[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread] 

List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Again on KControl
From:       Sander Devrieze <s.devrieze () pandora ! be>
Date:       2004-03-05 10:50:39
Message-ID: 200403051150.47669.s.devrieze () pandora ! be
[Download RAW message or body]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Op vrijdag 5 maart 2004 01:40, schreef Simon Edwards:
<snip>
> My philosophy reguarding KC is that it is for configuring the OS and the
> operating environment (i.e. the desktop environment). Basically the
> layer(s) of software that sits below the application level. As someone else
> said once, "in KC you can configure things that don't have a Settings
> menu". Which I think is a good guideline.
>
> As for admin stuff and KAdmin, spawning another kcontrol like program
> doesn't make much sense in a desktop environment where the person using the
> computer is often the admin person too. Better to keep all config stuff in
> the same place.

That's why I think we should make a Kontact-like application of KControl, 
where all separate parts also can be started indivudally.

KControl: no real application but it brings all parts together
	->KConfig: all things which will influence the user's desktop experience 
directly: "to configure desktop environment"
	->KAdmin: all admin things like Kiosk, firewall, installation of software,... 
which hace consequences for the whole computer (and need root pasword!)
	->KHardware: the place where people can install/manage there hardware, things 
like kdeprint, gphoto-settings, X settings,...
	(->KAppConfigs: brings together application specific settings which also can 
be accessed from within the applications, useful for people who want to 
change configuration of applications from a central place, also useful in 
combination with network support to do this in an easy and fast way for many 
computers in the network)

Examples: 
o Admins (also people who admin the computer of there grandmum,...) will just 
go to the admin module without being confused by other things.
o People who don't care about there desktop environment and use the defaults 
will only need to use KHardware when they have new hardware or when they want 
to change for example the printing settings. Because it's in a separate part 
they will find what they want in an easy and fast way without being confused 
by seeing other modules. Why I think this shouldn't be under KAdmin is that 
these things are *less* critical (e.g.: you won't break your whole system by 
installing a new printer but maybe you will when you remove too much software 
via KAdmin) and that it's more important for people to have for example their 
new printer (which replaces a broken one) working than to have the most 
up-to-date software installed. E.g.: the computer people at your office are 
in vacation, your printer is broken and you need to print an important 
document. (Remark: because of this KHardware should have many wizards and 
should be _very_ easy yo use)
o People who want to install a new theme, screensaver, change the proxy 
settings,... have to look in KConfig. (very similiar to what KControl is 
today)

Remark: distribution specific modules should integrate well in this different 
parts and it should be easy to distinguish them from the KDE ones. This will 
make it easier for helpdesks to help people using different distributions and 
also for computer literate people who helps there friend who has another 
distribution.

> Big things that need menus and toolbars etc like administrating mail
> servers and web servers don't really belong in KC. They are applications.
> You would install a machine for the purpose of being a web server, but you
> wouldn't install a machine just so that you can configure it's icon scheme.
> It is a different class of functionality to that in KC. For those kinds of
> "primary" functions you are probably better off just making a normal
> full-blown KDE application to configure it.

That's also why I think we should have 3 (and eventually 4) different 
applications. :)

> just my opinion at this point in time.

- -- 
Mvg, Sander Devrieze.

JabberID: sander@vosberg.be -- ( http://jabber.vosberg.be/ )
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: GnuPG v1.2.4 (GNU/Linux)

iD8DBQFASFuFK+G8aHNHCSMRAlaEAKCY3QiM/FvUFYx2647zr7xUa2fuIwCeJo1r
ml3HrIspayZFos+806DQ9rA=
=MATw
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
_______________________________________________
kde-usability mailing list
kde-usability@kde.org
https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/kde-usability

[prev in list] [next in list] [prev in thread] [next in thread]