Hi all,

I think we should use pencil. Even though it is not yet really good =

enough - I think only by using it, it will get the chance to get =

better (e.g. some KDE developers fixing bugs?!?). We need a free tool =

for mocking.

If we have plasma / QML stencils for it - even better!

If there is a need, I know the pidoco guys a bit, so I could evaluate =

a free-as-beer version for us, if there is demand. But I honestly =

never fell in love with their tool - when things get complex it =

really gets in the way (last try about 2 years ago - so things might =

have changed!)

But no doubt: nothing is as good as balsamiq... (perhaps Axure to go =

to a slightly different category).

My 2 cents,

Bj=F6rn

Am Mittwoch, 23. Januar 2013, 16:01:27 schrieb Thomas Pfeiffer:
> On 23.01.2013 15:31, Alex Fiestas wrote:
> > On Wednesday 23 January 2013 14:08:27 Thomas Pfeiffer wrote:
> >> Since I don't think we really need advanced interactive =

prototyping
> >> functionality, I'd go for either myBalsamiq or - if somebody =

wants to
> >> create stencils for Plasma Components - Pencil. Or a combination =

of
> >> myBalsamiq for early sketches and Pencil for more detailed =

wireframes.
> > =

> > As far as I know (I may be wrong) you can extend Pencil only by =

producing
> > SVG and importing them you don't need to know programing for =

doing that.
> > IIRC we should be able to produce a "collection" that we all =

share
> > containing Plasma Components and missing "rough sketch" items =

without
> > needing a programmer to do it.
> =

> That depends on what you want to have. For static components just
> importing SVGs is enough. You don't have things like states
> (checked/unchecked, focused, opened/closed) or editable labels =

then, though.
> For anything more fancy, you'll need to edit the XML. That is not =

actual
> _programming_, of course, but somebody would need to get into XUL =

and
> Pencil's specific structure to do it.
> =

> > If indeed we need a programmer for extending Pencil, then we can =

evaluate
> > using something else but we should we careful of not tiering =

ourselves
> > with a proprietary app that won't allow us to export our data.
> =

> Having a comprehensive set of Plasma Components stencils (ideally =

in
> both sketch and true-to-the-original versions) would be awesome, of
> course, and would make Pencil a very useful tool indeed.
> I'd say the next step should be to evaluate how complicated =

creating
> more complex stencils actually is and estimate how much effort =

creating
> a useful Plasma components stencil set would be.
> Then we can see if we can take that effort. Creating stencils could =

make
> pretty nice Google Code-in jobs, of course.
> =

> Exporting Balsamiq files is no more special than exporting Pencil =

files,
> though. Both are XML and afaik, neither uses a standardized format =

(in
> fact, I'm not aware of the existence of a standardized format for =

mockups).
> The advantage with Pencil is of course that we could theoratically =

add
> missing features ourselves. The Balsamiq devs are a very nice =

bunch,
> though, and they are really good at listening to their customers. =

It's
> pretty sad that they haven't gone the open source way yet, it would
> really fit them well.
> =

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-- =

Dipl.-Psych. Bj=F6rn Balazs
Business Management & Research
T +49 30 6098548-21 | M +49 179 4541949

User Prompt GmbH | Psychologic IT Expertise =

Gr=FCnberger Str. 49, 10245 Berlin | www.user-prompt.com =

HRB 142277 | AG Berlin Charlottenburg | Gesch=E4ftsf=FChrer Bj=F6rn Balazs
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