Re: [Ayatana-dev] ubuntu lacks ideas, firefox is full of ideas

[Mikkel Kamstrup Erlandsen <mikkel.kamstrup@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On 11/18/2011 09:20 PM, Pedro Bessa wrote:

Hi Anytana-dev,

That would be "ayatana-dev" :-)

I can change Firefox in any way. I can position, edit, remove and add any interface element however I think is useful to the others. So I created two add-ons. https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/addon-tools-in-app-button/ and https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/ubiquity-in-awesomebar/

I reported many bugs to Ubuntu.
To make you patch them, I need to convince you that the bug is so important that you need to work, which is very hard.
To make me patch them, I need to convince you that the bug is important, otherwise the patch won't be approved, which is hard, then I need to patch the bug, which is hard, then I need you to approve the code, which is hard, so it's triple hard.

Sorry if I get your wrong here, but it sounds like you're complaining that it is difficult to program? (I mean it *is* difficult, but to me personally, that is also what makes it fun)

If there is a bug with patches, that is a bug and not a feature, and it's being ignored or bogged down in reviews that is a problem. Can you point me to it and I'll make sure we get some action on it.

Features are indeed harder to get in. They exponentially increase the number of interactions and in that regard runs a danger of detracting on the overall quality and thus negatively affecting everyone that does not use it. That said - there are several examples of contributed features that get in anyway, even though the maintainers or designers are not thrilled about it.

As a concrete example of this we just merged a contributed branch that makes it possible to hide the Most Used and Apps Available for Download categories from the apps lens.

To develop an app, I need to code my work and others will see my name, rate it high, install it lots, congratulate me by e-mail, recognize my work, which it's fun, then I need your approval to the Ubuntu Software Store and you put a huge effort in it, you want more apps, which it's fun, then I show you since the app's popular, the bug is important and according to xkcd, I'm correcting a person on the internet, it's an important task, which it's fun, so it's triple fun.

Sorry; I am not sure what you are hinting at here? It seems I lack some context to your message.

The Unity API is minimal. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Unity/LauncherAPI I can't position, I can't edit, I can't remove and I can't add anything.

That is a design decision. The *user* is in ultimate control of the launcher. If random apps could mess that up it would be incredibly frustrating.

That said; there are plans aloft to have a slightly richer API to instrument the launcher.

You said you don't want customizeability (I mean, you make unity have unmodifiable defaults) and you said you want more apps (I mean, you put a huge effort in the Ubuntu Software Store), but these two things are a contradication, because *if we can't do anything, why should we develop apps for you*?

Presumably you develop apps for the users and not for Ubuntu?

If Ubuntu is inadequate as a vessel to deliver the experience you want to for your users, then we need to take that up and figure out which *particular* technical details are stopping you.

Plus, Firefox writes tutorials that start from overview, allow to go in-depth, have examples and I think Ubuntu should do that too.

I agree. Better tutorials and docs in general is desirable. Fortunately, everyone agrees on that - and many people are working hard to make it a reality :-)

Cheers,
Mikkel