-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 julian wrote: 1 - > we don't need desktops that demand to be noticed. we need desktops that look and feel great to /use/. 2 - > they must be easy on the eye for sustained periods of use.
I wish I was as certain in this world as you are. What does 'feel great to use' mean? What does 'easy on the eye' mean? Are these two rather bold statements not rooted in an implied audience? What else do 'we' need? How is this any different than saying "We need food that tastes great to eat"? "Easy on the eye" for one of my visually impaired friends means high contrast icons and text, so he doesn't need to strain his head toward the screen. "Feel great to use" for someone with motor impairment might mean exceptionally large buttons, while on the other hand, for my compositing expert friend means 1000 buttons in places all around the edge of the screen similar to Nuke. Is this what you intended? Should we not be considering our audience in relation to those statements? 1 - > this is not how desktops are actually used or experienced, 2 - > computer desktops don't exist to be appreciated as a singular work of eye-catching art. 3 - > the /primary/ value of a desktop is not aesthetic, it is functional. 4 - > this is not how desktops are actually used or experienced, especially given the background is rarely seen during daily use. Again, I am completely envious of your certainty in this world. Could you point me to your globally accepted reference on computing? It would be a very useful addition to my library. I would love to finally learn how desktops are actually used or experienced. A good number of mature users put snapshots of their children on their desktops. Are these 'rarely seen' backgrounds relevant to those users? When the user sees those emotionally loaded images, does it not have a very real experiential quotient? Could other images have a similar impact? Why does a even a brief and precursory analysis of desktop computing history show changes such as wallpaper and colour tones that are _purely_ aesthetic (1)? Does this not speak to an attempt to embrace a particular audience's aesthetic sensibilities? And if not aesthetic, why do Microsoft and Apple employ extremely well paid and educated art / design talents at all? Why hire world renowned aesthetic and sound designers (2)? In the great realm of 'form versus function', is not aesthetic acceptability / attraction to an implied audience a function (3)? How do teenagers fit into this? What about business class enterprise users in a bank, for example? And a little off topic but related -- if clothing attire in our world is any indication, do you think that there is a chance that the aesthetics of how you 'dress' impact areas beyond pure functionality? Of course, your statement of 'singular appearance of eye-catching art' is spot on the mark, which is why the Apple cube was entered into the Museum of Modern Art (4). How curious... > i think you've missed the crux of my point here. Quite probably. Remember that we are trying to discuss the _default_ look and feel as it is presented in the mass market. The health of Ubuntu will hang in the balance of those decisions. Art and design is language. Who are we speaking to with that default design? What do we want to say? Who are we trying to attract and how are they potentially different than the audience groups currently using Ubuntu? Can we mitigate the differences, and if so, how? Sincerely, TJS 1 - http://www.guidebookgallery.org/timelines 2 - http://channel9.msdn.com/showpost.aspx?postid=287615 3 - "Aesthetic-Usability Effect" from "Universal Principles of Design" pg 18-19 and "Color" pg 38-39 for example ISBN 1-59253-007-9 4 - http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9E01E6D8173EF935A2575BC0A9679C8B63&n=Top/Reference/Times%20Topics/Organizations/M/Museum%20of%20Modern%20Art -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.4.6 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Using GnuPG with Mozilla - http://enigmail.mozdev.org iD8DBQFHWY5zar0EasPEHjQRAizQAKDX9QJUIuRk0D0S63mRqPnj0v44JwCfRCsf r3EYFnjl06mKuVHGLTeg8UA= =f2vC -----END PGP SIGNATURE----- -- ubuntu-art mailing list ubuntu-art@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-art
