[haiku-development] PhD Scholarship at the University of Auckland

From: Christof Lutteroth <lutteroth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: haiku-development@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:19:44 +1300
Hi!

Please find below information about a PhD scholarship that I am currently 
advertising. The reason I am sending this to this list is that the project will be 
implemented on Haiku, and hopefully result in a contribution to the Haiku project 
eventually. The project is very much related to other projects that are already 
part of the Haiku repository: the Auckland Layout Model and the Stack&Tile 
window manager. So if you are interested in these projects, and interested in doing 
a fully funded PhD in Auckland (which is really a neat place to be, I have to add), 
then please consider applying. There will be lots of opportunities to contribute to 
Haiku on the way (to the PhD). Thanks!

Cheers,
Christof

---
The project "Algebra for User Interface Customization" at the Department
of Computer Science of the University of Auckland (www.auckland.ac.nz) is 
looking for a PhD candidate.

A full scholarship of 25,000 NZD per year over three years, plus
tuition fees, is available for this project, to be awarded to a suitable
candidate. The project is supported by the RSNZ Marsden Fund.

We are looking for a candidate that has
- very good programming skills: new user interaction techniques for the
construction of GUIs have to be implemented;
- theory skills: the interaction techniques are based on mathematical
specifications;
- knowledge about empirical evaluations: the interaction techniques will be
evaluated for their usability.
A candidate for a PhD is preferred, but candidates for a MSc will also be
considered.

Please email your application to the project supervisor, Christof Lutteroth
(lutteroth@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx). Your application should contain a cover letter,
a CV and a transcript of grades. The deadline for applications is the
*1st of December 2009*.

Project Summary:
----------------
Graphical user interfaces (GUIs) are crucial in making computers accessible to
end users. However, different users often have different requirements and thus
need different GUIs, e.g. because of different skill levels, different devices
being used to display a GUI, or disabilities. Existing technologies for GUI
customization are either so complicated that they can only be used by
experienced software developers, or so limited that many user requirements are
not adequately supported.

For end users, GUI customization can only rely on very simple, direct means of
interaction, e.g. input gestures with the mouse such as dragging and dropping.
Despite this simplicity, customization should be flexible enough to satisfy all
user requirements. As a user customizes a GUI, e.g. by adjusting its layout or
taking out unused parts, the consistency of the GUI must be maintained.

Our goal is to develop a GUI customization approach for end users that can rival
the complex customization technologies currently only usable by software
developers. Customization operations will be specified algebraically, with clear
rules that define how the parts of a GUI can be changed and combined. With such
a theoretical foundation, easy and comprehensive customization can become a
reality for many GUI applications.
[haiku-development] PhD Scholarship at the University of Auckland

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