[Squeak-fr] Fwd: Some thoughts 3/3: About some look changes

[stéphane ducasse]

Begin forwarded message:

> From: Diego Gomez Deck <DiegoGomezDeck at ConsultAr.com>
> Date: 12 septembre 2004 14:34:52 GMT+02:00
> To: The general-purpose Squeak developers list 
> <squeak-dev at lists.squeakfoundation.org>
> Subject: Re: Some thoughts 3/3: About some look changes
> Reply-To: The general-purpose Squeak developers list 
> <squeak-dev at lists.squeakfoundation.org>
>
>  Hi,
>
>  My apologies for the HTML posting, but is much more easy to include 
> images and formating in this format:
>
> DISCLAIMER:
>  This is an incomplete, still not finish, alpha, etc, etc piece of 
> work.  It's working fine and smoothly in my tests with a set of ~10 
> users playing with this, but it's not finished yet.
>
> INTRODUCTION:
>  This work is a consequence of my experience teaching Squeak to novice 
> users in the last year for LinEx project.  These users are, mostly, 
> teachers with no too much experience with computers.  A small group of 
> them have some experience in the "average" use of computers (office 
> type tools, internet and games).
>
>  One of the goals behind these changes is to reuse the experience they 
> have with computer as long as show Squeak as a different tool.  I 
> found that the differences in the look of Squeak's surface helps to 
> transmit the message: Squeak is nothing like other tools you tried 
> before.
>
>  The trade-off is how to reuse the knowledge they have and, in the 
> same moment, transmit the message "Squeak is different".
>
> LIST OF CHANGES:
>  - Docking Bars:  We have support for docking-bars with most of the 
> features you can find in gnome, kde, windoze and mac equivalents.
>
>  - Main Docking Bar: One special case of the docking bars is the new 
> World Main Docking Bar.  It's a mix of main-menu and main-toolbar 
> omnipresent in all the project. (Preference, local to project, 
> #showWorldMainDockingBar)
>
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>
>
>  It's one of the keys in the new look&feel trying to make explicit the 
> most important Squeak's features.  The first menu option, in the top 
> left corner, includes options to impact Squeak as a whole.... the 
> other endpoint, the top right corner, includes options to impact on 
> the Selected Object or to select an object if none is selected (using 
> a still not developed "Objects Hierarchy" tool).
>
>  - Selected Object: We created a new idiom about the selected object.  
> The selected object is not more than the object surrounded by its 
> halo, but the politic to remove the halos got relaxed (with the new 
> preference #maintainHalos).
>
>  - EasySelection + SelectionMorph changes: A lot of changes was made 
> to make the selection an easier task. (preference #easySelection).
>
>  - Yellow button menu (aka morph context menu):  The most common 
> options for any morph are present in its context/yellowButton menu.  
> In noviceMode the red handle in Halo will open the same menu than the 
> yellowButton.   The SelectedObject button on the main docking bar (the 
> top right corner) will show exactly the same options.  I will use the 
> Ned'd stuff as the foundation.  (STILL NOT MADE)
>
>  - Selected Object Tools: We need tools to impact on the selected 
> object like Color changers, Geometry changers, Font changers, etc. 
> (STILL NOT MADE)
>
>  - (over)use of noviceMode preference: Any novice user, the default 
> for Small-Land image, will see a limited but consistent set of options 
> and the goal is to make Squeak unbreakable for novices users removing 
> dangerous handles in halo, making the docking bars 
> unmovable/undeletable, etc, etc.
>
>  - Expert Users:  The expert user will have the full power at hands, 
> including the possibility to break Squeak in several and funny 
> ways.... That means: expert users will access to every option in 
> Squeak, just like now. The menu in the main docking bar, for the 
> experts, is intended  to replace the current world's menu.
>
> FINAL COMMENTS:
>  - Everything is a preference: Absolute every new feature is governed 
> by a new preference.
>
>  - Docking bars are morph-intrusive: The special layout for docking 
> bars are a little bit intrusive with Morph and friends, specially with 
> flaps.
>
>  - Work to do: To finish the first planned cycle the 
> morph-context-menu (yellow button menu) has to be done as well as its 
> integration with the main docking bar.
>
>  - A secondary (but important) effect of these changes is that Squeak 
> is now 100% usable (from a novice POV) with mouses with only 1 button, 
> or but a pen in tablets!
>
> HOW TO PLAY WITH IT:
>  If you like the risk, you can play with the new stuff following the 
> next steps:
>
>  1) Download 
> http://www.small-land.org/squeak38/SqueakSmallLand38-0324-1103.zip
>  2) Answer "SI" (yes in spanish) to the question about updating your 
> image.
>  3) Answer "SI" to the question about saving the changes from the 
> update process.
>  4) Use the option named "poner el idioma..." (set language) from the 
> "Configuration" menu in the main docking bar.
>
>  If you want to explore the code, see the changesets starting from 
> 1043-WantsToBeTopmost-Refactor-dgd.
>
>
>  Comments, critics, etc are ALWAYS welcomed....
>
>  Cheers,
>
>  -- Diego
>
>
> hi all
>
> Diego is working on a new look and feel based on his experiences with
> users.
> You can see a preliminary results at:
> http://swiki.agro.uba.ar/small_land/uploads/234/squeak38.png
> I should say that I really like the consistent artwork.
>
> The question is how do we handle that? I would like that interested
> parties (etoyers and others)
> expressed themselves on the topic.
>
> I see the following alternative:
>         - (1) using this look as default
>         - (2) having it loadable as a separate package
>
> I favor (1) since it improves the general look of squeak and that this
> way lot of people can help maintaining it.
> But if people wants to go for 2, I think that this is important to have
> the same idea (separating enh that should go in and the one that stay
> in a separate package).
> So again I think that this is important that we have a clear plan so
> that diego does not get frustrated by misunderstanding.
>
>
> Stef
>
>
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