https://qa.mandrakesoft.com/show_bug.cgi?id=2068
Product: drakfirsttime
Component: program
Summary: Geramik Redux: Windows-user Friendly Usability... Easily
Version: 0.91-1mdk
Platform: All
OS/Version: All
Status: UNCONFIRMED
Severity: major
Priority: P1
AssignedTo: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ReportedBy: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Hi, I am opening up this report as a followup to bug #1277. That bug was
closed since Galaxy is meant to fill the unified theme concept that I
suggested that Geramik should serve as.
Unfortunately, Galaxy KDE has numerous severe bugs, and it appears it
probably won't be up to the speed of official KDE themes like Keramik or
Hicolor by the time of release -- or at least it will require a lot of time (see
bug #1966).
Worse, since KDE users have (and expect) the ability to select color
schemes, just like Windows users, if they do so, the GTK/GTK2 side of
Galaxy no longer matches the KDE side. Because the GTK/GTK2 side has
hard coded colors (see bug #1967), KDE cannot change the colors, and
Galaxy makes no attempt to. Result: new user assumes Linux and/or
Mandrake Linux has buggy color selection if they just go with the defaults
throughout setup and get a KDE desktop.
Thus, here is what I would suggest: keep Galaxy the default for both KDE
and Gnome if the user selects Gnome or some other desktop during
Mandrake First Time. However, if the user instead selects KDE, go with the
bug-tested and highly lauded Keramik style with Geramik as the
GTK/GTK2 theme. Its a win-win situation. Gnome users mind a slightly
buggier and non-fully-color changing KDE theme because they mostly use
GTK apps (presumably) and can't change colors anyway. On the other
hand, many/most existing KDE users already *love* Keramik, it looks great,
is very fast and usable, and has a color matching, fast GTK theme to go
with it.
I'm not sure, but it seems to me, since Mandrake First Time tries to adjust
the settings to whatever desktop the user picks, picking a different theme
for KDE and GTK depending on which desktop was chosen is a Good
Thing. (tm)
In all, if you take into consideration what your users want, the general
consensus is that they want this functionality. Since the majority of new
users to Mandrake are coming from Windows, which also has this
functionality, you can assume they expect (and not just want) it too. Since
you can provide it to KDE users using MDK First Time without any ill
effects to those who choose some other D.E./WM instead of KDE (since
MDK First Time would only make the change for KDE users), you can be
assured that this would be a very big step in to the right usability direction.
I believe this is most definately a usability bug -- not just a possible
enhancement -- and if nothing else, I'd propose that you ask Mandrake
Club users and let your paying customers say what they think. :-)
The best part about this suggestion, is that it doesn't have a negative
issue for those not using KDE. For instance, Fredrick Crozat seems to be
largely against the idea of making Galaxy do color matching because that
isn't a Gnomish kind of thing to offer (since GNOME doesn't normally even
let users select colors). So, with this setup, that's just fine: GNOME users,
employing galaxy-kde and galaxy-gnome, get a consistant desktop that
acts the way GNOME "should." Likewise, KDE users, employing Keramik
and Geramik, get a desktop that acts the way KDE "should." Everyone
ends up happy that way, and the new user will find the desktop much more
consistant.
As you may know, this is something that has been discussed previously on
Mandrake Cooker, and I fear if it is not taken into consideration soon, it will
be too late to avoid this issue in 9.1. Quite frankly, visual appearance is
what is going to sell Mandrake the first time someone uses it. This is
Mandrake's chance to make the best possible sale.
Additional information from the cooker list:
http://archives.mandrakelinux.com/cooker/2003-01/msg08481.php
http://archives.mandrakelinux.com/cooker/2003-01/msg08617.php
http://archives.mandrakelinux.com/cooker/2003-01/msg08700.php
http://archives.mandrakelinux.com/cooker/2003-01/msg08843.php
http://ofb.biz/archives/kde-cafe/2003-February/001606.a
Thanks,
Tim
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