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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: list of usability-related aKademy discussion
From:       Frans Englich <frans.englich () telia ! com>
Date:       2004-07-26 8:08:55
Message-ID: 200407260808.55592.frans.englich () telia ! com
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On Monday 26 July 2004 06:09, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> hi all...
>
> i'm starting to organize my aKademy schedule. the purpose of this email it
> three-fold:
>
> 	1. to get an idea who else will be there to discuss these things with
> 	2. to let everyone here know what i plan to work on
> 	3. to get feedback from this list on #2
>
> #3 is particularly of interest to you, the reader, because it allows you to
> have a say in what happens @ aKademy w/regard to usability even if you
> aren't there. 

I wish I had the money to go!

> basically, i'm openning myself up as your representative / 
> ambassador to aKademy. remember, i'm only there for 10 days, so this list
> needs some limits.
>
> enjoy.
>
> The List
> =====
> 1. kde-usability-devel
> 	a) the mailing list
> 	b) the associated web site
> 	c) relationship and x-over between it and kde-usability
>
> 2. kcontrol
> 	we have several similar versions of new kcontrols floating around. most
> are similar, all have subtle problems. i've discussed these things at
> length already with some developers, and aKademy is THE time to pick a
> directrion for KDE4 and actually write some code to cement that direction.

I think the last couple of hours have shown we are pretty well covered up in 
this area :) For example, my KControl(kdenonbeta/kcontrol4) is 650 of LOC and 
is built on Designer files etc. so it's easily changed(I think Benjamin's 
version is up-to-date too). I'm sorry -- we're pretty good covered up on the 
code front :) I estimate it is very likely our upcoming KControl will have a 
design similar to Benjamin's and mine.

> i don't want to do this via email and irc as i'm tired of typing the volume
> of text implied by such discussions;

Yes, we all are. That's one reason to why both Benjamin(I think) and I push 
for a "formal KControl document" -- to set one discussion in stone.

> i'm looking forward to face-to-face 
> discussion =)

If you discuss KControl, remember the conclusions have to be rock solid and be 
able to handle the usual kde-usability-noise -- otherwise they will be 
useless. I, and perhaps others who's not going, sees aKademy as a private 
email discussion wrt to decision taking -- you will have to write such a 
formal document, and be prepared to see it be critized, as any other 
decision. (Makes sense right?) 

But I would skip discussing KControl on aKademy because it would lead to much 
friction. Benjamin, Jamethiel, Walter Benoit, and I have done tons of work 
and are most up to date wrt to KControl(AFAICT) -- and neither one of us are 
going[1]. We have tons of documentation and code, and discussing KControl 
without us would very likely lead to our work being discarded, and our 
knowledge not being sewn in. In other words, it is a quite a big chance you 
will return from aKademy, report your work, and we say "you missed this & 
that", and "we have already written that & this" etc.

I think the above mentioned people and the work that have been presented, is 
more than enough for reaching a great result. Skip KControl on aKademy, leave 
that to us, and go full speed on the other issues -- anything else is taking 
too much risk.

The KDE Usability Articles project is, from my viewpoint, the biggest thing 
that have happend for KDE on the usability front in a long time -- it affects 
KDE deeply from an organizational perspective. It is important its direction 
and presence is aware of when those tremendous important and large 
discussions fires of(which they will). It's a lot of work -- close to a word 
count of 30 000(excluding mark up) and, according to my judgment, will have a 
major impact on development, when the documents I've written have been 
reviewed. Let's see how things evolves during the next two weeks -- 
eventually I'll write a short paper which can bring people up to date(as good 
that can be done), and we can do a Q&A on IRC so you can represent it.

Other than that, I would greatly appreciate a _thorough_ report of /all/ 
usability related on aKademy. In other words, not just the amount of empty 
bear cans :P 
Ideas:
* Perhaps you could split up the reporting between different people("you blog 
about meeting X, I about Y" for example)
* Sound record the meetings(suggestion..)
* Write reports about:
   * What people that was present and their roles("Joe have done this and 
that, currently do Foo, and works for Hema"). Small one-liners :)
   * What was decided, and why
   * What ideas that was turned down and _why_
   * Of course not overly detailed, but everyone must know what was decided, 
so we don't step on our toes on future work, or know who to contact if one 
wants to know more/join development

In short; when aKademy is over, it shouldn't appear like a "fork" in 
development -- we who wasn't there should be able to slide into your work and 
we /all/ continue together with your accomplishments. As we know; resolving 
conflicts is a mess.


My two grands(?),


			Frans


1.
According to:
http://wiki.kde.org/tiki-index.php?page=aKademy+not+without+me+%21

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