IRC log of #maemo-ui for Sunday, 2009-12-20

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aSIMULAtor*yawn'13:29
mikhasheya, we could need feedback on our UX concept for miniature (chess): http://wiki.maemo.org/Image:20091219_001.jpg and http://wiki.maemo.org/Miniature/Development/Phase_1.0:_Offline_chess_basics#New_UX_proposal14:17
mikhasas of now, we decided to go 100% scene graphed UI, using Qt's QGraphicsProxyWidget for standard UI elements14:18
lcukheh mikhas isnt the new ui layout a step back from the old one, you had something looking like a chess board last time i saw :D14:20
mikhaslcuk, yes ... you could probably say that. But we will delay theming until we have a solid interaction design14:22
* lcuk nods heartily14:23
lcukmikhas, do you play the default chess on your n900?14:30
mikhasyeah, I do.14:30
lcukdid you ever have an n8x0?14:31
mikhasnope14:31
mikhastbh, I found using gnuchess from the terminal more satisfying (more control!) than using the chess app =)14:31
lcukwhats right about the n900 chess then, which elements are you happy with and which would you drop/replace14:32
lcukmight be an idea to discuss along those lines because then people can relate with whats on their device now14:32
lcukwhat was wrong with it then14:32
mikhasfirst, it uses comboboxen in the start screen for difficulty and colour picking14:33
mikhasnext to checkboxen14:33
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lcukbut you do that once (if at all) usually, ive never actually ticked or clicked any!14:34
mikhasthe "open" facility is hidden in the main menu while all other UI actions are put below the chess image (in the start screen). that way, most users are not aware that you can actually save/restore your games14:34
lcukhow are you considering save/restore games14:34
mikhasauto-save when application is closed, continue on next start. That is, we currently consider to always only have one "slot" for saving/restoring games14:36
mikhaswe plan to interface with scid, a chess database engine14:37
mikhasso we dont want to duplicate features yet14:37
lcukindeed, so now whilst the feature may be hidden (but in ui guideline correct locations) it currently allows for multiple save locations and sending to friends and stuff14:38
lcuktho i doubt anyone does lol14:38
mikhasthe back button of the chess app is inside the move lists14:39
mikhasso it looks as if you could undo a move, not go back to the main screen14:40
mikhas(you probably learn that quickly, but still ...)14:40
mikhasthen, of course, the biggest annoyance to me is drag'n'drop for piece movement14:40
lcukahaaa the first great ui change :p :D14:41
lcukand one i agree with, it will help teach people whats valid moves if it highlighted them when you tap the first time14:41
mikhaswell, and I dont like the piece set too much. but that's theming only14:43
lcukyeah14:44
lcukwill people be able to still play offline14:44
mikhasthe next UI change is to integrate timers14:44
mikhas?14:44
lcukor will they need to start a different chess app to play alone14:44
mikhaswell yes, our aim is of course to play chess on freechess.org but without an offline mode it would be useless, imho14:45
aSIMULAtorsorry i'm asking this, but, how big is each square on the board?14:46
lcuk1/8 the width/height of the total board14:46
mikhaswe maxed out at 60x60 pixels for the n90014:46
lcukdid you include space for the labels mikhas14:46
aSIMULAtorportrait usage, squares look a tiny bit small for thumb usage, but then it's still usable14:47
lcuklike the default chess has14:47
mikhasno labels, they are useless to most chess players14:47
lcukD$... you sank my battleship!14:47
mikhaslol14:47
lcukd4 even14:47
lcuklabels help beginners14:47
mikhaswell, perhaps we can offer an overlay for that?14:47
lcukand people chatting14:47
lcuksupposing im playing with my son14:47
mikhasbut I will not compromise the board size =)14:48
lcukand hes just about to make a stupid move14:48
lcuki can say, what about your knight at a614:48
