CodecInstallationIntrepid

General rationale

For Intrepid, we want to make it easy for people to buy Fluendo licensed media codecs from the Canonical Store, as an alternative to installing free codecs of uncertain legality.

Installing media codecs is currently a complicated process involving eight windows (not counting the window of the actual player you're using). This may be made much simpler in Intrepid+1, but for now we just want to fix the worst problems in the main selection window:

before.png

Design

In order of priority:

  1. When Add/Remove Programs is launched for the purpose of installing codecs, the "Help" button should be hidden. Rationale:
    • The help displayed when clicking the button is appropriate for Add/Remove Programs in general, but completely wrong for installing codecs in particular. Whenever help is this inappropriate in any program, it makes people less likely to use help in every program.
    • We don't need detailed help here anyway -- a brief explanation in the description pane is enough.
    • Removing the Help button makes room for the button to buy plug-ins.
  2. The "Canonical Codec Store" link should be changed to a "Buy Licensed Plug-ins…" button (in title case, with a hyphen, and an ellipsis) at the bottom left of the window. Rationale:
    • A button is more obvious than a link.
    • Making it a button makes it more obviously an alternative to the "Install" button.
  3. When Add/Remove Programs is launched for the purpose of installing codecs, the intro text in the description pane should be different. It should not have a heading, and should read:

    Some countries allow patents on software, and freely redistributable software like Ubuntu cannot pay for patent licenses. If you are in one of these jurisdictions, you can buy licensed media playback plug-ins from the Canonical Store. Otherwise, select a free plug-in above to install it.

    (This is not ideal, because it uses the word "above", but fixing that would require more invasive layout changes.)
  4. When Add/Remove Programs is launched for the purpose of installing codecs, the window title should be not "Install multimedia codecs", but "Install Media Plug-ins" (in Title Case, with a hyphen). Rationale:
    • Application-authored window titles should always use title case.
    • Some of the plug-ins are not for multimedia (audio + video), but for audio only.
  5. When Add/Remove Programs is launched for the purpose of installing codecs, the "Popularity" column should not be shown (because it's irrelevant).
  6. When Add/Remove Programs is launched for the purpose of installing codecs, the column headers should not be shown (because there is only one column).

Draft notes

notes.jpg

Comments

* The redesigned window is still far too complicated. The only thing needed is a dialog with some text and three buttons: install needed codecs, buy them and cancel. This will popup when you need a codec and then it is just one step/click and you are done (+perhaps entering your password for installation).

CodecInstallationIntrepid (last edited 2008-09-04 18:40:10 by cc332829-b)