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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Proposal: Replacing Toolbar Icons in KOffice
From:       James Richard Tyrer <tyrerj () acm ! org>
Date:       2003-12-04 23:43:34
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Henrique Pinto wrote:

> I would like to comment on some points:
> 
> 	1) The hardcoded fallback to hicolor is IMO just plain wrong.

No, it is a logical necessity because: "hicolor" is just a place holder for the theme: "". 
  That is, no theme -- hicolor just means 24 bit color.  And the fact that for backwards 
compatibility reasons, an application should install its (24 bit color) KDEClassic icons 
as 'hicolor' (an application should not install icons as KDEClassic).

If fall back was not that way, then KDEClassic icons installed as hicolor would not be used.

<SNIP>

> 	2) We have no control over third-party apps. 

However, we do have the guidelines which I believe are correct:

http://devel-home.kde.org/~larrosa/iconthemes.html

They have not been updated, but apparently the de facto guideline is now that CrystalSVG 
icons should always be installed as: "crystalsvg" even if there is no: "hicolor" and this 
also appears to be correct.

It should be added to the guidelines that all applications should install a full set of 24 
bit color KDEClassic icons as hicolor.  If developers fail to follow the guidelines, then 
you are correct that we have no control over that.

> 	3) I fail to see why hicolor icons are "unthemed". They follow a common 
> 	   style pattern and integrate well, thus forming a theme, no? At least I 
> 	   could imagine accessible icons that would not fit well the original 
> 	   hicolor theme (yes, hicolor, as you know, was a theme, later renamed to 
> 	   KDEClassic).

In the beginning, there was KDE-1.0 and there were NO icon themes.  You could only choose 
between: "hicolor" which was for those with 24 bit color and: "locolor" which was for 
those with 8 bit color.  Then icon themes were added and nobody bothered to give the 
original icon theme a name.  This has been corrected; it is now called KDEClassic (except 
that if you still need the 8 bit color icons, that it is now called Lowcolor [case 
sensitive]).

So, although: "hicolor" and "kdeclassic" should always refer to the same icons, when you 
use: "hicolor" you are NOT specifying a theme -- only implying that you are using 
KDEClassic.  Therefore, hicolor is synonymous with: "unthemed".

> 
> 	4) May I suggest you to contact the KDE Accessibility team and create a 
> 	   guideline for an accessible icon theme. 

Because I am not sufficiently visually impaired to require: "Accessibility".

<SNIP>

 >          Perhaps some points could even be considered for crystal icons.

This would not be possible because an essential part of what makes a CrystalSVG icon what 
it is is the lack of tonal range.  Almost all of the tonal range (except for pure black) 
is between 128 and 255.  And, it is the lack of tonal range which makes it more difficult 
to visualize them.

And, because I believe that KDE should continue to offer the KDEClassic icon theme.

--
JRT

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