[interfacekit] Re: some prefs issues

"DarkWyrm" <bpmagic@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> > after the recent and not-so recent updates of some prefs up, I have 
> > several issues I'd be glad to clear:
> > 1) could we join the different UI related preferences applications? 
> > There is ScrollBar, there is Menu, Appearance, etc. - there is too 
> > much of them IMO.
> I would agree. Going to a different model for accessing preferences 
> is 
> something we will need for R2.

Definitely. I just think that there is too much of them already now, or 
maybe just too ambiguous (Appearance pretty much overlays all UI 
related prefs, so why not putting them there?).

> > 2) could we not break standard UI design with our (system 
> > delivered) 
> > applications? I am mostly thinking about "Appearance" here and its 
> > misplaced menu bar, but also the circle that shows the currently 
> > selected color as it looks "foreign" - it doesn't fit into the 
> > design 
> > of the other widgets.
> That would be completely (and solely) my area. I'll be the first to 
> admit that the app is a kludge, but at the same time I didn't know 
> much 
> about UI design when I wrote the first incarnation, and I haven't 
> really bothered with the code since. It really needs reworked. The 
> color well is one I designed some time ago to get that type of task 
> done. Just curious - what would need to be done to make it more Be-
> ish? 
> Anyways, the menu needs to go, as well. I am planning on reworking 
> the 
> UI eventually.

Sounds good, thanks :-)
As for the Be-ish: it should just fit into the design of the other UI 
components, dunno what's exactly needed to do so, but there is 
something to be done to let the shudder go away :)

> > 3) could we please, please, pretty please not introduce fixed-size 
> > knobs in scroll bars into OpenBeOS? Also I think we shouldn't allow 
> > for 
> > separate skinning of the scroll bars as well, because I can't see 
> > how 
> > that is different from any other UI component. I wouldn't even add 
> > the 
> > possibility to change between single and double arrow styled scroll 
> > bars; sometimes people just don't know what's good for them.
> > 
> > I'd be glad to hear your thoughts.
> I disagree with doing away with them completely, but I do agree with 
> keeping the proportional double-arrow scrollbars as the defaults. 

Hm, actually, as I said, I didn't remember this option at all. Be has 
removed it in Dano, and I think this was a very good decision. A fixed 
scroller is a broken UI IMO.

> People don't really know what's good for them, but if they want to 
> work 
> slower because they like a single pair of arrows and want to go out 
> of 

Well, that's debatable :)

> their way to do so, let them. Also, I know your thoughts on skinning 
> is 
> in response to yesterday's post on my site, but the "skinning" of 
> scrollbars is no different from any other control - if I want to make 
> elliptical BButtons that have 133t true-color gradients that light up 
[...]

Actually, no, it wasn't in response to your website; at least not 
related to its contents, just to the fact you had the screen shot there 
:)
With skinning I really mean skinning: why can you change the appearance 
of the scrollbar (like the grippy), but not of any other UI component 
(despite fonts)? I don't see much reasoning behind it; I never knew why 
Be had this preferences app.

Bye,
   Axel.

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