Re: [Ayatana] new proposal for notifications / indicators

[Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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David wrote on 29/11/11 21:56:
> ...
> 
> actually we show per default:
> 
> - messages (status/chat/twitter/mail/ubuntu_one)
> 
> - battery
> 
> - bluetooth
> 
> - network
> 
> - sound (volume/music)
> 
> - clock
> 
> - session switcher (switch user)
> 
> - Power (shutdown ...)
> 
> Here is my proposal:
> 
> - me menu - like https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeMenu or gnome-shell


Why? What problem would it be solving?

> system indicators: (hidden by default, can be shown by clicking on 
> an arrow)
> 
> - sound
> 
> - battery
> 
> - network
> 
> notification indicators: (hidden by default)
> 
> - messages - like http://ubuntuone.com/3pQaNx9TdpPXEZHMIjPgdP


If the messaging menu was hidden by default, what use would it be?

> - devices


How do you classify devices under "notification indicators"? What
would this notify you of?

> - updates
> 
> - update all
> 
> - ----------
> 
> - Ubuntu
> 
> - ----------
> 
> - App1
> 
> - App2 - ...


People didn't see the updates notification area item even when it was
shown by default. What use would it be if it was hidden? :-)

Also, a menu item wouldn't show enough information for you to be able
to decide whether you want to update a particular application.

> - progress - like 
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Ayatana/ProgressIndication - ...


Why? What would be the use of collecting progress of different tasks
into a menu?

(As a comparison, should we also collect errors from different tasks
into a single menu? Why or why not? How about selected text from
different tasks? Or the most recently opened file from different tasks?)

> How it should work:
> 
> - per default only the me menu should be visible.
> 
> - clock: To be able to do that we need to find a new place for the 
> clock. (launcher/dash?)


The Dash is hidden by default, and the launcher is usually hidden. Do
you think it is reasonable to hide the clock most of the time?

> - networking: is most of the time not needed (automatic connects at
> lan/known wlan/usb/...)
> 
> - battery: is only interesting when its discharging


Your arrangement would hide it even when it is discharging.

> - sound: annoying when its hidden and you don't have hardware 
> buttons


Does that mean it should be shown by default?

> - indicators are only visible when needed
> 
> - you can click on an arrow to see
> 
> - battery
> 
> - network
> 
> - sound (hides automatic when you move your mouse away from the
> panel)
> 
> - we could show a number for how many notifications happened (3 in 
> messages, 2 downloads, ...)
> 
> - only notifications and system indicators should be allowed
> 
> - To do that we need to find the use cases of the other indicators 
> and find ways to handle them (i didn't really do that)
> 
> - for some indicators it might be enough to use quicklist?
> (tomboy)


I agree there's no compelling reason for a note-taking application to
have its own status menu.

> - we could improve "minimize"
> 
> - good for apps like opera/lernid/... that wants to hide their
> main window
> 
> - every application could be hidden by minimizing it
> 
> - minimized apps could be shown ass small icons at the bottom in
> the launcher
> 
> - easier to have a feature to start apps "hidden" at login.


How does this relate to indicator menus?

> - not sure how other indicators like cpu scaling or desktop 
> recording etc could be handled
> 
> Indicators become visible/hidden when a specific notification 
> happens:
> 
> - Open Wireless connection found -> notification + network 
> indicator fades in
> 
> - connection etablished -> notification + if visible network
> indicator fades out
> 
> - New mail -> notification + message indicator fades in
> 
> - New chat -> notification + message indicator fades in
> 
> - another new mail -> notification + updated message indicator


Do you mean that it would fade in and stay there, or that it would
fade in temporarily?

> - New Printer found. Installing... -> only notification - Driver 
> for printer needed -> notification + device menu fades in -
> Printer is ready to use -> notification + if visible device
> indicator fades out


Yesterday I started writing up proposals for how various printer
events should be presented. <https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Printing>

> - New updates found -> notification + update indicator fades in 
> (with feature to update all) - please close firefox to continue 
> updates -> notification + update indicator change state
> 
> - playing music -> sound menu fades in


Hmm, that seems a little bit backwards. Usually when music starts
playing, it's because you told it to play, so you don't need a
notification in that case. On the other hand, the sound menu currently
lets you quickly start music playing in the first place -- and it
wouldn't be nearly so quick if it was hidden by default.

> - audio conversation (skype and co) -> sound menu fades in
> 
> - sound menu fades out when finished
> 
> - ...
> 
> pro
> 
> - The blue icon effect is no longer needed


Hurrah. :-)

> - there was a notification when you see an icon
> 
> - there was no notification when there is no icon
> 
> - cleaned up top right corner
> 
> - more place for menus and title (even more important on small 
> screens)


I haven't yet seen an application where this is a problem. Do you know
of one?

> - better looking
> 
> - Everything is about the application, you see nothing system 
> releated.


Except the Me menu, and perhaps the clock somewhere.

> i think this fits good into the vision to integrate applications 
> with the panel


I don't think that's a vision, really.

> contra - more clicks needed to do simple things like - changing 
> volume when no hardware buttons are avaible - bluetooth - 
> connecting to a network - we could always show the network 
> indicator when not connected


That in particular is an interesting idea. But if you used the menu to
connect to one wi-fi network, but then realized you should have
connected to another one instead (that happened to me last week), the
menu wouldn't be there any more.

> remaining questions: - is it ok that the clock is not always 
> visible?


It would be rather strange that a Me menu (that Ubuntu doesn't even
have any more!) would be visible by default, but a clock would not.

> - where should the clock be? launcher? dash? - should we show the 
> network-indicator as long as you have never been connected -
> people might not know how to connect to the internet - what are
> other problems with this?
> 
> I am working on a mockup (in form of a webpage) so that you can
> try it out and see how it would work/look. It should be ready in 2
> or 3 days.
> 
> ...


I look forward to seeing it.

- -- 
mpt
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