63

The idea is simple. Having icons, instead of list, in application launcher.

Advantage :-More icons can be included in application launcher than lists. So you DON'T NEED TO SCROLL to launch an app. Only clicks .
So, much faster to launch an app than it was earlier. From the images below, you can see that the icon size in the old style and the new proposed one are the same, yet the new one can contain more than twice the number of apps in a single view.
I finds the clicking scrolling,clicking,scrolling way of launching an app very time consuming than needed.That drains the productivity



. After using the "search and launch" activity(kde-netbook interface) for some time, I got this idea . I finds the "search and launch very efficient" . But minimizing all apps to launch an app is not a good idea. My idea solves all these problems

Corrected Kicker to Kickoff. Kicker was the panel in KDE3.

Personally, I rather dislike (an understatement) icon views, but I'm not gonna vote against the idea.

Concerning Lancelot:

An icon view can end up eventually in the Shelf applet (ex Lancelot Parts) but I don't really see how it could be implemented in the menu itself (maybe the second level of browsing could be switched to icon view, but I'm not convinced it would be a good idea).

Concerning Kickoff:

Kickoff currently doesn't really have a maintainer, so I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to do this even if it is decided to be worth the effort.

ivan wrote:Personally, I rather dislike (an understatement) icon views, but I'm not gonna vote against the idea.

Concerning Lancelot:

An icon view can end up eventually in the Shelf applet (ex Lancelot Parts) but I don't really see how it could be implemented in the menu itself (maybe the second level of browsing could be switched to icon view, but I'm not convinced it would be a good idea).

Concerning Kickoff:

Kickoff currently doesn't really have a maintainer, so I'm not sure if anyone would be willing to do this even if it is decided to be worth the effort.

I respect your view.

To know how useful an icon view would be, one have to use the search and launch activity of plasma

I don't know whether you dislike the icon views in a file browser or in an application launcher. In the case of a file browser, the details view is more useful. But in the case of an application launcher, there is no 'size' or 'modified date' to show. So in my opinion ,in kickoff, space at the light side are wasted. More over one have to take finger from mouse button to scroll wheel

One of the main advantages I find in lancelot is that one can go back to another menu without clicking back. Keeping that , I don't know whether it can have icon view since from the second or third level of browsing, the place at right side will decrease, so there wouldn't be any advantage of icon view.

But icon view is well suited for kickoff

off topic :Is there a way to increase the speed of tab switching in both kickoff and lancelot?
In the menu bar of gnome, after clicking applications,if you move mouse to places tab, tab switches to places in almost instantaneously. That doesn't happen in kde . Launching application is a bit slow in kde; because of that problem too

praveesh wrote:I respect your view.

To know how useful an icon view would be, one have to use the search and launch activity of plasma

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the idea is bad because I don't like icon views. The idea is good and valid, I just want to put some perspective on why it isn't already implemented (at least when L is concerned).

I've used SAL and it works rather well.

Naturally, I prefer using a Shelf applet with a search bar instead of SAL (because I like lists more ) but I'm still considering SAL to be a more than awesome launcher.

From my point of view, SAL could be and should be made into a desktop (and not only netbook) launcher as well. (the standard 'click the icon open a popup with a launcher')

That is something I'm planning to discuss with Marco (notmart) to see whether he has any objections.

ivan wrote:

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying the idea is bad because I don't like icon views. The idea is good and valid, I just want to put some perspective on why it isn't already implemented (at least when L is concerned).

I've used SAL and it works rather well.

Naturally, I prefer using a Shelf applet with a search bar instead of SAL (because I like lists more ) but I'm still considering SAL to be a more than awesome launcher.

From my point of view, SAL could be and should be made into a desktop (and not only netbook) launcher as well. (the standard 'click the icon open a popup with a launcher')

That is something I'm planning to discuss with Marco (notmart) to see whether he has any objections.

Ok. I understand

I'd love to see this in the favourites tab. If this was to happen I don't think text labels would be needed in the favourites tab though. If I add Rekonq to my favourites I don't need the label to tell which icon is for Rekonq.

Personally I never use the applications tab, krunner is far far easier.

I always wished to get rid of scrolling in launching an app. Why spending too much time on just launching an app . I think this idea would solve the problem

same here. scrolling makes it really awkward!

