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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Redesigning control center: list of concepts with multiple
From:       Tom Chance <lists () tomchance ! org ! uk>
Date:       2004-02-11 18:41:42
Message-ID: 200402111841.42593.lists () tomchance ! org ! uk
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Maurizio,

On Thursday 12 Feb 2004 00:20, Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> SOLUTION:
> My solution is made of two points: 1) nonexclusive categories 2) flat,
> multiselectable list of categories.
>
> Explanation of (1) and (2):
>
> 1) If I want to do something related to look and feel, I must be CONFIDENT
> I will find what I need when I click "look and feel". And so on.
> Therefore you should allow the configuration dialogs to be in MORE THAN ONE
> CATEGORY.
>
> 2) you should also allow to select more than one category from a list.

I think that in the example of the mouse, your system works very well. I 
wonder about the others though, since I think users approach the control 
center in different ways for different purposes. For example:

1) I want to change my mouse pointer so I can see it with my poor eyesight. I 
open up the control center so I can change this particular setting

2) I want to change the appearance of my desktop. I open up the control center 
to browse the kinds of things I can change

3) I am bored, or want to find out more about what KDE can do, and so open up 
the control center and just randomly look at different KCMs

Your system works very well for (1), and if you had a sufficiently good list 
of search terms it would work as well as the current set-up for (2). But it 
would, in my mind, be much worse than the current set-up for (3).

That's not to say that your system isn't worth considering. AFAIK one accepted 
idea was to have a better searching capacity, so perhaps your system could 
complement the tree system. You could have the two systems as tabs in the 
column on the left, and in the main window when you first open the control 
center, you could have the search box at the top and the buttons for the main 
categories below. Then you get the best of both worlds.

Tom
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