Right welcome to this super-secret-meeting everyone!

As you all know the work we've all done on Plasma has been much appreciated, it's been written about, talked about and mulled over - which is awesome and everyone in the VDG community need to take a second or two to pat themselves on the back for all the brilliant work we've all been doing (my plan was to make a list of all contributors and community members but it's just too many of you).

But now step 2 is getting closer.

We need to make the applications look just as brilliant. Just as awesome. We need to create a suite of applications that follow the same style and the HIG and design goals of Plasma. We need to make "Everyday apps" that are Simple by Default and Powerful when Needed (1) AND with an eye on whether the application is a "Creative" application (where work is done) or a "Consume" application (where content need to be given the first room and present at the very first stage) (2).
The goal is to make applications with the monicer "Made for Plasma" (OR "[application] by KDE". This is something we need to talk about as well) a quality stamp that says "This application will work great, look stunning and fit perfectly with the goals of Plasma".

How will this work?
1) We define what apps need are the very base apps needed
2) We start working on mockups and talk about how to improve them, visually and from a usability angle as well as make them fit the others
3) We contact the devs (if they are not already on board)
--- 3a) If they say "yes" we get to work!
--- 3b) If they say "no" we accept that handsomely and keep the mockups to see if they can be used elsewhere
4) We spread the word of "Made for Plasma"/"..by KDE" and show the mockups and how awesome they look!

Are there applications already belonging to this suite?
Glad you asked (I hope you did, fellow co-conspirator). There are several applications already being worked on

The Music Player Bangarang
A content application which is made for consuming audio in all its forms


Talk more about it at:
viewtopic.php?f=285&t=122273


The Video Player Jungle
A content application for movies, TV-series and video webcontent



The Email Application [Name not set]
A simpler, for normal users, email application


Talk more about it at:
viewtopic.php?f=285&t=122867


The Calendar Application [Name not set]
A bit of an odd one out as it started as an example but proved so damn sexy it has to be included somehow


Talk more about it at:
viewtopic.php?f=285&t=122242


The Image Viewer [Name not set]
This is a tricky one as it's split into two different use cases - one is a new version of Gwenview and the other is a simplified image viewer with capacity for geotagging.



Talk more about it at:
viewtopic.php?f=285&t=122869


So what do we do now?

Well simply put we go to the respective threads and talk about design of a specific application BUT we try to keep them looking and behaving like each other to make all applications mesh nicely visually and usability wise.

We talk about what other applications are needed for a complete "suite" of applications and how they can interact with each other, perhaps how they can interact with "the Cloud" (ugh I know but its the best term I have for it) and with cellphones and tablets via KDE Connect.

We spread the word about it (I will do a blogpost the second I know the people here at the Super Secret Meeting feel good about this).

We start hacking at the mockups and ideas. We contact devs and try to make Plasma look awesomner than ever.

So what do you guys and girls think?

Signed, from the non-functional POV. But do we have a set of standard requirements for Plasma Next-approved applications in terms of integration and interaction?

Thats where we all come in. We need to be able to tag applications to the HIG and also to specify more exactly what the more exact constraints are.

Some thoughts:

"Made for Plasma"
* Implies that the application is a part of the Plasma experience
* The application would probably only be used by Plasma users, even if it might work on any desktop
* Would strengthen the Plasma brand

"by KDE"
* Tells that the application is product of the KDE community
* does not limit the target audience
* Would strengthen the idea of KDE as a community that creates software
* But are we going to limit the use of "by KDE"? I think anyone in the community should be allowed to brand their app with "by KDE".

The two monicers are quite different. If we want to create a set of applications that are above all a part of the Plasma experience, we can use "Made for Plasma". Otherwise, it is better to use "by KDE" or something else to not limit their scope.

On the question of what applications should be included in the set of "core applications", what about a map application? That's something I personally need more often than a media player, for example. Of course we can tell users to keep using Google maps, but since we have a pretty decent desktop globe (Marble), we could use it as a base to create something better than Google maps. A while back I envisioned a simple user interface for Marble with an everyday user's needs in mind (call it Marble Lite if you like): https://forum.kde.org/viewtopic.php?f=285&t=120840.

Marble Lite sounds like an awesome idea!
What would it look like? Would it still use the globe analogy (which I am tbh a bit sceptical about since it's kinda messy visually)

We could have 'Made by KDE' and make it into some small, awesome logo. Then put the logo on these specific applications as a stamp of approval.