lcukmikhas, since the ui will be scalable, it does make sense to keep the option14:48
lcukyou may have to compromise if this qt game goes on lesser devices anyway14:49
mikhaswell, for teaching mode we could have the cell names in the top left corner of each cell?14:49
aSIMULAtorthat's sufficient14:49
lcukyou already have it scaleable14:49
lcukwhat res is the n97?14:49
lcukor windowed mode14:49
lcuketcetc14:49
lcukyou wont always have 480pix14:49
mikhas=(14:50
lcukthat shouldnt matter tho?14:50
lcuk(w/8,h/8) bound within the largest based on aspect ratio14:50
mikhasnot really. although the current UI is not scalable, the important pieces (heh!) are.14:50
lcukyou get your wish most of the time, but it adapts if not14:51
mikhasI have lots of 60ies in the current code *hangs head in shame*14:51
mikhasyes14:51
lcuk:D14:51
* lcuk wraps knuckles14:51
lcukin qt you shouldnt have any fixed dimensions?14:52
lcukmake everything relative14:52
mikhasforgive my first steps in the designer14:52
lcukEVERYTHING14:52
mikhasI used the qt designer and the only way to get some screen real estate was to give it min sizes14:52
lcukheh14:52
mikhasbecause an empty QGV just gets 0x0 pixels =)14:52
lcuki do similar for the calendar14:52
lcuktake available width, divide by 7 and say "meh" at the few pixels difference in some places14:53
lcukmikhas, did you do this in the declarative ui?14:54
lcukor just native qt14:54
mikhasnative Qt, but most things are QGraphicsItems actually14:54
mikhasso no real layout management for anything inside the scene graph (haven't tried the QGraphicsLayouts yet)14:55
lcukok, so if you maintain your design thinking to be 800*480 (or 480*800) can you layout your entire layout within the available bounds14:55
lcuksupposing you had a qgi made to be 480*480 and then you tried to use it in a windowed windo14:56
lcukwith 800*414  (56pixels for top bar afaik)14:56
lcuk424 even14:57
* lcuk fails math, needs coffee and chocolate and bacon14:57
mikhashm, I ... have to propagate the rescale events properly14:57
mikhaswell, it should all be possible I guess14:58
mikhasfor animation speedup I rendered the piece's SVG into pixmaps, only have to make sure I re-render the SVG after rescaling ...14:59
mikhaswould be great though if I could get automated layout management for the remaining UI elements outside the board though (still inside a QGV)15:00
lcukyikes15:00
mikhas?15:00
lcuki forget how much work layout scaling actually is15:00
lcuki just make stuff and let it be scaled15:00
lcuki try to abstract from pixels - tho know designers work to them15:01
mikhaswell, the facilities are there it seems15:01
mikhasI just havent learned about QGV layouts yet15:01
* lcuk nods15:01
lcuki know theres examples for everything in qt15:01
mikhaslol15:01
lcukwhat did you code in before qt?15:02
mikhasnothing really15:02
lcukwere you into lego/mechano as a kid?15:03
lcuk(physical programming!)15:03
mikhasyes15:03
* lcuk rifles through his lego box looking for a 2x4 brick15:04
lcukaSIMULAtor, hows the weather over there15:07
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aSIMULAtorit's quite snowy18:23
aSIMULAtorand cold :P18:23
aSIMULAtorit's -1018:23
aSIMULAtori mean it's REALLY snowy18:23
lcukaSIMULAtor, we have a bit of snow here18:24
lcukbut its put off everyone from moving18:24
lcukswap you snow photos, you got any recent ones?  my cat is an outsider and even he ground to a halt at the door this morning18:25
lcukhttp://liqbase.net/snowcat.jpg18:25
aSIMULAtoryeah i guess all of the eastern US and pretty much most of central europe are snowed in :P18:25
lcukhe was not happy18:25
aSIMULAtorhehe cute cat18:25
aSIMULAtorhttp://photos-e.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs002.snc3/10938_213191317116_578932116_3694072_5738804_n.jpg18:26
aSIMULAtori took that a few days ago18:26
lcukthe kitten had his first experience with it18:26
aSIMULAtorthat's the most recent one18:26
lcukcan i see moomins in the distance?18:27
aSIMULAtoryeah mamma moomin :P18:28
aSIMULAtorwell, at least this christmas will be white18:30
