[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Menu proposal: Play, create, communicate
From:       Claes Holmerson <claes () it-slav ! net>
Date:       2002-01-22 14:03:33
[Download RAW message or body]

Just to view the menu-organization-discussion from another angle: Perhaps
the menu entries (at least on the top level) should not focus on what kind
of programs you will find under them, but what you can DO with these
programs. Something like this:

Play: Programs for amusement and entertainment, non-serious stuff. Games
are the best example, but also players for music and video, and graphics
viewers.

Create: Programs to produce things that are useful. Work-related programs,
programs that let the user edit things. Word processors, editors,
spreadsheets, calculators etc.

Communicate: Programs to communicate with people. Email, messengers, video
phone, news readers etc

Educate: To find out things you don't know, or teach yourself things.
Educational programs, documents and information of different kinds, maybe
even help? Or perhaps a shortcut to a Google search? I am not very
satisfied with "Educate" but someone might come up with a better verb?

Organize: To keep track of tasks and personal information. Address books,
calendars and other PIM applications.

System: Things that are for messing with the computer itself. How do we
verb-ify this? Configure?


I belive this is easier for novice users. There are probably more
categories with things that you _can do_ with a computer that I left out
here, but you get the idea. This proposal focuses on what the programs do,
not how they do it. An email program is used to send email over the
internet, but also to your colleagues in the same office. Konqueror is
used both together with a network and local files... And so on. Konqueror
might be a special case, it is so vital to KDE and has so many different
uses that I think you should find it at the top level. Certain programs
could go in several categories, but most programs are probably easy to
classify. It is allowed to put the same program in several places, but
preferably start them in different ways. A program like Outlook (fictional
example of course) would fit under both Organize and Communicate, but
starts up with either the Inbox or the Calendar-view, depending on how it
was started.

Hope this idea makes sense to you...

Regards,
Claes

PS: I am not subscribed, so please CC me if you have comments



 
>> Visit http://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-devel#unsub to unsubscribe <<
[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]