[UI] Re: "the new big thing" [was: MenuMorph hand weirdness]

[Gary Chambers]

I think basing a UI on SVG would be a great idea. Proper rounded corners for
a start ;-) Not to mention, being vector-based for adapting to
screen/printer/visual-device resolution. As the thme stuff has gone on,
generally resticting to shapes/gradients has worked well. Of course, some
things are easier with bitmaps but that's down to the current (somewhat)
limited support for vector graphics in Balloon.

I might dig out the old-slow-code I did for SVG on top of Balloon...
(SVGMorph on SqueakMap).
Was pretty experimental but had at least one satisfied user!

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ui-bounces at lists.squeakfoundation.org
> [mailto:ui-bounces at lists.squeakfoundation.org]On Behalf Of Klaus D.
> Witzel
> Sent: 20 November 2007 3:06 PM
> To: ui at lists.squeakfoundation.org
> Subject: [UI] Re: "the new big thing" [was: MenuMorph hand weirdness]
>
>
> Forgot to comment a bit on my thoughts about SVG (when used
> within the UI
> framework). I see it [SVG] as a good way to constrain/limit the things
> which can possibly addressed by a new UI. Did not mean to implement it,
> just use it as a stop condition (i.e. what not to do/address when
> developing a framework).
>
> On Tue, 20 Nov 2007 15:37:39 +0100, Gary Chambers wrote:
>
> > Some thoughts on this...
> >
> >> Having read the LivelyKernel-SourceCode-0.7, I noticed the
> >> following (list
> >> not necessarily complete):
> >>
> >> - orientated towards a possible WebOS
> >
> > 	have a clear separation between ui definition and presentation
> >
> >> - resources have URL (basic interoperability of material)
> >
> > 	URIs would be good to adopt, any ui element can be
> described via a URI
> >
> >> - imports, exports to/from other of the same kind
> >
> > 	not sure quite what you mean here Klaus
>
> Was meant to just do enough to export from a system with new UI
> framework
> to another system with same UI framework, but more than just
> fileOut/fileIn of source code. Perhaps just enough to make one system
> [computer] that can serve components to clients via some connection.
>
> >> - graphical base objects out of the SVG box
> >
> > 	have done a bit with SVG (as far as Balloon could manage,
> Cairo would
> > be a
> > nice alternative presentation layer, still use Balloon for
> fallback (with
> > limitations) for platforms that don't support Cairo (pdas etc).
> >
> >> - SVG+style is teachable to/learnable by the masses
> >
> > 	and is a standard. would be nice
> >
> >> - widgets look easy to use/reuse
> >
> > 	indeed... a better composite model would be nice (wishes I
> coul plug in
> > different fillStyles at the moment... since they go to the
> lowest level
> > it
> > is not currently possible to define a new type of fillStyle that is
> > composited programatically)
> >
> >> - small # of support classes besides the UI framework
> >
> > 	with the right framework there'd probably be no "extra"
> support classes
>
> :)
>
> >
> >> - worlds, hands, morphs, ticks are shoulders+neck of that Atlas
> >
> > 	or just one kind of head-of-the-hydra
>
> :-))
>
> >
> >> - Events / bindings are like a scripter expects them
> >
> > 	when...do... but also asynchronous, like updatingXXMorph - an
> > independent
> > observer
>
> Sure.
>
> >> - no observable restrictions to animations (limited only by SVG, good)
> >
> > 	down to the in-framework support classes
> >
> >> - things can be glued together without headaches,
> >>   within the limitations (good) of SVG
> >
> > 	perhaps no complex interfaces, just individual aspects that can be
> > combined
>
> Sounds good. But raises questions, what+how. Roles? More general? More
> specific?
>
> >>
> >> For sure some of the concepts of LivelyKernel require that
> mixIns/traits
> >> are supported but, who cares with a dynamic language and
> living objects.
> >>
> >> And there is that remarkable comment, "my kingdom for a Smalltalk
> >> block!"
> >
> > 	I like that one!
> >
> >>
> >> So my question is, how about borrowing some things from LivelyKernel?
> >
> > 	indeed...
>
>
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