Better default toolbar setting

[Iñaki]

El Domingo, 3 de Septiembre de 2006 15:35, Stefan Monov escribió:
> > > > > www.dcc.ufmg.br/~hpinto/konqueror-kde4.png
> > > >
> > > > Upss, IMHO this toolbar wates too much space. Konqueror doesn't need
> > > > a so long navigation bar in a common 1024x768 monitor.
> > > >
> > > > In a web or file browser the "Back", "Home", etc buttons don't need
> > > > text to describe them, they actions are obvious.
> > >
> > > You mean some toolbuttons should have text and some shouldn't, on the
> > > same toolbar? Now that would be hideous. + users wouldn't know why this
> > > is so.
> >
> > No, I suggest that some apps should show icon + text and others apps not.
>
> Give an example of a KDE app that should show icons + text.

Kontact for example. Some friends of mine use Kmail and they thing that it's 
difficult to recognize the "reply", "forward" and "receinve mail". Are the 
icon bad? I don't think so, I agree with your option number "1" below:
 
"1. No matter how good our artists are, and no matter for how long and how 
hard they try, some icons just cannot *become* good enough to be useful in 
the absence of text."


> > I'd like to know if they could use Emule so easy if the program
> > doesn't show so big and labeled icons in the top
> > ("Search", "Trafic", "Shared"...).
>
> If the eMule icon designer had artistic competency superior to than that of
> a dead hedgedog, this wouldn't be a problem. I mean, who stuffs a mule into
> half of the icons?

> Who signifies "Shared Files" with the Earth in a box 
> instead of a sheet of paper in a hand?

Ok, it's a bad icon, but it has text so it's easy to understand. Anyway, in 
case of the text "Shared files" is not self explanatory, after the user 
visites that button he can remenber the text "Sahred files" easier than 
remenber an icon.
IMHO it's easier to remember a text with a bad icon that just an icon, even if 
it¡s a good icon. Note that users commonly use various apps, and it's not 
easy to remeber that action asociated to each icon in each app.


> > Note that there is not the same a KDE program for programing code
> > (Kdevelop, Quanta, Kate) than a KDE program to connect to BIttorrent or
> > Donkey network. And the kind of user are very different.
>
> The KDevelop users and the KTorrent users intersect, and therefore
> consistency is desirable.

What I mean is that programmers are more advanced users and have no problem to 
use an app with not very descritive icons or bad defalt settings.


> > there is not an address box
>
> Yes, there is. Click on the arrow button on the left of the navigation bar.

Ok.


> > ...in that mockup.
>
> It's an app, not a mockup.
> ;-)

Ohhps, sorry   ;)



> You said "icons are not always very explanatory". This may mean two things:
>
> 1. No matter how good our artists are, and no matter for how long and how
> hard they try, some icons just cannot *become* good enough to be useful in
> the absence of text.
>
> 2. Some of the icons we have in KDE 3.5.4 are not good enough to be useful
> in the absence of text, but with a long and hard effort by good artists,
> they can *become* such.
>
> So, which one did you mean? 1 or 2?

Definitely 1. 


Regards.



-- 
Iñaki