Design/Meetings/2012-06-16

    From The Document Foundation Wiki
    • Date/Time: 2012-06-16, 1600 UTC (the time below is 2 hours ahead of UTC)
    • Location: IRC, channel #libreoffice-design

    Attendees

    Log

    astron247> take a look.
    <mirek2> and while I don't use it, you can watch pages on the wiki so that updates don't escape your attention
    <alexander_> Yes, I know cgit
    <mirek2> to be honest, I'd prefer to stay on the wiki
    <astron247> right, still, i think an artwork repo could be better organised
    <mirek2> we'd have to do all the organizing
    <mirek2> and watch every wiki upload
    <astron247> "watch every upload"? how?
    <alexander_> We'd emphazie that contributors should zuse the mailing list to submit stuff
    <mirek2> exactly -- I don't think that's possible
    <mirek2> @alex: but then we'd have to upload things to both the wiki and the git repository
    <mirek2> this stuff needs to be in the wiki so it's publicly visible
    <mirek2> and accessible to the broad public
    <astron247> or, maybe, we could use the repo just for very official, actually in-product stuff and keep the wiki for experiment
    <astron247> s
    <astron247> @mirek through cgit, its also publicly visible
    <mirek2> if it's in-product, isn't the current libreoffice repo enough?
    <mirek2> given that most non-developer designers never touch git, it's not accessible to the general public
    <astron247> having our own repo, we could link to that from the wiki
    <astron247> at the point with the libreoffice repo being enough: maybe
    * mirek2_ (d5dcf47d@gateway/web/freenode/ip.213.220.244.125) hat #libreoffice-design betreten
    <astron247> but also, the svgs arent (currently) used in the process of building, so they could be cleanly split out of the main repo
    <mirek2_> I got disconnected, may have missed a line or 2
    <astron247> (repeating my lines from before)
    <astron247> astron247 18:22:00
    <astron247> having our own repo, we could link to that from the wiki
    <astron247> at the point with the libreoffice repo being enough: maybe
    <mirek2_> linking from the wiki still would eliminate image previews, which is something we want
    <alexander_> They could be used additionally
    <astron247> alex: what do you mean?
    * mirek2 hat die Verbindung getrennt (Ping timeout: 245 seconds)
    <mirek2_> we might want a repo for source svgs, I agree
    <mirek2_> not for general submissions, though
    <mirek2_> these svgs should be source files of the pngs already accepted for inclusion
    <alexander_> I don't understand why linking to the repo would eliminate previews
    <astron247> okay, i guess i agree to that now
    <alexander_> Yes
    <astron247> because cgit is awful with images
    <alexander_> It shows the Hexcode, doesn't it?
    <astron247> you have to click on "plain" and then it will download ... but the server will communicate "this is a text file, so open with gedit"
    <mirek2_> yeah, that's bad
    <astron247> and then your svg opens in gedit, instead of in a useful piece of software
    <astron247> (i like gedit, but its not an image viewer)
    <mirek2_> so are we agreed to use a repo for hosting source files for graphics accepted into libreoffice?
    <astron247> yes
    <alexander_> yes
    <mirek2_> astron, since you brought it up and are probably most familiar with it, could you take care of that?
    <astron247> by the way, there already is the (deprecated) artwork repo that was used until 3.4
    <astron247> (just for the icons, though)
    <mirek2_> didn't know
    <astron247> ill see what i can do
    <mirek2_> great
    <mirek2_> :)
    <mirek2_> moving on...
    <mirek2_> anything else from ESC?
    <astron247> okay... so next up, me shooting you guys in the foot:
    <astron247> concerning the writer default doc
    <alexander_> Not for 3.6 I guess
    <mirek2_> astron: yes?
    <astron247> i said sth to the effect of "i am not sure its worthwhile to pursue this default doc stuff, if the only options available are liberation sans and serif"
    <mirek2_> to a measure, I agree; however...
    <astron247> which michael thought to mean "clearly not a good use of cedrics/kendys time"
    <mirek2_> ...there are some problems we could fix with the current template
    <astron247> i didnt clarify that though
    <astron247> such as the headlines smaller than the body text?
