[kde-edu]: Unmaintained apps in kdeedu

[Jason Harris]

Anne-Marie Mahfouf wrote:
> Jason: If you explain me how to do a "QA audit" maybe we could do a week-end 
> or a day on IRC and get people to help. Maybe even they'll find maintainers.
> 
Sure, here's what I meant in detail:

First, compile a list of the program's expected behaviors.  Every single 
action the user can take while interacting with the program should be 
included.  For example, the behaviors list for KAnagram might look like 
the following:

1. Menu functions
+  Quit program
+  About KAnagram
+  About KDE
_  KAnagram Handbook
_  Configure Kanagram opens the dialog
_  Next word presents the next puzzle

2. General gameplay
_  Correct answer flashes green in edit line, presents a new puzzle
_  Incorrect answer flashes red in edit line
_  Clicking "Hint" shows a hint (for a short period?)
_  Clicking "reveal word" shows the correct answer
_  Clicking on the category name switches to the next category
_  leading and trailing whitespace is ignored when checking for a 
correct answer
_  An answer is submitted by pressing the Enter key, or by clicking on 
the "Up arrow" button next to the line edit.
B  Mouse cursor changes to the "click hand" over all active elements
X  Gameplay sounds work

3. Configuration Window
B  When opening the configure window for the first time, all options are 
synced to the actual settings being used by the program
_  Selecting a different language works
X  Installing chalk font works
?  Switching to chalk font works
?  Toggling sound works
_  Create new vocabulary works
_  Edit existing vocabulary works
_  Delete existing vocabulary works
X  Download new vocabularies works
_  Default options button works


Once you have compiled the list, you go through each one and check 
whether it works properly in the program (and under a variety of 
conditions, if applicable).  Then, you indicate whether it passed or 
not.  I use the following characters:

+ = correct behavior
_ = not yet tested
B = Buggy behavior (perhaps it works under some conditions, but not always)
X = Broken feature
C = causes a crash
? = Could not test

So, for example, I found that sound did not work, I could not install 
the chalk font, and I could not install a new vocabulary using Get New 
Stuff (each of these may be due to the fact that I only have 
kdelibs+kdeedu on this machine).  Because sound and installing the chalk 
font didn't work, I was unable to test their toggles (hence the "?"). 
Finally, the mouse-cursor item gets a "B" because the cursor doesn't 
change when you mouse over the KAanagram title graphic, even though it 
is clickable (it reveals the About dialog), and the initial options sync 
gets a "B" because the program initially auto-hides hints, but the 
Configure window shows "Do Not Auto-Hide Hints" for this option when it 
is first opened.

It may be tempting to skip "obvious" behaviors in compiling the QA list 
(such as "Quit program", or pressing enter to submit a guess), but it is 
important to include *all* of the program's behaviors that you can think 
of.  It's amazing how often some long-overlooked bug is exposed by this 
process.

In general, I try to restrict myself to the set of expected behaviors, 
as described in the handbook or implied by the GUI.  Enumerating the 
behaviors like this will inevitably reveal issues, such as usability 
issues, that could be considered outside the scope of this QA survey. 
However, we may still want to note these.

For example, in KAnagram, it would be nice if the category name in the 
upper right revealed a listbox when clicking, so that any category could 
be selected.  If this is inconsistent with the kid-friendly GUI, then at 
least providing a "previous" arrow in addition to "next" would be nice.

Also, when the solution is shown with "reveal word", it would make sense 
to provide some visual cue for proceeding to the next puzzle.  As it is, 
you either press the regular "Next word" button, or type in the revealed 
solution.  I was thinking of something like a next arrow drawn on the 
chalkboard itself, to the right of the revealed word.

Again, issues like this are *not* the expected KAnagram behaviors, they 
are new ideas.  So they don't really belong in the QA list.

regards,
Jason