubar, but then I decided to get rid o=
f it
> since it was not serving any purpose. kmag is not a file driven
> appication.. there are no files to open or close, so I decided to just =
have
> a toolbar.
>
> Here is what I plan for the future:
>
> 1. As Iain Murray suggested, kmag will have a separate window with all =
the
> options since it will be easy for those with vision problems to locate =
the
> options all in one place. To open the option window, I will add a butto=
n to
> the right of "selection window" (bottom).
>
> 2. I will add two profiles to kmag. One for visibility impaired people =
and
> the other for graphics designers/image processing researchers who just =
need
> it for zooming a part of the screen. We can also have two desktop files
> which go in different places in the menu.
>
> So the bottomline is that I do not think the menubar is necessary. It
> simply wastes screen space.

The two profile is a good idea, with a wizard at the beggining to choose.
But I don't agree in the two window since it's not standard.
The good thing in KDE is that there's an interface guideline, while in Wi=
ndows
each program surprise you with diferent GUI styles and sometimes, concept=
s,
in KDE, that doesn't happen, or shouldn't happen.
The KDE GUI style are carefull choosen after a lot of analisis, check the
usability mailing list.
Then, there are things like MDI interfaces that are avoided in favor of S=
DI
for example.
I don't know what about two separate windows with diferent tasks but it
doesn't seem such a good idea to me.
I think for every program, we have to look the way to do what we need aco=
rding
to the style guide, and if it's not posible, take a careful look at the
problem (like what we're doing now).
I think, for the two window interface you want, it would be better to hav=
e
only one and a dock, like Kate or Kdevelop docks, that can be 'minimized'=
=2E
But as the general idea, I think the rich functionality of menus and tool=
bars
will be enough for KMag.
This are my recomendations and you may take them or not and I may even be
wrong.
I think that a menubar *should* exist in every program with everything th=
at
program can do. Having programs with hidden functionality is not good and=
 I
see that in windows where shortcuts can do thigns that there's no menu it=
em
to do it.
That doesn't mean that your menu should be visible, not even by default, =
but
as a new user and other users do the same, I check the options in the men=
us,
so, if I am a new user I would start KMag, add the menu, and inspect.
Now, you can do the rest with toolbars with the following solutions:
1) provide more than one toolbar for diferent profiles with diferent set =
of
buttons.
2) configure the toolbar with the wizard at the begining and also allow t=
he
wizard to be lunched later.
A toolbar can be flatted, the menubar not enabled, a dock minimized. I do=
n't
see why not using that features that are standard (and people know them f=
rom
other applications) and can also lead to a very clean interface (I mean,
where almost everything used by the program is for magnimizing). And that
solution doesn't need a lot of changes to KMag either :)
Before you tell me that people don't always know that toolbars can be fla=
tted,
menubar disabled and disabled, let's remember that kmag could also shoul =
tips
at the start to help users.
Well, that are my humble opinions.
Thanks.
- --
Pupeno: pupeno@kde.org
KDE Accessibility co-maintainer
http://accessibility.kde.org
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