    <astron247> yes.
    <mirek2_> yes
    <astron247> is there anything else that really needs to be fixed?
    <mirek2_> and headings using non-integer sizes
    <astron247> thats because theyre in precentages
    <astron247> ie: heading is 14pt, and heading 1 is 110% of that, heading 2 is 100% etc...
    <mirek2_> oh...
    <astron247> its useful, because when you scale heading up in your document, all the subheads will adapt
    <mirek2_> well, it's still something that could be adjusted
    <mirek2_> it's strange that 14 is used
    <mirek2_> 12 is a much nicer number, divisible by 2,3,4,6
    <astron247> maybe. i am not sure what you'd use that for.
    <mirek2_> I agree that it's useful
    <mirek2_> @astron: it divides more nicely
    <mirek2_> to whole integers
    <astron247> no, thats not what i mean, but good idea
    <astron247> maybe we can try 24 for heading?
    <alexander_> Does that matter?
    <mirek2_> I'd like 24 for a heading
    <mirek2_> without bold
    <astron247> i think fotns are to some degree optimised for point sizes, but dont nail me on that
    <mirek2_> yes, they are
    <mirek2_> that's why I'd like to use integer sizes by default
    <astron247> (i know for sure with on-screen small sizes, not sure about print)
    <mirek2_> also headings 6-10 look identical
    <mirek2_> which is a huge problem
    <astron247> yes. i _think_ these should just be removed
    <alexander_> Well, who uses them
    <astron247> it doesnt help anyone to have ten outline levels
    <mirek2_> I have actually used some of these
    <astron247> it makes documents worse
    <mirek2_> it doesn't really
    <mirek2_> no, these categories shouldn't end up in a table of contents
    <mirek2_> but it makes formatting subcategories easier
    <mirek2_> well, that's the point of styles as a whole
    <mirek2_> and they're useful in this scenario as well
    <astron247> okay, so we are told "three outline levels" no more
    <astron247> but what do you mean with subcategories?
    <mirek2_> what do you mean?
    <mirek2_> well, headings are often used to represent subcategories
    <astron247> our professor or well, lecturer says so
    <mirek2_> while these don't appear in the table of contents...
    <mirek2_> ...they separate out sections
    <mirek2_> in complex documents, these headings are useful
    <mirek2_> even on our own wiki, there are times when we use the maximum possible heading level
    <mirek2_> sometimes there are times when it could be useful to go even deeper
    <astron247> but at level 6+? youre either structuring your text to granularily or you have a bad structure usually
    <astron247> by the way, html/wiki markup only provide 6 levels
    <alexander_> Maybe we could make more styles available in that dropdown so that users won't need the formatting dialog so often
    <astron247> @alex: thats a different topic, i think
    <mirek2_> ok, I wouldn't be squarely against getting rid of headings 7-10
    <astron247> @mirek: if you need more, you can obviously define more levels, but we need a sane default (i. e. about 5 levels)
    <mirek2_> 6 levels at least, please
    <mirek2_> many users can't define more levels
    <mirek2_> the style UI is not very good right now
    <astron247> right
    <astron247> but the only who need to define more are power users
    <mirek2_> a lot of actions are hidden under a right-click menu, I believe, which is horrible usability-wise
    <mirek2_> @astron: I disagree
    <astron247> it is.
    <mirek2_> I'm sure there are many people who write long documents, but aren't power-users
    <astron247> long, doesnt mean incredibly complicated
    <astron247> -,
    <mirek2_> 6 levels is not that complicated...
    <mirek2_> I wouldn't say our wiki structure is too complicated
    <mirek2_> yet there have been times when we've hit that heading 6 boundary
    <mirek2_> anyway, can we agree to keep at least 6 levels?
    <astron247> also, consider that for everyone who uses only level 1,2,3, maybe 4 all the other levels will be in the way.
    <astron247> @guess we can, seems some kind of consensus
    <astron247> @mirek, that is
    <mirek2_> I've previously suggested showing only the next-up level
    <astron247> hm right
    <alexander_> My point is that they're only in the way if one uses the formatting dialog, right?
