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List:       koffice-devel
Subject:    Re: GSoC: KWord interface revamp proposal
From:       Carlos Licea <carlos_licea () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2009-03-23 8:10:17
Message-ID: 200903230110.17558.carlos_licea () hotmail ! com
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El Sunday 22 March 2009 22:40:27 David Antler escribió:
> Hey KOfficers,
>
> I'm planning on applying for a GSoC spot with KDE and was wondering what
> you guys think of my proposal.  I made brief mention of my plans on IRC one
> day but figured I'd just put my things together to better show my ideas.
> Anyway, if you wouldn't mind reading through it, I've appended it below. 
> I'll even show you the mockup first so you don't get bored!  It's a bit
> rough but shows the benefits of the design.
>
> I hope you like it.
>
> David Antler
>
> P.S. I havn't read through all of the GSoC proposal guidelines too
> carefully so I may have some unnecessary things in there.
>
> ####################################
> My First Mockup: http://imagebin.ca/view/dGKpDYxg.html
> ####################################
> KWORD GSOC PROPOSAL
> Motivation for the project: The first task I used KWord2 for was completing
> physics homework where the addition of graphics was very important.  I
> found it functional and smooth, especially when word-wrapping around
> pictures, but I ran into convenience problems when I attempted some simple
> tasks: changing text colors, adding adequate spacing, and creating new
> frames to use to my advantage. Pressured by a deadline, I ultimately gave
> up and salvaged my work into an alternative text editor to complete the
> assignment.
>
> Summary: A reworking of the GUI for KWord2 will help users realize its
> unique utility in the realm of free publishing software by encouraging the
> use of frames and other related features which are already present, though
> veiled behind a convoluted interface.  The implementation of an improved
> GUI will secure KWord2 as a preferred tool for generating documents with
> heavy dependence upon formatting.
>
> Design philosophy:  Keep the most commonly used features easily accessible
> to the user at all times, highlighting the strength of KWord in layering
> and use of frames.  Display relevant features at relevant times.  Using
> symbols to express ideas and tooltips to clarify rather than static text.
> Minimize the user's visual parsing of interface required to find their
> desired action.
>
> Design goals:
> •	Increase the productivity of KWord users
> •	Introduce convenient shortcuts for common tasks
> •	Showcase KWord's capabilities and features to unfamiliar users
> •	Minimize usage of dropdown/popup windows
> •	Eliminate the need to modify the UI for functionality
> •	Conserve screen space
> •	Maintain the customizaton and flexibility that KOffice users are
> accustomed to
>
> Implementation details: In order to make my implementation closely
> resemble my mockup, I plan on using Dockers.  Dockers are already
> implemented into KOLibs and I can learn from existing source code about how
> to create them.  They contain detailed rules regarding placement and width
> that are convenient for my purpose. Designing each of these Dockers
> involves using Qt Designer, which I plan on learning to use in mid Spring. 
> In the first couple weeks, I plan on copying my mockup drawings into Qt
> Designer files as closely as possible.  Some dockers already exist to
> implement the features that I include in my redesign but need to be forked
> into KWord- specific versions.  Once I have completed my dockers, I will
> need to implement them into the existing codebase and prepare existing code
> to accept my changes, including generating the default layout (as seen in
> my mockup).  I will work as quickly as possible during these stages to
> ensure I don't run into any KOLib-related issues that will need a fix or
> modification. It may be desirable to port my forked dockers back to
> KOffice's general docker set, but completion of that would require more
> time and consideration of the rest of the Koffice suite. I will spend the
> last couple of weeks considering the uniformity of the GUI across KOffice's
> applications and how to reuse my code the most effectively.
>
> About me: I am a Sophomore/Junior in Computer Engineering at the University
> of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  I've been through some relevant
> coursework regarding programming and have limited Qt knowledge but don't
> see that as much of an obstacle. I've been going through a book (Ezust,
> Introduction to Design Patterns in C++ with Qt 4) and learning more about
> it, but the best way I've learned in the past is through tinkering, which
> I've always been a huge nerd for. In 7th grade I picked up some C# from
> scripting for RunUO (www.runuo.com) and in High School I played with Flash
> extensively. My first game won 4th place in the Armor Gaming Challenge #4.
> I'm a self-motivated student looking to contribute to KDE, which has been
> my primary desktop environment for years, and to continue contributing long
> after the project is over.
Personally, I kind of like the mockup... yet I can't help to notice that it is 
indeed very close to the ribbon interface of MS Office 2007... which, by the 
way, I find apelling but has been strongly criticized by many users. Besides 
there's the patent issue: Ribbon is a concept owned by Microsoft and as such 
should be imitated with caution.
Finally, those are just random thoughts, I'm not a core contributor and I just 
wanted to rise my voice with a few concerns.
Carlos

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