[Panel-devel] re Kickoff / KDE 4

[pinheiro]

>Hello,

>Please don't take my email as a try to start argument about Kickoff and
>Raptor again. Actually I want to suggest the way how Kickoff and Raptor can
>coexist and supplement each othe.

>Actually Pinheiro's blog post is the first thibg that gives at least an idea
>of what Raptor will be look like. And looking at this post (
>http://pinheiro-kde.blogspot.com/2007/10/raptor-join-fun.html) I want to
>explain my motivation.

>From first sight Raptor looks for me as a Quicksilver for KDE. But
>Quicksilver at the moment is far more advanced and powerful. I hope Raptor
>will have same possibilities very soon.
Dont know the app :)
>Quicksilver will work for Mac OS because there is only one default
>application to do something in Mac OS. I mean only one default player, one
>default browser, one mail client, single IM application, etc. So if I do
>"Play"->"Sound" in Mac OSX I definitely know that iTunes will be launched.
>The same is for all other actions. But you know that Linux is absolutely
>different story and especially KDE. In Linux you have a lot of application
>which do the same (few browser, few mail application, etc). And what will be
>if I do "Surf"->"Mail" in KDE? How do I make my favorite mail application to
>be default? As far as I know Raptor can be configured in xml file. But you
>can't force each user to edit xml file to customize his menu. I don't think
>this is real. Besides menu users don't have any ide of what xml is.

>As one of dissadvantages in the Raptor pdf file it is stated:
>Takes some time to find your application.
I was refering to  using the normal menu method, in raptor and couse the menu 
tries to adpt to your needs and most comon usage, it will be faster.    
>As I wrote previously in Linux you have a lot of application which do the
>same. That is why the total number of installed application is huge. And
>when you see only 5-6 apps icons on the menu panel it will not take "some"
>time to find what you need. It will take ages! I think that because of this
>reason there is a standardized list of menu categories at freedesktop.org (
>http://standards.freedesktop.org/menu-spec/latest/apa.html). Categorization
>makes it easier to find something. And I guess we can't deny this fact.

Menu structure is nothing of a given fact in the linux world most distros use 
their hown flavor, I used my mandriva menu as a starting point. The menu i 
present is prety much what you get with mandriva.

>According the same pdf file main disadvantage of Raptor is
--
>You have to know what you are looking for.
--
If you use the search in the normal way intendeed, yes, thats the reson we 
also have a menu structure. 
Also and couse we try to have a aplication description, search like "burn cd" 
should make raptor point you to K3B. that would be much beter than anything 
we have so far in linux.  
>But what if you are a new user? Let's say you use Linux for the first time.
>Or even if you use KDE 4 for the first time (this applies to everyone) how
>you can exactly know what you are looking for? I mean there are new
>applications. Or lets assume you've installed some aplication bunde. Let's
>call it "KDE-ude". And you don't know what aplpications are included. And
>you can't know what you are looking for. So the post comfortable way for you
>to know what "edu" application you have is to open menu, navigate to the
>corresponding category and see what you have. But with Raptor's single panel
>layout how you can't do this? You will have to click on side arrows hundred
>times to navigate you applications. Besides I am sure that new applications
>from our example "edu" bundle will not be placed next to each other. There
>will be some sorting.

>That is why I don't think taht Raptor can be suitable menu for KDE users.

I know the english in the doc was not the best one but i think you have read 
it in the diagonal.

>But please don't think that I am trying  to convince you that Raptor is
>something bad. Raptor is a very good application but for a bit different
>purpose.

>My point is that Raptor can't be the start menu. Because it has absolutlly
>different goal. It gives you convenient way to access applications when you
>definitely know what you are looking for. That is why Raptor should be the
>enhanced "Launch Application" applet. It will do this joob great.
>But please don't try to push Raptor as a start menu. Because the start menu
>is absolutely different thing.
>What I suggest is to have a Kickoff as a default start menu. This menu has a
>solid usability research behind it as is intuitively convinient for all
>computer users. And especially for those who has
>only Windows experience. And we should have Raptor as a powerful "Lauch
>Application" applet. I guess that both applications can de default. But
>because of conceptual differences the use cases of Kickoff and Raptor are
>different. That is why Kickoff can be a menu in a its classical
>understandning and Raptor can be an innovative "Lauch Application" applet.
Any way I dont think Raptor will be ready any time soon, and after it is 
mostly ready we want to conduct usability studies on it so we have a beter 
idea of what it works and what it dosent.
the document i produced is to be seen as a starting point not a end point. 
It starts like this.... 
>Thanks for your attention,

cheers
-- 
nuno pinheiro
core oxygen icon designer