Re: [Ayatana] Desktop Silent Mode

[Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx wrote on 17/12/10 15:18:
>...
> On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 14:58, Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
>...
>> frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx <mailto:frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx> wrote on
>> 16/12/10 18:42:
>>>...
>>> * Presence has no local effect
>>> * Presence has no effect on Skype (except with Pidgin running)
>>>    -> https://bugs.launchpad.net/indicator-me/+bug/684678
>>> * System Sounds are not connected with notifications (perhaps with
>>> Dylan's patch?)
>>
>> None of those are the reason.
>
> exactly, they merely contribute to the problem somehow, as you will
> elaborate later in your mail..
> i'd like to add another issue that contributes to the problem:
> We have no "connected to the internet" indicator.
> https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/lucid-online-status

That looks like a useful feature, but I don't understand how it's
relevant to this discussion.

>>     The main reason is that, as you say,
>>
>>> Busy aka DoNotDisturb has been around for as long as i know
>>> Presence in IM,
>>
>> and no-one has ever gotten around the problem that (a) having to go
>> online with your IM account for the purpose of being interrupted
>> *less* often would be daft, and
>
> I did! ;) (perhaps a mail that never left /drafts) :
> * put an ON|OFF toggle for IM into the MeMenu

You did. But that is exactly what I meant by "(b) any design that works
around that by making 'being online' a separate thing from being in 'do
not disturb' mode would make IM slower and more complicated to use".

> * always keep Presence controls active, regardless of IM¹

What use would that be? How would you avoid wasting people's time, by
wrongly implying that it's useful for them to toggle between "brb" and
"In a meeting" (for example) when they're not even online?

> * remove "Available", since it is identical with the regular Presence
> state for IM and the Desktop Session

What regular presence state?

> * remove "Offline", since it is identical to IM = OFF

That would make instant messaging state more difficult to understand in
Ubuntu than in any other OS.

> * allow checking and unchecking Away OR Busy
> * make "Invisible" an extra checkbox, orthogonal to the other Presence
> controls. [perhaps rename to "visible"]

What use would that be? What's the useful distinction between Invisible
+ Available and Invisible + Away?

> This is why i mentioned invisible in the first place.
> For those who want to appear as "busy" or "do not disturb" on IM, while
> keeping notifications ON (unmuted), we can leave an override interface
> in Empathy, as Contact List currently has.
> Me Menu Presence controls should remain the Master controls for all
> clients who obey the User's wish for privacy as commanded via Me Menu.

I don't understand what this has to do with privacy. What do you mean?

>...
> I need a way of guaranteeing that during a high level staff meeting, my
> presentation will absolutely not be interrupted by anything.
>...

That's not practical. We'll still interrupt you when you have only a
few minutes battery left, or when your hard disk is dying -- as well we
should.

So, any global knob would be for "fewer interruptions", not "no
interruptions". And this would make it impractical to communicate. Fewer
than what, exactly? And why would people ever *not* choose fewer
interruptions? How would this be different from saying to them, "Sorry,
the makers of Ubuntu are too incompetent to design software. Why don't
you have a go"?

>...
> ¹ allowing the user to set his desired state of Availability *before*
> activating IM allows for "going online" in a desired state, instead of
> being limited to being Available by default

Letting people switch from "Offline" to their desired state without the
IM client running would achieve exactly the same purpose, twice as fast.

- -- 
Matthew Paul Thomas
http://mpt.net.nz/
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