    <mirek2_> i.e. if you use heading 1, you only need heading 2
    <astron247> thats what mso does, too, no?
    <mirek2_> if you've used headings 1-3, you only need heading 4
    <mirek2_> @alex: they're in the way no matter what
    <mirek2_> @astron: no clue about what Office does
    <astron247> will try tomorrow or so. (but id have to reboot to get into windows)
    <mirek2_> anyway, 6 levels minimum -- agree?
    <astron247> yes from me.
    <alexander_> @mirek: If the needs for most of the users are satsfied without opening the dialog that would be an advantage
    <alexander_> okay
    <mirek2_> alright
    <astron247> @alex: what dlg do you actually mean?
    <astron247> the floating window?
    <alexander_> yes
    <astron247> okay. but the toolbar style selector would work similarly to the floating window, no?
    <astron247> thus it would be just as bad there...
    <astron247> (IMO)
    <alexander_> I shows only a subset of the available styles
    <mirek2_> well, if a redesign does happen, we could implement showing only the currently-used headings and the next one up
    <astron247> sounds sensible to me
    <mirek2_> in any case, that's discussion for another day
    <alexander_> agree
    <mirek2_> I think we should leave a new default document template to 3.7
    <mirek2_> and focus on templates, the splash, and the start screen for now
    <astron247> okay, then
    <alexander_> Ok
    <astron247> okay, more esc call stuff ... kendy asked for approval on the new windows look
    <mirek2_> I don't like the menubar look
    <alexander_> The one with the slight gradient for the toolbar
    <alexander_> and that white menu background?
    <astron247> i gave it to him, but the white "triangles" at the sides look really weird – i hope he can iron that out
    <astron247> @alex: yes
    <mirek2_> Kendy seems intent on using Aero glass
    <mirek2_> he's trying all sorts of hacks to make it work
    <astron247> what i think would look far better is just a simple gradient in the beckground
    <mirek2_> background?
    <alexander_> yes, why should we use aero if all other apps don't
    <mirek2_> what do you mean by background?
    <astron247> @mirek: yes, sorry my music tastes taking over :)
    <mirek2_> @alex: well, Office does, and it's our main competitor
    <astron247> i mean behind the menu
    <mirek2_> you mean, without using Aero glass?
    <mirek2_> I agree
    <astron247> yes, office does is a poor argument
    <alexander_> http://www.theverge.com/2012/6/13/3082649/macbook-pro-review-retina-display-15-inch
    <astron247> will upload a mockup
    <alexander_> That version won't use aero anymore either
    <mirek2_> I believe you mean to post about Windows 8
    <mirek2_> not the macbook
    <mirek2_> @astron: I agree; I'm just saying that, out of "all other apps", Office is most relevant
    <mirek2_> I also don't like Aero glass
    <mirek2_> would also prefer a white menu background
    <mirek2_> but Kendy is intent on using glass
    <astron247> @mirek: you wont change him, but we can make the best out of it
    <mirek2_> I'll tell him that if he can't do something about it, then he should make the background solid
    <astron247> right.
    <mirek2_> there's already a bug about it
    <mirek2_> https://bugs.freedesktop.org/show_bug.cgi?id=50036
    <mirek2_> anyway, anything else from the call?
    <astron247> bit.ly/JCPynv
    <astron247> is what i think would look cleaner than the current solution
    <mirek2_> better
    <mirek2_> try it on black, just to see
    <mirek2_> whether the text is readable enough
    <astron247> ive already added a black background
    <mirek2_> you mean the blue side on the right?
    <astron247> yes, the windows have blue tint, thus it's bluish
    <astron247> +a
    <astron247> but its actually an ugly black squre in my svg
    <astron247> +a
    <mirek2_> kendy sent http://artax.karlin.mff.cuni.cz/~kendy/design-list/toolbar-gradient.png
    <mirek2_> so we do have to target black
    <alexander_> the toolbars looks alright I think
    <mirek2_> I agree
    <mirek2_> the menubar looks awful, though, I think
    <alexander_> indeed
    <astron247> yes, subotmial, but readable at least
    <mirek2_> anyway, anything else from the ESC call?
