Re: Back to basics

Hello everyone,

even if I am a programmer I was not involved in the KDE desktop design 
and so I just talk as user.
I am a user that started with KDE 3.2 up to now 4.9, ( suffering through 
the 4.0 evolution).
What I have notice in all this version is  that we always want to 
innovate but we (maybe) do not consider the problems
the user has when something central in his workflow changes.
The last example was when I have installed the 4.9 version.
I was so happy because the was also a part of my work in this version.
After installing my computer starts up and all my virtual desktops are 
empty.
My first thought was "What did I do wrong". Then I notice also my 
background picture is gone and that ring a bell.
I've heard about the concept of Activity but I did never try them 
because I was content with my desktop as it was.
So I start to look around and with a top on my console I find that all 
my application are running.
Where were they?. I started "System Settings" (remember this step 
because it is important).
Of course now I need to choose the right icon out of *34* that could 
help me find my applications, I do not find it of course.
But that I remember a cool option from the Task Manager is called

Only show task from the current desktop

So I told to myself the KDE guy are smart (I am one of them) for sure 
they put something similar there.
And as you would expect I find the option

Only show task from the current activity

but to my disgrace it was set as default. And sure enough all my 
application reappears when I disable this option.
Now I do not know if you are familiar with a guy name Linus Torvald 
maybe yes :) . Anyway he said and goes on repeating that

*defauls are important*

and I am sorry but if for default I get a option active that hide my 
application this default *is wrong*.

Now remember the system setting program? Yes the program is still 
running but of course.
Now rebooting my computer all running application are restarted and also 
the system settings in the other activity.
Once I tried to start it again and oops all the application are gone 
again my background picture is gone and going throw my desktops I find 
only the system manager application
To my help comes again the task manager that now show me all my 
application so I can switch back.

Now after this long story I want to summarize

- do not think that forcing activities (or any other new feature) is a 
good thig to do .
- *defaults are important*
- I'd like to the system settings to be a place to configure everything 
(even software which is missing) but with different levels (newbee, 
normal user, root, master of universe) and this is possible if the 
defaults are right


Sorry for the long letter, it is not a bad review are only positive 
criticism, maybe you are thinking what an idiot, but user already think 
that Linux is more complicated than Windows, if they come across to 
problem like that we risk to loose them. I know for sure someone that 
couldn't stand the jump to KDE 4.0 and passed to gnome,
(my colleague) and now he spent 12 day fixing his gnome 3 on a Debian 
"testing" even If I was telling him how KDE had improved and is better now.


Marco



On 08/17/2012 09:00 PM, Nuno Pinheiro wrote:
> A Sexta, 17 de Agosto de 2012 19:36:25 Anne Wilson escreveu:
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>> On 17/08/12 19:32, James Cain wrote:
>>> I'm presuming that, on a fresh install, there would initially be
>>> no shortcuts on the desktop ;)
>> You can't even assume that, if they have used any distro before.
>> Since I've never moved from gnome to kde I don't know how much desktop
>> directory stuff would still be useful/visible.
>>
>> All I know is that a vociferous minority (at least I *think* it's a
>> minority) want everything to behave in much the same way as KDE 3 and
>> Windows before it.  I'm not saying that that's the way we want to
>> encourage, but nor do we want to drive them away if that's their
>> preference.  They are "our users" too.
> I will see what I can do about defaults, specially making them look nice and
> inviting to scared users from the desktop UI revolutions going on this
> days.... without taking away the things our current users take for granted...
>
>> Anne
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