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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: System Preferences
From:       Jason Keirstead <jason () keirstead ! org>
Date:       2005-02-04 2:47:35
Message-ID: 200502032247.35680.jason () keirstead ! org
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On February 3, 2005 09:45 pm, Benjamin Meyer wrote:
> Comment out line 232 of mainwidow.cpp and then they will all open in new
> windows.

Working on a  branch now...

> You are talking about konqurors settings.  Why would knoqurors settings
> belong in kcontrol?  They are application settings and have no place in
> kde.

There settings in Web behaviour that influence KDE as a whole.

For example, Web Shortcuts affect KRun everywhere, not just in Konqueror. The 
history sidebar settings also affect the Universal Sidebar. The Plugins 
section affects anything that uses KParts.

> Well this is just named badly.  It isn't KDE performance, it is konquror
> performance.  

There is a "System" tab in here too.

> How about this? (ignoring the little errors) Each of the four tabs on top
> have around seven items.  Took me about two minutes to make the change.
> (yah good code base to work from)
>
> http://www.icefox.net/gallery/pictures/2005/System%20Preferences/system_pre
>ferences_tabs2.png

I think this is somehwhat ugly - a drill in would be much nicer.

> The real downside to it is that it suddenly is very hard to search.  You
> have to manually go through each tab to see what is "active".

That is assuming you have absolutely no idea what you are doing. If a user, 
even a new user who has only been using a computer for 1 day, does not know 
which of those root categories the setting should be under, they should 
*probably* not be messing with it anyways.

Also - that "Search" isn't really a search - it is a filter. When I type a 
word in there, and it shades a module, I have no idea *why* that module is 
being shaded, so the shading is of little use, other than eye candy.

For example, say I am trying to change my desktop background color. I type 
"colors".

This filter would shade all icons ecept "Background" and "Colors" - now, where 
do I go to change this?

The same thing happends with all kinds of keywords, and it is the same broken 
"search" in the current KControl. The search is only useful if you know what 
the modules underneath the icons do in general - and if you already know 
that, why are you searching???

The search needs to provide a *context* along with the filtered choices - It 
needs to describe the matched keywords as they relate to the KCM. In my above 
example, "colors", it could say by each icon
	"Allows you to change the background color"
	"Allows you to change system wide colors"

There - now I know *exactly* what KCM I need.

I know the API does not provide this right now, but if we are looking toward 
the future, this is really what is required.



-- 
Jason Keirstead
http://www.keirstead.org
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