aSIMULAtornot that it really matters to me, doesn't feel like christmas18:30
lcukwhat would make it christmas for you?18:31
lcukfor tracy, it was seeing the coca cola train advert on tv (  (8) holidays are coming ... (8) )18:31
lcukfor me, it happened when jacob saw santa18:31
aSIMULAtori think it'd feel more like christmas if i went home to california18:32
aSIMULAtorto be with my family, in the sun :P18:33
lcukand yesterday, my mum sent jacob this, its fantastically amazingly well done and he answered everything and sat transfixed for about an hour playing it over and over http://portablenorthpole.tv/watch/8bd06a614c2d3ec99a0aaaf8d7ca667e18:33
lcukbah! sunshine18:33
fralssnow = xmas <318:33
aSIMULAtorthe past 2 years in southern finland..there hasn't been any snow18:35
aSIMULAtorso it was dark and cold and bah18:35
aSIMULAtorand i'd like to eat my mom's cooking you know hehe18:35
lcukwell now its dark and cold and snowy and bah18:35
lcukwhen do you goon your real holiday then?  early jan i recall18:37
* lcuk must learn to type one day18:37
aSIMULAtoromg18:37
aSIMULAtormy sister called me on gtalk just now18:37
aSIMULAtorher husband was on the phone18:37
aSIMULAtorsaid "the n900 is so good..i'm buying one myself right now"18:37
aSIMULAtorhe bought one for my sister yesterday18:38
lcukindeed18:38
lcukentire family wants, i have to keep mine close now18:38
lcuki get back and they go missing18:38
aSIMULAtoryeah but this means...i must do tech support :P18:40
GAN900My family has iPhones. . . .18:40
aSIMULAtorshe had an iphone...her husband had an e9018:41
aSIMULAtorand a blackberry for work18:41
aSIMULAtorshe told me my 3 year old niece knows how to navigate by pressing the task launcher button to more, to open up sketch app18:42
lcukaSIMULAtor, thats normal lol18:45
lcukbut once they get out of sketching phase, they start to head into sms and texting all their mates18:45
lcukand planning kids parties via parents phones18:46
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aSIMULAtorwhat in the world..my sister just said she charges the phone after 5 hrs of usage just from using the phone19:16
aSIMULAtorjust cellular calls19:16
aSIMULAtorshe must talk A LOT19:16
lcukyou women DO talk more19:16
lcuksending over more bits == more battery drain19:16
aSIMULAtori hardly use my phone lol19:17
lcukim surprised they dont make girly phones with little white flags inside that they wave after gossiping for a while19:17
aSIMULAtori'm still on the phone with her though and it's well over 42 minutes19:17
lcuksee19:17
aSIMULAtorand all she's doing is sort of there...idling...not really talking19:17
lcukmen folk manage condensed conversation19:17
lcuk"hi, pub, 7pm, cya"19:17
aSIMULAtori have a feeling this is going to be common now..her calling me via skype or gtalk...long conversations of nothing19:18
aSIMULAtorcause it's basically free19:18
lcukindeed19:18
lcuksilence19:18
aSIMULAtori prefer txting19:18
aSIMULAtoror irc :P19:18
* lcuk prefers both19:19
lcuki really want to expand on conversations ui19:19
aSIMULAtorremember what JosefAssad had talked about19:19
lcuki think some of the improvements ive been putting into the liqtactoe irc client would work well in the default app19:19
aSIMULAtorin regards to the scroll indicator staying19:19
lcukyeah19:19
aSIMULAtori witnessed yesterday someone who had an n900, didn't know you can change your ringtones because he didn't know there were more options in the dialog when you scroll down further19:20
aSIMULAtorand it just solidified my stance on having to have indication there all the time19:20
aSIMULAtorthis is too common19:20
lcukyour fighting stance?19:20
lcukala twitter pic19:20
aSIMULAtorhehe19:20
aSIMULAtorhaving to have..wtf..my english is going down the shitter19:21
lcukindeed19:21
GAN900It shouldn't stay all of the time19:37
GAN900Just show for a while when a dialog is opened19:37
lcukGAN900, mm ?19:38
aSIMULAtorit shows for a little while but maybe a tiny bit longer19:39
GAN9002-3 seconds or so.19:39
