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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    RE: KDE Control Center
From:       Poletti Don <Don.Poletti () comverse ! com>
Date:       2002-08-05 15:36:22
[Download RAW message or body]

While I agree completely that the control center is bloated and 
intimidating to newbies and even a few power users I think we
should start with some high level philosophy about the layout
before getting into specifics. Although to explain an concept an
example is always nice.

1) Operation system vs application. Good thing we're not MS and in 
court. Personally I don't like all the application centric dialogs
in here. For instance web browsing controls Konq but not Mozilla of
course mozilla is not a KDE app but does Joe average now that. Really
what we have here is setting for libraries (ogg and MP3 settings) this
is very confusing. I don't trust any app to use the setting from there and
I would always double check them in the actually app.

One argument I heard for having the application setting here is if
it is a componet it could be embedded in another app with no way to 
set the preferences. I don't have a good solution but I'm against having
them in the control panel.

2) Look'n'Feel. This has a large sub-tree. in fact everything could be
here since its a gui. This has to be re-thought/re-named or removed. I'm
leaning toward removed. I think this was really meant as appearance and
should only have themes/styles but other stuff has gotten in there.

3) Themes/styles/individual setting. A theme can set you colors/icons
background etc. but then there are individual dialogs for the colors
icons etc. Should these be linked in some way. I had stopped using 
KDE for about 6 months and when I came back it took me 20 minutes
to figure out how to change the widgets appearnce ( I was looking 
under theme and not sytle).

4) psedo setting, import legacy themes. This is a appliation not 
configuration dialog. I think it should be removed but others might 
argue its convient here.

I'm hoping to declutter the CC but making the individual dialogs
simplier. For instance the new backgroud dialog is a single panel
and doesn't have tabs. Possible this can be made a tab on the desktop
dialog thus removing one entry from the CC. 



>-----Original Message-----
>From: Gerold J. Wucherpfennig [mailto:gjwucherpfennig@gmx.net]
>Sent: Sunday, August 04, 2002 3:18 PM
>To: kde-devel@kde.org
>Subject: KDE Control Center
>
>
>-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
>Hash: SHA1
>
>Some suggestions about restructuring the KDE Control Center.
>
><intro>
>
>Imagine to be a computer newby who's looking at the KDE Control Center
>for the first time.
>
>You look at the 15 top level items on the left:
>- - Advanced
>- - Desktop
>- - Email
>- - File Manager
>- - Help
>- - Look&Feel
>- - Network
>- - Panel
>- - Peripherals
>- - Power Control
>- - Sound
>- - System
>- - Web Browser
>and
>- - Window Management
>
>And you see that most of these items have even subitems!
>
></intro>
>
>IMO the KDE Control Center is a bit overcrowed.
>
>I'm very happy that /KDE folks/ have investigated time
>and resources to enhance the overall usability of this
>wonderful desktop environment.
>Many people like the results of this work :-).
>
>So I want to give you some suggestions about restructuring the
>KDE Control Center. (The amount of items should be reduced IMO)
>
>
>1. The "Panel" - settings
>
>This tree is already accessible with "K->Settings->Configure Panel", so
>it can be removed from the Control Center (hidden).
>
>
>2. "Configure Konqueror"
>
>"Configure Konqueror" should include the "File Manager", "Web Browser"
>and (partly the) "Network" tree.
>
>"Configure Konqueror" should be accessible with
>"Konqueror->Settings->Configure Konqueror", _and_
>"K->Settings->"Configure Konqueror".
>
>Then the "File Manager", "Web Browser" and (partly the) "Network" tree
>can be removed from the Control Center (hidden).
>(I think KDE is the only DE which puts Browser settings in the 
>Control Center)
>
>
>3. Create a "System Center"
>
>Non-KDE Items should be put into an independent "Control Center"
>named "System Center". This already happend to the "Information" tree
>which has been put into the "Information Center".
>
>With non-KDE items I mean distribution specific and system dependent
>KControl applets like the Linux kernel configurator.
>
>"System Center" should include NEW trees like
>"System Services",  "Hardware" and "Advanced".
>
>Distributions can then e.g. put hareware detection tools,
>Screen/GFX configurators(X Window...), ...
>into "System Center"->"Hardware".
>
>Maybe even some developers will create "Free"
>Linux-LSB-compatible system config tools as KControl applets.
>
>"System Center"->"System Services" may contain e.g.
>a user manager (convert kuser to a kcontrol applet?),
>a System V init configurator (I wrote one, but still alpha)
>and _maybe_ Apache, Bind, DHCP, SQUID, SAMBA, LDAP, Radius,
>... configurators in the near or distant future ;-)
>
>"Advanced" may contain the Linux Kernel configurator, etc.
>
>
>This are only _suggestions_, please feel free to comment on this...
>
>Gerold
>
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