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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Menu structure needs attention
From:       John Golubenko <jeneago () attbi ! com>
Date:       2002-02-21 13:41:16
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> After looking at the thread at kde-core-devel may I summarize:
>
> we talk about "too many items" in a sub menu.
>
> 1) currently the number of items depends on what a user has installed -
> it can't be determined by the KDE-develpment team, because the user (or
> packager) is free to install many non KDE-Core apps and gnome and X and
> ....
>
> 2) "too many items" is a very personal perception, probably depending on
> how many items fit in one coulmn of the menu. I personaly feel
> uncomfortable if the menu has more than ONE column. This depends on
> fontsize, icon size and screen higth.
>
> 3) single versus multiple occurences of the same app in the menu.
> 3a) First time users do not know which apps are available, so eventualy
> they will look for an application (sometimes with a cryptic name like
> noatun) in more than one sub-menu.
> 3b) most users will be biased by their profession and comfortable with
> some names, abrevations (PIM) etc. and start searching for an
> application from their point of view.
> 3c) more and more apps (evolution, aethera) will become suits (due to
> the kparts technology) and hence "multi-category" and fit into more than
> one menu.
>
> So all efforts to come up with a "manual" monodimensional solution will
> only gradualy improove the situation and give place for a lot of
> discussion and complaints.
>
> BTW SuSE's KDE 2.2.2 -distribution has an item "SuSE", whery many KDE
> and non-KDE apps are grouped in SuSE's view of the world and hence are
> duplicated.
>
> A dynamic menu would need some configurable and autodetected parameters.
> * source of the apps (mulitple choices)
> ** KDE
> ** GNOME
> ** X
> ** SuSE
> ** others ...
>
> * apperance
> ** limit menu to one column (if possible)
> ** limit menu to nn items (if possible)
> ** multiple occurences (makes it necessary to define a main category)
>
> * dependency
> ** include apps for not supported/installed hardware
> ** include not configured apps (I know, someone will jump on me, but
> that's exactly what we did for our Windows NT users, including myself)
>
> * something else to be defined.

Is there an online guide with recommendations from KDE's team? Because say 
I want to start distributing new linux distro, how would I know how to 
arrange my apps in KDE's menu? I don't know where is there already some 
guideline that I can follow.

- John
 
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