3 ms·

So why don't they leave it on the right as default (old way) and just a gui way to switch it to the other site for left handed/osx people. Then both sides are h

So why don't they leave it on the right as default (old way) and just a gui way to switch it to the other site for left handed/osx people. Then both sides are happy. Problem solved-ish.

bmelton 17y ago
I was going to say exactly the same thing -- if it was a THEME, then it seems like it would be just as easy to theme it the other way. I guess the really tricky bit revolves around which one is default, and how obvious it would be to switch it to the other way. Knowing Gnome menus (with dated knowledge, naturally) it would typically be 6-7 clicks into somewhere and nobody would ever find it.
- acon 17y ago
  Sorry, but themes sucks. They make it very hard to make excellent GUI applications, since you have no fixed foundation to build them on. To build a custom control you need to be able to integrate it in the surrounding context, i.e. the theme. If you do not know what that context is, you have to spend needless energy to make is fit anywhere. This is energy which could be spent improving the GUI instead. And whatever you do, don't go around changing the order of buttons and such in the theme. This makes it even harder to make an application which fits in its context. Not having a theme also allows you to communicate you vision about how the platform should look and work without having the message diluted. A platform needs this vision, and of course this vision needs to be good, for it to work as a breeding ground for excellent applications. I'm not saying that Ubuntu's new look is the right look, I'm just saying that the solution is not themes.
mrshoe 17y ago
When presented with two interface options, we should resist the urge to implement both and let the user decide.
- pyre 17y ago
  Why not just go with the one that is more useful to more people as the default and bury the option to switch deep in some 'advanced' config setting? You still have to make a design decision in choosing the default correctly since that is most crucial.
  - sp332 17y ago
    Sure you can configure it. http://fosswire.com/post/2008/02/customize-your-titlebar/ http://fosswire.com/post/2008/02/customize-your-titlebar/
- detst 17y ago
  There's a big difference between letting the user decide and choosing for the user but making it possible for the user to switch.

So why don't they leave it on the right as default (old way) and just a gui way to switch it to the other site for left handed/osx people. Then both sides are happy. Problem solved-ish.

bmelton 17y ago

I was going to say exactly the same thing -- if it was a THEME, then it seems like it would be just as easy to theme it the other way. I guess the really tricky bit revolves around which one is default, and how obvious it would be to switch it to the other way. Knowing Gnome menus (with dated knowledge, naturally) it would typically be 6-7 clicks into somewhere and nobody would ever find it.

acon 17y ago
Sorry, but themes sucks. They make it very hard to make excellent GUI applications, since you have no fixed foundation to build them on. To build a custom control you need to be able to integrate it in the surrounding context, i.e. the theme. If you do not know what that context is, you have to spend needless energy to make is fit anywhere. This is energy which could be spent improving the GUI instead. And whatever you do, don't go around changing the order of buttons and such in the theme. This makes it even harder to make an application which fits in its context. Not having a theme also allows you to communicate you vision about how the platform should look and work without having the message diluted. A platform needs this vision, and of course this vision needs to be good, for it to work as a breeding ground for excellent applications. I'm not saying that Ubuntu's new look is the right look, I'm just saying that the solution is not themes.

mrshoe 17y ago

When presented with two interface options, we should resist the urge to implement both and let the user decide.

pyre 17y ago
Why not just go with the one that is more useful to more people as the default and bury the option to switch deep in some 'advanced' config setting? You still have to make a design decision in choosing the default correctly since that is most crucial.
- sp332 17y ago
  Sure you can configure it. http://fosswire.com/post/2008/02/customize-your-titlebar/ http://fosswire.com/post/2008/02/customize-your-titlebar/
detst 17y ago
There's a big difference between letting the user decide and choosing for the user but making it possible for the user to switch.