GAN900iPhone shows the indicator for less than a second.19:41
mikhasthe problem is that the 1s countdown starts even before the dialog in question is shown19:43
mikhasso you have this 250-500ms delay for bigger lists sometimes19:43
lcukforget the countdown19:43
mikhasand that's where you dont see the scroll hints then19:43
lcuklooking away and looking back means you dont know anything19:43
lcukthere is no way of knowing the ui indicator has caught the users eye19:44
lcukits like the other notifications19:44
lcuki get something pop onto the screen thats too easily dismissable19:45
lcukand i wonder what it was19:45
GAN900Meh19:45
mikhasbecause you "read" from left to right, once you've reached the right you only got >200ms left to see it (I was told that it takes a human brain 300ms to recognize *one* UI element, but at least the human brain can parallize that)19:45
lcuk(the fix there isnt to make them hard to dismiss, its to give a place to list historical ones ;))19:45
mikhasI would go with fixing the countdown first, to start when the dialog is actually visible to the user, fully visible.19:46
GAN900I like how the Hildon Note for h-a-m's installtion complete disables text input when it pops up in the background.19:46
lcukhas a bug been filed against that19:46
GAN900I just wish scrolling with the arrow keys/spacebar didn't make the browser's fullscreen button appear.19:46
lcukcos i doubt anyone will do anything about it if now19:47
lcuknot19:47
GAN900Not yet19:47
GAN900But I've hardly been on a real computer lately.19:47
lcukso? the browser on n900 stopped working for you?19:48
GAN900Keyboard sucks, I've had more immediate and productive directions to put my time towards lately.19:49
GAN900It's not like a week or two is going to make a difference when it takes Nokia 18 months to fix bugs. :)19:49
aSIMULAtorphysical or on screen kb?19:53
* lcuk shrugs19:53
GAN900Both19:53
GAN900Onscreen because Nokia usually adds enough bugs to replace all of the ones they fixed version-to-version19:54
GAN900and hardware because it's not a 9lbs Model M buckling spring with a Dvorak layout. ;)19:54
lcukyou seem to write just fine with it here19:54
GAN900Doesn't mean that I enjoy it19:55
GAN900or feel like typing out a bug report19:55
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MilhouseaSIMULATor/GAN900: re scroll bar, I actually like it the way it is BUT that's because I understand how it works.... the difficulty for new users is they don't often notice it so don't look for it when tapping or when a dialog opens. I'm wondering if an option should be added, "Keep scrollbar visible at all times" by default and then prompt the user ONCE to turn off this behaviour when 4 or 5 dialogs have been opened20:51
MilhouseAnd when I say prompt, one of the "golden" notification balloons might do the trick - kind of like a "tip"20:52
MilhouseBut I know Nokia hate options, so not gonna happen. ;-)20:52
aSIMULAtordoesn't hurt to try and suggest20:53
MilhouseTrue, but it's rarely worked in the past.20:54
MilhouseAnd yet there are wierd options elsewhere, that probably shouldn't be... so who knows.20:54
Milhouse(I'm thinking here of the "Powersaving" option in the Display settings - anyone know what it does, where it's documented? It's a meaningless option)20:55
lcukhahaha power saving mode isnt meaningless20:56
lcukit actually highlights the point about scrollbars20:56
lcukcos i didnt even know it was there until just now20:57
MilhouseWell, I'm sure it does something - but what? How does it save power? It's not documented, it's just an option that needs more explanation.20:57
MilhouseOr would be more understandable if it had a better "name" - "Power saving mode" doesn't tell me much20:59
MilhouseIn fact I've turned it off and I swear my battery is lasting _longer_20:59
Milhouselcuk: lol - indeed.21:00
Milhousein actual fact, as a right handed user I would prefer it if the thin scrollbars were on the left as they're obscured by my finger/hand most of the time21:00
GAN900Milhouse, see my bug on it.21:01
