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

List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: GSoC idea: improving scanning and OCR in KDE (skanlite/kooka)
From:       todd rme <toddrme2178 () gmail ! com>
Date:       2012-03-07 9:23:32
Message-ID: CADb7s=uy8stnnf_U7JOdtX0Ya57Dw-hpZyie2qcPP3jCyCOudA () mail ! gmail ! com
[Download RAW message or body]

On Tue, Mar 6, 2012 at 8:03 PM, Klaas Freitag <freitag@kde.org> wrote:
> On 06.03.2012 18:02, todd rme wrote:
>>
>> 2012/3/6 Jos=E9 Manuel Santamar=EDa Lema<panfaust@gmail.com>:
>>
>> Scanner kio slave. =A0An easy scanner interface using file managers
>> (like the current CD ripper kio slave). =A0There would be a folder for
>> each scanner. =A0When the folder is opened it will pull in a preview
>> from that scanner. =A0There would then be folders for supported
>> resolutions, with individual files for common paper sizes, the whole
>> scanner area, auto-detected pictures (i.e. if you can multiple
>> pictures at the same time) and, if available, text files for OCR.
>> Dragging one of these to the filesystem will trigger a full scan with
>> those settings.
>
> Thats a nice thought from a technical POV but imo thats not what a user
> wants.
> Think of typical usecases:
>
> - I want to scan a pile of photos me and my blue Opel Kadett in 1986.
> =A0For that, the scan app should detect the borders, maybe deskew and tur=
n a
> bit and save automatically.

The kio slave would detect the photos and list them, with previews, as
individual image files (one file for each photo).  You could then just
drag the mage files to where you want to save them.

> - I want to scan a letter or newspaper snippet and ocr it.

There would be text files of various formats (without previews, of
course) listed in the kio slave.  You would just grab the text file of
the format you want, drag and drop it where you want to save it (or
open it in a program), and the image will be scanned, OCRed, and then
saved in the chosen format (or opened in the chosen program).

> - I want to do a photocopy - that could be a nice plasma app imo, just a
> typical copy machine button to press, maybe a switch between color and
> grayscale. The app would scan and print automatically.

There could probably be a right-click menu item to print the selected
file.  Actually, being able to print any file in dolphin or konqueror
from right-click would be nice, but probably outside the scope of
this.

> - I want to scan a bunch of form documents and know where a barcode is
> located on them, which should be read automatically.

Barcode searches seem to be a fairly niche thing for scanned
documents, so that might be better as a standalone program that acts
on image files of any sort (I think barcode detection would be more
useful in a webcam app, actually).   If you reall want it the kio
slave could have a text file containing all barcode numbers.

QR codes (square barcodes) are a different story, and I think would be
great in the kio slave.  The kio slave could detect the QR code,
figure out what content it displays, then display a file for that
content.  For instance a QR code for a URL would show up in the KIO
slave as an HTML file that when clicked would open the URL in the
default browser.  A QR code for an address or coordinates could have a
file that would show it in marble.  Contacts or emails could also be
displayed as corresponding files as well.

> These kind of things. Not sure if a kio is cool for any of these.
>
> Klaas

A gui able to do all the things you listed would necessarily be
extremely complicated and likely difficult to use, unless most of the
tasks were automated push-button affairs.  In the latter case, there
is little advantage over a kio slave.  I would think that a kio slave
would be more natural, since users would not need to know terminology
or the menu structure.

For instance, you could offer an OCR button, but what about people who
don't know what OCR stands for (my parents, for example)?  On the
other hand, with a kio slave, the person is looking to get text, the
want a text file, so it should be pretty obvious that is what they
want.  Similarly, with scanning multiple photos at the same time, in a
stand-alone program the user would need to know where to go to get
that.  On the other hand, in a kio slave they will see files with
previews for their individual photos, so it should be clear that is
what they are looking for.

Note that the kio slave doesn't preclude a more advanced interface,
they could both be GUIs for a shared set of underlying libraries.

-Todd

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