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On 01/05/2012 11:08 AM, Matthew Paul Thomas wrote:
I had this same question on Tuesday, because I was specifying how packaged lenses and scopes should be presented in Ubuntu Software Center. At a stretch, people might be expected to learn what the "Dash" is. But "lenses" and "scopes" are developer jargon, best avoided if possible. So I asked John Lea, and he clarified that lenses and scopes are supposed to be just for searching. I asked, what if someone implemented a calculator lens? (I was reminded of Mac OS X's Spotlight menu: for example, if you enter "pi * 2", it will show "pi * 2 = 6.28318351" above any search results.) John replied that he'd prefer if that kind of thing wasn't possible in the Dash. So, I specified that the USC subcategory should be called "Dash Search Plugins".<https://wiki.ubuntu.com/SoftwareCenter#lenses>
Given just the architectural constraints, I'd say the text entry part of the Dash allows queries. One could try to differentiate queries and conversions, but on some level they're the same.
What's the difference between Search and Query? Well, I think input for a calculator woulr rather be called a query then a search.
The rest of the dash is about selection, primarily by means of browsing and immediate selection.
I do not think that things like a Calculator lense hurt. Considering how I use the calculator now and then, it's often just one quick calculation, where not bothering with a separate app would be quite nice. Then again, I do of course see the issue of duplicated functionality with diverging interfaces.
-- Thorsten Wilms thorwil's design for free software: http://thorwil.wordpress.com/
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