[desktop-discuss] [indiana-discuss] Indiana desktop UI spec - early draft

[Shawn Walker]

On Wed, Mar 12, 2008 at 3:20 PM, Sebastien Roy <Sebastien.Roy at sun.com> wrote:
> Shawn Walker wrote:
>  > Please don't take this as directed at you:
>  >
>  > Bugs should never be a reason to excuse promoting an application. The
>  > point is that GNOME as a platform has chosen Evolution.
>  ...
>
> > To me, this is about the platform.
>  >
>  > If you choose the GNOME platform, you get everything that is part of it.
>  >
>  > If part of the platform is deficient, either ship it, or don't.
>
>  I don't disagree with your ideology, I was just speaking as an end-user
>  explaining why I don't use Evolution, and why I'm not as flabbergasted
>  as you are.  Perhaps that input can be used by people who contribute to
>  Evolution to make it a better application that people will actually like
>  to use.  I'm not saying that it shouldn't be the default or not be more
>  prevalent on the desktop.

I didn't read it that way, believe me.

I just think that bugs shouldn't be used as criteria for evaluating a product.

Popularity alone shouldn't be sufficient to choose a mail client.

Usability, integration with the platform, features that meet specific
business needs (i.e. exchange functionality) are the most important in
my mind.

>  > Pushing users towards Thunderbird is pushing them towards an inferior
>  > experience integration-wise.
>
>  I don't disagree with that either.  Be that as it may, I as an end-user,
>  will not use a piece of software regardless of how hard it's "pushed"
>  towards me unless it fits my needs (stability being one of them).  I'm
>  sure I'm not the only end-user who generally feels that way.  Take it or
>  leave it, it makes no difference to me.  I'll keep using software that I
>  like and keep not using software that I don't like, regardless of what's
>  on the top panel. :-)

I want to be clear that I'm not against choice here.

I just want to be certain that when the choice is made to use a piece
of software because of one reason or another, that users aren't left
having to make poor choices.

For example, if I have to choose between a mail client that is
well-integrated into the platform (i.e. shows my appointments on the
GNOME calendar, etc.), but runs slower, and one that runs faster, but
is barely integrated, that's a poor choice to force me to make as a
user.

-- 
Shawn Walker, Software and Systems Analyst
http://binarycrusader.blogspot.com/

"To err is human -- and to blame it on a computer is even more so." -
Robert Orben