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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: (Real) Task Orientation in KDE 4.0 using KParts
From:       Renato Machado de Sousa <ra002388 () ic ! unicamp ! br>
Date:       2003-10-13 0:24:30
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> * Project oriented : TASK (redaction, memory, report...)
>     We group all files about a same task in a folder.
>     And then, we ONLY manipulate those files and folder :
>     not the applications !
> * Usual things/files : play music, video, game... (multimedia?)
>     It isn't tasks because we cannot have a folder per "music"
>     or group all sort of MIME in an unique folder for a given time
>     (contrary to projects...)

Yes, in writing my text I also noticed that multimedia/games do not fit
in task orienting... I think they could remain as is.

> Lorghon will have "*LIBRARY*" to represent "usual things" (do you have
> any other name than librarys ? ) :
> - Music library
> - Pictures and Videos Library
> - Games Library
> - Etc...
> 
> But we have some problems : we cannot put all images in "Image library"
> because some projects/tasks must have theire own images/pictures.
> Idem for downloads : we can downloads "generic/usual things" like
> programs, wallpapers or images to insert in the project (that can
> contain presentation, WordProcessor document...).
> 
> One solution is to rearange the save dialog and allow to save in few
> locations :
> - Put this file in the current task
> - Put the file in the task [ComboBox or IconBox]
> - Put in the image/downloads library
> So, the fileSystem disapeare and users are not confused : they do a
> memorium, so they put theire file in teire "Memorium" project/task !!
> That's all ! IMO It's a beautiful and consistant way to use the PC,
> especially for beginers.

Perhaps put the file in the <MIME>library, and _link_ (ln -s) it to its
projects folders

> > *View File [...]
> > *Create File [...]
> > *Edit File [...]
> 
> Let me group all those "tasks" in one.
> Let's me explain :
> 
> We can have a completly different desktop than today : no K|StartMenu
> and...
> The desktop BECOME the home folder or is deleted.
> Or better : when we start our session the desktop provide several
> options and we are asked what we want to do :

I still think these options belong on a K menu. That's because I want to
do many things (tasks) at once, and don't want to go to my desktop
just to start another task.

> * Start a new task >> List of templates
>    - New presentation
>    - New report
> * Continue a task  >> List of already created tasks (and not archiveds)
>    - Meet with Johana
>    - Holidays 2003
>    - My English homeworks
>    - End of month activity report
> * Reopen an archived task >> To free the tasks list
>                              for example if we have terminated our
>                              A Level report, we can archive it)
> * Do an "usualy" task >> That are not considered as tasks
>                          ie: they have not a own directory
>                              and they cannot be archived
>    - Go online and browse/chat/read_mails...
>    - "Multimedia center" : Play music, play a DVD, an XVid...
>    - Browse "My pictures" / Change wallpaper...
>    - Play a game...

Yes, these are just programs, as they are today. No sense in changing that
> 
> We can "program" usual tasks to be started at session start : continue
> play music, etc... and/or have a "kicker applet" to control music...
> (between quotes, because we haven't need to have kicker : we doethinking
> about applications but about files in a task. See below)

> But Get email isn't an alone task : we can get emails to the current
> work and we want to organize them in the "Work report" project/task, for
> example...
> Idem for Web browsing : we can browse for the current work, or to get
> news...
> And also for calendar : actually we must create a directory to put all
> files relative to a task, and go to Kalendar to also create a folder for
> this task, and ALSO in KMail to create a new folder for this new task,
> and open a Konqueror window if we want to get_files/search on the web.
> But this is the same task !

that is why I think we cannot get rid of K menu/kicker. Just let them
stay. But I liked the Idea of specific folders in applications for tasks
(you forgot per task bookmarks on konqueror)


> I'm very interested by your's ideas because I've also thinked for a task
> oriented desktop.
> Hum... It could be an application that cover all the desktop or be an
> totaly new DesktopEnvironment... based on KDE, of course.
> Less drastically, we can make an application, that manage this.
> If you say that KPart can concretise my "dream"... Good news :-)
> 
> What do you think about that ?

I think these should BE (at least in some level) in KDE. Maybe not the
revolutionary full desktop remake, but at least TASK support in
applications (and a reorganizaation of the KDE menu... damn, even Office
97 puts "Open File" and "Creat File" in the Start Menu). Let me make a
realistic list:

Easy: Reorganize K menu - get rid of all viewer applications, and get the
One True viewer to rule them all Kparts. Add Open File, Create File kinds
of tasks.

Hard: Support Tasks in Apps - Involves creating a new abstract item
"task" (much like a programming project, but cross-application), that
downloads/files can be added to. Support opening a task, continuing it
(like a microssession), archiving it. Easy intuitive "bookmark to task",
"add contact to task", etc support in network apps.

No Idea about how can we do this: Task orient multimedia/entertainment
(these are almost by definition outside tasks), remove the kicker (we NEED
a global navigation/status panel), remove the K menu (we need somewhere to
group apps/tasks, and the menu on the bottom left corner has proven its
superiority until today. Getting a "selector"window is pretty much getting
back to windows 3.1, which I hated since I got windows (even then I used
to group all my programs in buttons on office toolbar, and just ignore the
program manager)

I believe this orientation should be the focus of the KDE project (I don't
really believe in forking, and this requires too much strcutural changes
to be done in an app). I think the only thing we can do on short term is
the "one true viewing application" (just a little work in Kviewshell will
do), the "Open/Create Project" menu items (they just create a new folder
in ~/projects and open a Konqueror window inside it. Perhaps we can put an
icon "create new file" inside the folder, that will open a "create file"
window...).

The rest, like adding task functionality to
Koffice/Konqueror/KDEPIM/KDENetwork, is much structural, and cannot be
done from the outside (this really changes the core of the KDE
architecture, and I suspect it even can't be done before 4.0)

Now, real programming is not something i can do right now. I am just a
college student, with a project to complete and many exams. I just wanted
to state this outloud in the KDE lists to try to collaborate
"theoretically" to the development...

Renato Machado de Sousa

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