So we don't disallow people from saying that something is 'made by KDE', but only the very well programmed and designed ones get the 'Made by KDE' approval mark.

Approved by VDG.
Plus (tm) when it becomes a trademark for "Simple and Smart by Default and Powerful when Needed"

file preview with a very very fast APP

One application I would like to bring in is k3b: Imho it looks pretty old and outdated. On the other hand, is there still need for an application dedicated to burning only, in the age of usb devices etc.? Couldn't that functionality be simply absorbed from a backend so that we can do all of this using dolphin or simple frontend exposed by the file manager?

Completely agree with @kdeuserk. It is a great application that could use some design love, either by improving the UI, or by integrating it into the Plasma experience.

Other programs that are must have to me in the core desktop experience are a scanning program (skanlite), a video recording program (kamoso), a screenshot tool (ksnapshot), and a software center (muon, once it becomes cross package manager).

Many of these could be tightly integrated with Plasma. Basic functionality could be triggered by a keyboard shortcut, like take a screenshot, take a picture, record a video, and have more advanced functionality available via GUI.

BTW, what's the deal with KDE application names? They can work as internal/developer names, but they are very confusing to people unfamiliar to the tools. What about calling them something simpler like Plasma Gallery, Plasma Music, Plasma Mail, Plasma Calendar.. Or going full Gnome and just showing Gallery, Music player, Calendar..

jensreuterberg wrote:Marble Lite sounds like an awesome idea!
What would it look like? Would it still use the globe analogy (which I am tbh a bit sceptical about since it's kinda messy visually)

I think the globe is the best way to present the world map, it avoids the issue of choosing the least misleading (and most politically correct) projection, and it also looks nice. In a zoomed in state it doesn't really matter whether its a globe or a projection. The default zoom level could be such that it would show your city, and you'd only see the globe if you zoom out. If you'd like to see my ideas for the UI, see the thread I linked above.

pedrorodriguez wrote:BTW, what's the deal with KDE application names? They can work as internal/developer names, but they are very confusing to people unfamiliar to the tools. What about calling them something simpler like Plasma Gallery, Plasma Music, Plasma Mail, Plasma Calendar.. Or going full Gnome and just showing Gallery, Music player, Calendar..

Yes, we want to go for more easily recognizeable application names. What we found to be a downside of Gnome's naming scheme is that it's more difficult to google them, which would get even worse if we gave our applications the same name as Gnomes. "Plasma Gallery" etc. could work, though.

okular as a pdf, ps, odt, ... file previewer.

pedrorodriguez wrote:BTW, what's the deal with KDE application names? They can work as internal/developer names, but they are very confusing to people unfamiliar to the tools. What about calling them something simpler like Plasma Gallery, Plasma Music, Plasma Mail, Plasma Calendar.. Or going full Gnome and just showing Gallery, Music player, Calendar..

I don't think changing any name is necessary, given that Plasma already gives greater emphasis on what an application is for than on what it is called.

Awesome suggestions all around:

Single Shortcut
Is a brilliant idea - although tricky. I don't know if this is what you mean but it would be cool if applications shared shortcuts. Not that they shared the complex ones but when one application is focused its main feature (say start/stop for Video or Music) could share Space for example and other applications like a Kamoso thing would use that for its main feature (taking images) so that you know that there are three shortcuts that do the three most important things to an app that are the same in every single application.

Applications suggested so far
K3B, Marble and Okular. Oh and "file preview with a very very fast APP " which I got to admit to not really knowing what that means... Can you specify?
I'd like to add things like Chat application (Colomar can fill us in more on that) and an idea I've had for a Phone-to-computer-and-back sharing of notes and clips that uses KDE Connect or, if that is not available, Email to share all notes and clips between devices.

The naming thing
Oh thats a whole mess of worms! I don't want to sound negative but I know the debates around it are many and good arguments on both sides of it. Also the issue that some applications, which could be merged with others, keep some names and even though there is no such thing as trademark out of respect (which is good) we can't snag them, which is a shame (Konversation for example, "Conversation" what an awesome phrase)


Where do we go from here - you guys who suggested K3B for example, for those of us who don't use it - can you scribble down some mockup ideas? Nothing fancy, just to keep the ideas coming.