unity-design team mailing list archive

[Jeremy Bicha <jbicha@xxxxxxxxxx>]

On 5 September 2011 20:36, Jonathan Meek <shrouded.cloud@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> As things currently stand, if you want an application in Ubuntu you go to
> the software center and browse the myriad applications available. Of these,
> MANY are what I would dub 'legacy' applications (my word, don't focus too
> much on it). As far as I know, there is nothing that quite defines an Ubuntu
> application. This creates the situation, where, if we get the presumed
> users, they install Ubuntu and go looking for applications and they can end
> up installing the KDE4 stack for it, not knowing that it's not the way
> things are supposed to look, furthering the inconsistencies of the Ubuntu
> desktop "look." (This is NOT a thread to complain about such, there are
> plenty others out there.)

It's very possible to write a Qt app that looks and feels fully native
in GNOME/Unity. And I believe Qt apps will look better outside of
GNOME than GTK ones will. Also there are a lot of good apps available
in KDE that may not be available elsewhere in Ubuntu (kdeedu is but
one example).

> This is also not something that the community do, because if I could, I
> would. We need to work with the design team to be able to develop the
> guidelines.

You are very welcome to write a Ubuntu HIG and propose it. If you can
attend an UDS, that would help a lot with promoting your proposal but
UDS isn't necessary. Ubuntu community members can get involved in
nearly all parts of the Ubuntu development process, limited only by
their time, abilities, and desire. Please don't feel that you have to
be a Canonical employee to contribute.

The Linux and open source community is much more than just Ubuntu. You
might also want to help GNOME with updating their HIG for GNOME 3. I
imagine a Ubuntu HIG would be the GNOME HIG with a few differences of
opinion anyway.

Jeremy