The KickOff Scrolling has many features what the mockup does not have at all.

Example.

1) The mockup suffers the bad text reading problem. The human eye can much easier read text when it is in one line in same way. Multiple lines with icons between text makes it harder to read

2) The Grid demands more searching and more mouse moving than the KickOff now. You can not scroll it at all. The mockup only gives idea that there are 6 gategories. In reality, there can be even 12 gategories and that would demand even bigger KickOff or scrolling what both would make the Grid even worse.

3) The current KickOff is touchscreen friendly. It has bigger space for every function. The scrolling bar can be bigger (thanks to Oxygen) following the theme (so the whole environment is touchscreen friendly). And when having somekind disability or just shaking hand, the movement of the hand is usually sideways. So the grid makes the mouse movement even worse. While the current KickOff helps even older people more.

4) Novell did pretty deep usability studies what were used as base to develop the kickoff. It is not just a "it looks nice" idea but its purpose is to work well for those who really needs to use the menu.

Fri13 wrote:The KickOff Scrolling has many features what the mockup does not have at all.

Example.

1) The mockup suffers the bad text reading problem. The human eye can much easier read text when it is in one line in same way. Multiple lines with icons between text makes it harder to read

2) The Grid demands more searching and more mouse moving than the KickOff now. You can not scroll it at all. The mockup only gives idea that there are 6 gategories. In reality, there can be even 12 gategories and that would demand even bigger KickOff or scrolling what both would make the Grid even worse.

3) The current KickOff is touchscreen friendly. It has bigger space for every function. The scrolling bar can be bigger (thanks to Oxygen) following the theme (so the whole environment is touchscreen friendly). And when having somekind disability or just shaking hand, the movement of the hand is usually sideways. So the grid makes the mouse movement even worse. While the current KickOff helps even older people more.

4) Novell did pretty deep usability studies what were used as base to develop the kickoff. It is not just a "it looks nice" idea but its purpose is to work well for those who really needs to use the menu.

Everything you say is absolutely correct but maybe the icon view could be made just a option in the menu's preferences? This way users with the issues you describe will not be affected and users who don't have many menu categories and prefer icons could use it? That's why I use KDE rather than Gnome because everything is customisable That said unless the grid view could be made scrollable it would be horrible to use as either a huge menu or tiny icons would be neccesary. Maybe a icon view could be used for just the favourites tab? That way the user could put all their often used applications in the favourites tab (an icon view would fit more apps in a small space) and then just search for all the odd programs they use occasionally.

Fri13 wrote:The KickOff Scrolling has many features what the mockup does not have at all.

Example.

1) The mockup suffers the bad text reading problem. The human eye can much easier read text when it is in one line in same way. Multiple lines with icons between text makes it harder to read

2) The Grid demands more searching and more mouse moving than the KickOff now. You can not scroll it at all. The mockup only gives idea that there are 6 gategories. In reality, there can be even 12 gategories and that would demand even bigger KickOff or scrolling what both would make the Grid even worse.

3) The current KickOff is touchscreen friendly. It has bigger space for every function. The scrolling bar can be bigger (thanks to Oxygen) following the theme (so the whole environment is touchscreen friendly). And when having somekind disability or just shaking hand, the movement of the hand is usually sideways. So the grid makes the mouse movement even worse. While the current KickOff helps even older people more.

4) Novell did pretty deep usability studies what were used as base to develop the kickoff. It is not just a "it looks nice" idea but its purpose is to work well for those who really needs to use the menu.

Icon view/list view can be made an option

Human beings can easily understand pictures than letters (it's a property of brain). The oxygen icons are really amazing so that one can understand easily the function by just looking at it. AN EXPERIENCED USER CAN FIND AN APP BY IT'S ICON

Scrolling should be there in grid/icon view too . It will be useful when there are too many number of applications. The time wasted in moving the mouse would not be higher than the time wasted in (moving the finger from left mouse button to middle button and) scrolling. Icon view is for the people who want to launch applications quickly

It is not possible to satisfy each and everybody by a single design, so the list view should not be removed so that the people who prefer it can use it. At the same time , people dissatisfied with list view can use grid view . People with disability would be a minority and the default view should be designed for the majority

No way as default. I do not want Kickoff to become a big icon mess.

Wow .It would be cool , if implemented