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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Idea for KDE 4 - global, smooth zoom feature.
From:       "Diego Moya \(a.k.a. TuringTest\)" <turingt () gmail ! com>
Date:       2005-05-25 20:06:58
Message-ID: 11ee049405052513062987e107 () mail ! gmail ! com
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On 24/05/05, Mauricio Bahamonde <elkrammer@kde.cl> wrote:
> Hi,
>         The demo and the idea are great.
> Here are some doubts and comments I have:
> 
> 1) I don't think the current Linux X Server(Xorg) can handle this.
I think Cairo (now in development) will be able to manage zooming
interfaces on X, even on old machines.
http://cairographics.org/introduction


> 2) I don't like too much the idea of using this as a replacement for virtual
> desktops nor using it all the time. Some usability issues can appear here:
> For example, you can lose lot's of time searching for the part of the desktop
> where your application is.

There is no need for Alt-Tab to stop working, is it? 

Also desktop-integrated search engines like Tenor or Beagle, plus a
Firefox-like search-as-you-type feature could make for a better way to
access your open work regions than a taskbar or even Mac OS X's
Exposé.


> 3) People with some type of dissability or disease could have issues with
> this. Personally, I got dizzy playing with the demo.

A solution for that is that traveling effects could be disabled and
have "instant move-to" as an option, to avoid motion sickness.


> 4) I see this idea of possibly great use for K Magnifier. It could be improved
> basing on this idea.

As a first step it could be a replacement (or special mode) for the
file manager. Instead of folders, you'll have "open boxes" containing
always visible files and other boxes. File preview could be done in
place.

If that works well, it could be extended to the whole desktop by
adding application windows (or better yet, non overlapping "work
areas") to the infinite plane.


On 24/05/05, Aaron J. Seigo <aseigo@kde.org> wrote:
> On Monday 23 May 2005 07:40, Joseph Garvin wrote:
> my concern with zooming interfaces is that our information is not that simple
> and so may not map cleanly to such a system, and that we'd end up with a
> complex combination of "zoomable infinite 2D area" and "windows with
> relationships" (the current mechanism, simplified greatly =)
> 
> trying to present everything along 2 different metaphores seems to me to be
> rather antiproductive.

That's a valid concern. The original "Humane Interface" ZUI proposal
was supposed to completely replace windows. Related areas would be
achieved with smaller boxes inside boxes to which you could zoom in.
The concept of "clones" (similar to soft links) could be used to have
different, alternate mappings at the same time.

The advantage of Zooming User Interfaces over windows is that they're
truly "spatial", you can use positional memory to remember where
things were located. The human brain is rather good at that. Think of
it as a successful Gnome's "spatial Nautilus", without all the popping
windows.


On 25/05/05, julian oliver <julian@selectparks.net> wrote:
> however many agree there is plenty wrong with apple's assumptions on what constitues a
> default Productive Desktop Experience (TM), let alone their generisation of 'usability'; it may
> wise to keep such overt derivatives as a zooming feature one click away from being a dependable
> window-management paradigm.
> 
> right now, i'd be more interested in statistical comparison on the number
> of mouse clicks, and time, it takes users to move a document from one folder to
> another, rename it, and send it to a friend -  across the DE's winxp, osx
> and KDE.

That's the spirit which lend Jef Raskin to develop "the most efficient
interface possible", and he end up with this controversial project:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archy

The idea of an infinite zoomable desktop is original from there.
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