unity-design team mailing list archive

[Alex Launi <alex.launi@xxxxxxxxx>]

I figured I should start a new thread for this, so that you can all continue
your icon vs. pop-under debate, which is still relevant for the auto-login
case, although it becomes much less important. I've copied and pasted the
relevant posts from the previous thread into this one. Have at it.

===========================================

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 3:45 PM, Alex Launi <alex.launi@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
I had meant to chat with Martin Pitt after his plenary, but never managed to
catch up with him. I forgot about it until I was going through my notebook
the other day. It would be really great if when update-manager presented
itself, some bugs (ones that you reported/subscribed to on LP) had a nice
messsage that made you really excited to update because your bug was fixed!
Make updates fun!

David Siegel also had a really great idea for making updates fun (and it
also solves the issue of how to handle updates- notification icon or
pop-under window) at the "install updates on shutdown" discussion. Let me
preface this with these are his ideas and not mine, I think they're great
and he deserves the credit. His idea was to do updates at login. We could do
the checking while you're using, and then if we find them on reboot show
them in gdm with a nice present icon, like we're giving you a gift. This way
if an update requires a restart, you don't have to save your state, restart,
blah blah blah and interrupt your entire workflow, you haven't started yet.
It might not be possible now, but when the clutter gdm finally lands we
could do it really beautifully.

-- 
-- Alex Launi

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 5:06 PM, tacone <tacone@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Good intent, bad idea.
When you turn on the pc it's because you needed. Windows shows the
update notification on shutdown, which makes much more sense (and if
you just installed some reboot requiring update, even more).

I wouldn't oppose to a well done, good designed entry on shutdown:

----------------------------
Updates available !  Keeping your system up to date is important.
[x] Install the updates before logging out. [ Open the update manager ]
-----------------------------

Stefano

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:09 PM, Alex Launi <alex.launi@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 5:06 PM, tacone <tacone@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Good intent, bad idea.
>

I disagree, let's imagine this scenario, together...
<blur and wiggle dream sequence style scene change>

It's Tuesday morning, you get up and turn on your computer. Whilst you were
fast asleep dreaming of sugar plums and sexy librarians Ubuntu packagers
were hard at work packaging updates for your favourite operating system. Now
that it's morning, these updates are available, for you! You boot up and
arrive at the slick new GDM. But what's this message?

"New updates available! Click here to install"

Some days you're very busy, and need your computer right away so you chose
to ignore them and log right in. That's ok, they'll be available when you're
ready. Update Manager shouldn't go away, you should be able to launch it
yourself manually if you want to update once you've logged in and found out
that DST was this weekend and you've got some extra time.

But today you decide to click. The interface changes nicely into a screen
displaying what updates are available, and asking for your username and
password to authorize install / log in. If you're not an administrator we
will politely tell you that you can't perform an upgrade, and that you
should let your administrator know that your system needs some updates. At
this point we just finish the login, since you just gave us your info.
Awesome.

Now let's say you are an admin, this update requires no reboot so we log you
right in, and when the desktop is loaded there is already a dialog waiting
giving you the progress of your update. You may continue working, you
weren't cost much time, and your system is fully secure because you're up to
date.

But next time there might be a kernel upgrade, which will require a restart.
In this case we should ask the user what they'd like to do. In some cases
the estimated time to finish (which we will show) may only be 2 minutes, and
we can afford that so we just halt the login and modally install the
upgrades, or we allow them to say "ok i recognize that this update will need
a restart to apply, but I need my computer- so lets continue like there are
no updates that require a reboot, and I will reboot when I'm ready.

<blur and wiggle dream sequence end style change>

Awesome, right?

-- 
--Alex Launi

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:14 PM, Charlie Kravetz <cjk@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> wrote:
What about those who use an autologin? They will never see those gdm
screens.

--
Charlie Kravetz
Linux Registered User Number 425914          [http://counter.li.org/]
Never let anyone steal your DREAM.           [http://keepingdreams.com]

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:17 PM, ajmctaggart <ajmctaggart@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
...This was hilarious, sexy librarians and all...
Me personally, I don't have a *huge *issue presenting updates at the
beginning of a log-in sequence.  As a user, you know they are there, and you
either ignore or proceed.

I can't help but think though, that when I login to my desktop normally, the
Update Manager usually shows up within 2-5 minutes with updates, and when it
does- I cringe at the thought of having to reboot.

Now, would those updates have made me cringe less if I haven't already
opened Firefox, Evolution, and a track to listen to? Probably...

But, it still is something different than other OS' default behavior (Not a
bad thing, most updates systems already stink).  I guess I relate it most to
the example of an avid user of Firefox plugins.  I hate when I open my
browser and those updates are there, I usually ignore them because I want
into my Gmail, or whatever the case may be.

It is a different way to look at updates, however, and not a bad idea at
that...

-Anthony

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 6:23 PM, tacone <tacone@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Awesome, right?

Not sure about what your whole reply meant.
I think that notifying on startup has many disadvantage and it's not
applicable in some cases (kernel upgrades, autologin).
It's not wonder windows why asks for it at the shutdown.
-- 
--Alex Launi