unity-design team mailing list archive

[guido iodice <guido.iodice@xxxxxxxxx>]

2010/5/21 Conscious User <conscioususer@xxxxxxx>
>
> Part of messagING, as in "using an instant messenger", but not
> part of messagES, as in "an usual action when sending or
> receiving messages". The Message Menu deals with messagES.

The name is *Messaging Menu*: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MessagingMenu/
So I think you partly misunderstood its function.

> I can understand your use case, but I'm having trouble not
> considering it a corner one.

Corner cases concern less used functions, or infrequent combinations of more
used functions.
I'm talking about well-known functions and most usual combinations of them.

Moreover, all other interfaces similar to Ubuntu indicator (like dock in Mac
OS X) work with the behavior that I will.
There is a reason, I think. The reason is usability and simplicity. Users
expect this, IMHO.


> >From the messaging menu, you receive messages from specific
> senders.

>From Messaging Menu, you can receive broadcast messages.

I cite:
*
*
*Recommended behavior for feed readers and microblogging clients*

A feed reader or microblogging client should register itself when you add
any feeds or accounts, and unregister itself when you remove the last feed
or account. It should also provide a “Show {Name of Program} in the
messaging menu” checkbox in its settings.

*For the purpose of the messaging menu, a new message is an unread item that
the program discovered since the last tim*e you (a) performed any action in
the program or (b) selected the corresponding item in the messaging
menu. *Whether
an item is important enough to include in the messaging menu may be
configurable within the program.*

A feed reader should provide one message source item for each feed that
contains new messages. A microblogging client should provide one message
source item for each account that contains new messages. (It should do this
for all relevant feeds or accounts even though a maximum of six will be
shown, because that maximum may change in the future.)"

Messaging Menu was designed for purposes *wider* than those that you
mentioned.

I can *receive* a personal or broadcast message from the Messaging Menu, and
I can *send* a broadcast message from MeMenu.

To assign MeMenu to broadcasts and Messaging Menu to 1-to-1 messages is *not
* in specifications.

Moreover: there is a very slight difference between broadcasts and 1-to-1
messages. Pretty each 1-to-1 instant messenger has a broadcast function
(status, presence) and each social network has 1-to-1 chat. So I think
astrong separation isn't in the minds of users, even in the mind of
facebook/twitter/identi.ca/msn/jabber/sip developers and even less in the
specification of Ubuntu indicators.


> You don't have to agree with the reasons and I myself do not
> consider them perfect, but assuming that they don't exist
> is wrong, and a little bit rude considering you could've
> tried asking for them before simply assuming it is a
> deliberately overlooked inconsistency. :)
>

You see, Mark admits the (partial) inconsistency and Mark know well what is
MeMenu and Messaging Menu.

Frankly, you have a your own idea of them, that is slighty different from
specifications.

I assume specifications exist and I read them.