Ubuntu Wiki

• Created: Date(2005-10-07T12:50:27Z) by JaneWeideman

• Priority: NeedsPriority

• People: JonathanRiddell, NeedsSecond

Summary

Kubuntu Simplify KDE - get rid of hassle popups, konqueror fixes, better kicker menus, kwallet setup, usable download dialogue

Rationale

Kubuntu Breezy made a successful start at simplifying some of the user interface problems which have been in KDE for far too long. We should continue to make changes to improve usability in dapper.

Use cases

Nat loads up KDE but finds himself lost amongst too many buttons, menu entries and long strings he doesn't read.

Scope

Do not redesign KDE, but make small changes where they obviously improve usabiliy without reducing the experience for most users.

Implementation

The Konqueror profile was simplifed in Breezy. Some users miss the ability to split windows. Although this is available through a right click menu on the status bar for those who know where to look it may be appropriate to add it back as a sub-menu.

Konqueror's Settings menu has 5 Configure options, that should be removed to 2, Configure Web Browser and Configure File Manager, which should bring up dialogues containging the relevant modules.

KWallet's first run wizard is big and scary, it should be scaled down to just asking for a password (or better yet make kwallet use the user's system password). We will investigate best security practice to see if extending the timeout for kwallet is feasable, as constant popups asking for passwords are annoying.

The system menu should contain the contents of Storage Media and Remote Places for easier access to disks and shares.

Simplifying dialogue box strings depends on Rosetta support for Kubuntu, but the switch user dialogue and Konqueror's save password dialogue are obvious candidates.

The switch user menu in the K-Menu should be changed to a dialogue which shows the current logins and a button to start a new session and (probably futher in the future) shows a list of users and a password box to let you do the actual login there.

K3B start screen should show Burn CD ISO and Burn DVD ISO as default options.

There should be no splash screens, tip of the day or first run dialogues without very good reason. Kontact still has tip if the day which should be turned off by default.

kdemultimedia-kappfinder-data should be removed from the desktop seed, as this brings in kappfinder.

The file transfer dialogue was changed in breezy from lots of windows to 1. The dialogue should be improved so all the data is visible within the window at one time, with a progress bar to view the status of the download.

KLaptopDaemon should have its usability reviewed. The left and right click menus should be the same as each other.

Code

Improving the look of the file transfer dialogue is not trivial because of limitations of QListView.

Outstanding issues

There is a bug in the loading of Konqueror's XML-GUI file which stop overloaded files being opened on session resume. This means we could not make the simplification changes in kubuntu-default-settings but also had to change kdebase. This makes it harder fo users to switch back to the traditional Konqueror layout. This should be fixed for those users who like their old layout.

BoF agenda and discussion

Simplifying

• Work with mandrake thingy to make gnome apps in KDE get its font
  • sizes from KDE or something
• investigate best practice for kwallet to balance lack of intrusiveness with security
  • - Simplify "first start" Wizard to just ask if they want to use it and for a password..
    • the Wizard is very confusing otherwise
• Investigate konqueror and add in bits that people are missing that we took out for
  • the simplified version of konqueror that we shipped with breezy - possibly as submenus

• Configure Konqueror -> Split to Configure Konqueror File Management &

  • Configure Konqueror Web Browser - Use Kcontrol's Web Browser section to define the "panels" that are to be split to the "Configure Web Browser" Section
• Shrink Konqueror's Settings menu "Configure" options (there are currently 5
  • on the "Settings" context menu) into 1 menu (or 2 depending on point above)
• Put contents of Storage Media/Remote Places into the System Menu by default -
  • allowing quicker access to 38nthe CD-Roms - hard drives and Remote places
• Work on Simplifying dialogue box strings
  • - Depends on Rosetta Support for i18n - remember password dialogue on konqueror - switch user dialogue string
• Switch User Text has to be shortened, or better to integrate the switch user
  • button into the End Session Dialog????
• The "Switch user" option could show the list of possible users... - this involves setting up kdm to show a list of available users ... ? or to grab the users in the same way kdm would
• reduce switch user options to 1, lock by default
  • - Make a "change session" dialogue which allows users to see a list of
    • currently open sessions in another window
• K3B - Starting Screen should have something like "Burn ISO Image"
  • *DONE**
• Get rid of tip of the day! Kontact etc
• Remove kmultimedia-appfinder-data from the kubuntu seed
• improve file transfer dialogue so everything is visible in the window at the
  • same time (not trivial)
  • Kopete: Add (if it's not in the new version of kopete) KGetHotStuff for the
    • theme customization options