Milhouse#?21:02
GAN900Don't recall offhand21:02
GAN900one sexc21:02
Milhousei might even vote on it :)21:02
GAN900https://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=681221:04
povbotBug 6812: Remove "Power saving mode" setting from Touchscreen settings21:04
GAN900hullo, povbot21:04
Milhouseah, already commented on that bug!21:04
Milhousei'm not in favour of getting rid of it as such, i just don't understand what the hell it does21:05
GAN900It modifies the brightness curves for ambient light.21:05
Milhouseso "Save power when in bright light"? is that what it does?21:05
MilhouseOr "Dim backlight when in bright light"21:05
GAN900So for a given backlight setting and a given ambient level the actual backlight level will be lower.21:05
Milhouseboth of which would be more fecking meaningful than "Power saving mode"21:06
GAN900No, make the backlight lower at all times and levels21:06
GAN900except level 521:06
Milhousehmmm - seems a bit odd21:06
GAN900Level 5 is just as bright as always.21:06
Milhousemy display has always been at 4 and i've now turned this option off, and haven't noticed any difference whatsoever (although battery _may_ be lasting longer)21:07
GAN900So, yes, it's a useless option21:07
Milhouseseems so21:07
Milhouseor just badly implemented?21:07
Milhouse(and named)21:08
GAN900It's useless21:08
MilhouseYou don't like it, do you?21:08
GAN900what's worse is that you have to scroll to find it21:08
GAN900No. :D21:08
Milhouse:)21:08
GAN900I'm also distracted by people here. :D21:08
MilhouseHas anyone suggested scrollbars on the left for righties?21:08
GAN900Why? Pannable area makes that pretty pointless21:09
MilhouseIs it only me that thinks that might not be a good solution - my vision is fixated on the left of the screen in most dialogs (the confirm/save buttons take up most of the right side of the screen) and my hand often blocks the scrollbar21:09
lcukmost of my left/right scrollbar stuff is eased now we have kinetics21:09
Milhouseno, i'm thinking mainly of dialogs21:09
lcukif the scrollbars had absolute indexing modes i would say something21:09
mikhasI think the scroll hint should neither be on the left or right21:10
mikhasbut in line with the scroll direction, so top/bottom usually21:10
Milhouseeh?21:11
mikhasit is not a scrollbar21:11
mikhasjust a scroll hint21:11
mikhasso it should say: "look the dialog continues *here*"21:11
Milhouseah, i see21:11
Milhousenokia have poo-pooed that idea21:12
Milhousesomewhat snarkily, i thought21:12
* lcuk senses this discussion has occured before21:12
lcukcos in my view, if you are adding indicator ui, the user will want to click it21:12
Milhouselooking for the bug which relates to scrollbar visibility...21:13
lcukie arrows21:13
mikhasyes, if arrows were your indicator of choice they would behave like page up/page down21:13
mikhasto me, it all makes sense =) but I am no UI designer21:14
lcuki have page prev/next buttons in the presentation app i have21:14
mikhasyeah21:14
lcuki prefer it to swipes and want to make a book reader using them21:14
lcukbut also keep kinetics for when i want them21:14
mikhasswipes are cool as well, I just dont see why you need to kill page up/down for that21:14
mikhasyes21:15
lcukwell, 2 different kinds of swipes21:16
Milhousehttps://bugs.maemo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=5496#c8 <--- niiiice21:16
povbotBug 5496: HildonTouchSelector: No hint that there are more items21:16
lcukside swipes ala desktop with limited rotation21:16
lcukor having to swipe through 400 pages of a book21:16
lcukor just having text kinetics21:16
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GAN900lol, Milhouse21:48
GAN900I've been getting some snarky replies on my bugs too21:48
MilhouseI resisted the temptation to reply to that particular comment, and someone beat me to it anyway :)22:01
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GAN900Milhouse, the replies aren't much more helpful. :(23:31

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