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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Application Launching: My Notebook
From:       Irwin <emerald-arcana () rogers ! com>
Date:       2002-06-06 3:42:05
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This is my notebook so far about Application Launching.



APPLICATION LAUNCHING
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Methods to perform application launching:

1) Panel
2) K-Menu
3) Desktop
4) File Browser
5) Command Shell

- -- Panel is the easiest, the most visible.  It is for an comfortable new user, 
generally.
- -- K-Menu is where novices go if something's not on the panel.  Most total 
newcomers will hit a menu first.
- -- The desktop by default is not usually a place where a user finds 
applications.  (It's more of a personal dumping space for the user's files.)
- -- File Browser is for a power user who knows where apps are installed and how 
a computer works.
- -- Command shell is for experts.

MENU STYLES:

a) Using a "Task Oriented" Menu.

<INSERT DEFINITION HERE>

- -Make sentences out of the menu heirarchy:
	"Visit the Internet -> Web Browser"
	"Do Office Work -> Word Processor"

b) Using a "Most-Frequently-Used" menu, a-la Windows XP (C. Young)

OTHER MENU STYLES:

a) Making the buttons bigger
	-I personally support this (I. Kwan).
b) Putting LESS on the first-level K-Menu to make it less intimidating
	-I personally support this (I. Kwan)
c) Two-column menu
	-Frowned upon as being too confusing, and forcing users to have to scann 
multiple directions.

OTHER METHODS OF APPLICATION LAUNCHING:

a) Application-Grouping inside Panel buttons (I. Kwan: 
http://yetta.net/~arcana/kde/kofficemenu1.png)
b) Applet on kicker to display shortcut to last-launched item (T. Jansen)
c) Multiple sizes: "Primary icons" and "Secondary Icons".  There are your main 
apps on the kicker, and your other apps in the quick launcher (R. Kainhofer, 
http://reinhold.kainhofer.com/Linux/Bildschirmphoto1.png).
d) Multiple panels: one for taskbars, one for application-launching (G. Tyler, 
http://www.doxxx.net/desktop.png, http://www.doxxx.net/desktop2.png).
e) Multiple panels, autohiding some of them.  For advanced users only.
f) A kicker button to launch the "Recently used Items" in a menu (M. Klencke)


MENU CUSTOMIZATION

- - It is a general accepted fact that new users simply don't know how to use 
the Menu Editor.
- - Some advanced users can't figure out the menu editor (I can't).

a) Make the menu editor more like Konqueror with two panels
b) Use a "Try New Application" option in the menu heirarchy (E. Ellsworth)




- -- 
- -- Irwin 
(Arcana)
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