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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Is there a kde aims and objectives document ?
From:       Emerald Arcana <emerald-arcana () home ! com>
Date:       2001-08-11 19:34:06
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On August 11, 2001 09:46 am, dids wrote:
> 1) Another Window Manager, Desktop Environment for Unix.Linux. etc etc
> 2) The same as above but designed to help move users from Proprietry
> platforms to Unix.Bsd with a minimal learning curve.
> 3) another paradigm I havent thought of

I never really thought of KDE as designed to MOVE people from MacOS or 
Windows to any sort of *nix.  It was designed to be a familiar, easy to use, 
intuitive graphical environment, but because it is Windows-like in nature (so 
much so that KDE actually has a bit of an anti-following) it has ended up 
being seen as the next "Windows killer", or at least, the closet thing that 
Linux has to being able to establish itself on the desktop.  

A very important point to make is that the KDE project is designed to give 
all users, whether new to *nix or gurus who've been working on it for years 
an intuitive, usable, efficient graphical environment.  If that means 
emulating Windows to a degree, so be it.  Microsoft, believe it or not, has 
made some excellent advances in GUI research.  As has Apple and IBM as well 
as Be and many other corporations.

As far as I know, GUI styles and concepts have not been patented yet.  In 
other words, if you call the first item of your menu "File", you shouldn't be 
able to patent that idea.  So we should snap up all the GOOD ideas while 
taking the junk we see in everything and filtering it all out.

For those involved in KDE-usability, we're not as much involved with the 
technical aspects as we are with the usabiity and intuitiveness of the 
environment.

As for your idea with some standards?  We should only use a standard if it's 
a good idea.  Something like Microsoft's taskbar and its Start Button is 
generally a good idea, so KDE used it.  However, we should not put something 
there "just because everyone else has it".  We should put it in if it's a 
good idea.

That's what we're here to discuss.... what is a good usability idea and 
what's a bad usability idea. :)

-- 
-- Arcana
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