On Sun, Jul 29, 2012 at 11:52 AM, Kaj Ailomaa
<[email protected]>wrote:

> I think the problem here is that people aren't expecting the menu to be
> ordered according to workflow categories, but according to the the
> application definition. Incskape, by definition is a graphics application,
> while Audacity is by definition an audio editor.
> I'd like to discuss moving back to a menu system that is purely based
> around application definitions, and let workflow categorization exist else
> where, in documentation or in a custom application meant to guide the user
> to different workflows.
> The menu does not work well for this. First of all, it's confusing finding
> applications in the "wrong" category. Second, the menu gets flooded with
> double entries, when all you need is one.
>
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> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/984970
>
> Title:
>   Audacity and Inkscape are in the video production menu
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
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i'm not trying to marginalize people's concerns or dismiss them outright,
so please read this email with the best possible interpretation.

i'm not sure the actually is a problem at this point. so far i believe
ttoine made a bug report because he thought this was an error and holstein,
len, and ailo have commented that this is "not right" (tried to find a
nice, succinct adjective without being derogatory to anyone).

what i feel might be happening is that all the feedback so far is from
developers and contributors and i worry that we are biased towards a strict
organizational hierarchy. i think before we move forward we should probably
solicit user feedback and input. if every user (or a clear majority)
decries the current state, then we should absolutely fix this issue.


for the record, earlier we defined our target audience was defined as
"linux beginners" and i felt that any immediately accessible, visual clue
to help people understand the work flows and which applications to be used
_in context of their task_ would be exceedingly helpful. i suppose an
additional aspect would have been to add more specific tool tips depending
on the menu location (i.e. for inkscape: "make pretty and awesome picture"
 [graphics menu] vs. "make awesome title screens and credits for your
movie" [video menu] )

therefore, my sole focus is *NOT* to have funky menus, but to help newer
and inexperienced users navigate easily through work flows. as long as
another mechanism is employed to address this concern, then i would fully
support reverting the menus to a less contextual, more application defined
menu structure.


an anecdotal story; i have two solutions for my video editing setup:

the first solution, is that i used another computer for video exclusively,
setting it up exactly as i needed it. i started with xubuntu originally,
but then switched to vanilla ubuntu because of the improved dual monitor
support. this allowed me to use a second monitor as a playback monitor,
leaving the primary screen with as much valuable real estate for the
timeline. i could set up icons or panels with my favourite tools for
immediate use. this fell out of favour for me because i was using a
dedicated desktop machine and i wanted to use my laptop so i could edit
anywhere else in the house (and without sequestering myself in an upstairs
room away from the family).

the second and current solution, is using my laptop with another user added
to the system. i started with vanilla ubuntu, but added
xubuntu-default-settings so i could use the familiar (to me) settings of
xfce and this user defaults to the xubuntu session. again, i tweaked the
desktop for my video editing purpose. the one deficiency is currently a
dual monitor setup, and once i get through a few more videos i will
probably migrate back to vanilla ubuntu for the dual monitor support.

all that being said, i would really like is to have a "mode" for video
editing (and other work flows). i don't use jack, ardour, or even audacity
[1], although the video editor i use [2] does make use of many, many of the
available audio plugins. so i would view the "video editing mode" as
something that minimizes other applications while highlighting the ones
that i would use. in the context of the current (ubuntu studio 12.04)
setup, the later would be addressed by including audacity and inkscape in
the video menu, the former not being accomplished.

i suppose a standard menu with specialized or "mode" docks would also
address this.

i look forward to your input on this.

scottl

[1] the ration i am not using audacity is because the video editor i am
using (kdenlive) makes simple edits of audio (cropping the start, cropping
the end, cutting out a section) very easy. i am not sure that openshot does
that, although i am equally not sure that it doesn't. i feel that i have a
good set of requirements derived from kdenlive and i have begun testing
openshot for feature comparison.

[2] i am using kdenlive i find it amazing. i believe it to offer more
useful features than openshot (starting testing) and most of the features
from blender (although blender can still do some stunning and amazing
things that no other linux video editor can). ricardo lameiro suggested
this earlier and i understand why. while it would mean additional
libraries, it probably will be worth it but i want to finish my comparison
between openshot and kdenlive before making any official recommendation.

-- 
You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu
Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu.
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/984970

Title:
  Audacity and Inkscape are in the video production menu

To manage notifications about this bug go to:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/ubuntustudio-default-settings/+bug/984970/+subscriptions

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