    <astron247> okay... let me check mmeks mail...
    <mirek2_> also, alex, is it ok if I attend this coming week?
    <mirek2_> or would you like to?
    <astron247> right, it would be cool if you could check out markus color bar stuff ... theres tons of known ui bugs, so maybe send some feedback to
    <alexander_> @mirek: that'd be alright
    <mirek2_> hm... I'd need to compile libreoffice first
    <astron247> me ... so i could filter what we know already
    <mirek2_> @alex: which of the two?
    <alexander_> the first
    <mirek2_> ok
    <astron247> @mirek: no, you can get something from dev-builds.libreoffice.org
    <mirek2_> https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/Linux-x86_10-Release_Configuration/libreoffice-3-6/current/
    <astron247> yup
    <astron247> should be it.
    <mirek2_> dev-test?
    <mirek2_> should I know about anything before installing?
    <mirek2_> I suppose I should uninstall my current version first
    <astron247> no need to uninstall ... it will install in /opt
    <alexander_> I think that's not needed
    <astron247> https://dev-builds.libreoffice.org/daily/Linux-x86_10-Release_Configuration/libreoffice-3-6/current/libreoffice-3-6~2012-06-14_21.47.01_LibO-Dev_3.6.0beta1_Linux_x86_install-deb_en-US.tar.gz should be your ticket
    <astron247> to the wonderland that is 3.6
    <astron247> one thing id recommend against is installing the stuff in desktop-integration ... since that will probably overwrite your existing libo menu entries
    <mirek2_> ok
    <astron247> also, theres some sort of readme how to be install it, essentially go to folder in the command line and install al with "dpkg -i *"
    <astron247> - be
    <mirek2_> alright
    <mirek2_> I'll do that later
    <astron247> good.
    <mirek2_> anything else from the call?
    <astron247> oh ... yeah, i said sth about our splash screen contest, so the devs now know
    <astron247> (inclusion in beta 3)
    <astron247> – seems to be fine with michael
    <astron247> thats all 
    <mirek2_> great
    <mirek2_> is that all?
    <mirek2_> from the call?
    <astron247> yup
    <mirek2_> alright
    <mirek2_> https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Call%20for%20Templates
    <mirek2_> alex, have you downsized/vectorized your templates?
    <alexander_> I tried it for some, but the version using the svg was often bgger
    <mirek2_> even without the added bitmap?
    <alexander_> I think I can send you a simpler version of vintage
    <astron247> really?
    <astron247> yes, please do send that to us
    <mirek2_> have you cleared the defs on the SVG first?
    <astron247> oh one more thing from the call ... björn dosnt like your ubuntu one usage very much :)
    <astron247> do you feel comfortable yet pushing to git?
    <alexander_> more or less
    <alexander_> @mirek: What do you mean?
    <mirek2_> @alex: In Inkscape: File > Vacuum Defs
    <mirek2_> there's also http://libregraphicsworld.org/blog/entry/introducing-svg-cleaner
    <mirek2_> alex?
    <mirek2_> have you cleared the defs on the SVG first?
    <alexander_> I wait a sec
    <mirek2_> you're clearing them now, then, I guess
    <alexander_> yes
    <mirek2_> how big is your SVG, btw?
    <astron247> @mirek: thanks for the svg cleaner link. ill have a look at that
    <alexander_> depends, some 11 MB
    <alexander_> but there are issues with filers in Impress
    <alexander_> the SVG iosn't rendered as in inkscape
    <alexander_> *filters
    <astron247> huh? but then surely there are tons of bitmaps in there.
    <astron247> also, ive checked out inkscapes filters and lots of them seemed ... gaudy...
    <astron247> anyone else a similar impression?
    <mirek2_> I agree
    <astron247> @alex: yes, filters arent rendered correctly, which means i cant use the modern logo in the about box
    <mirek2_> I've tried the filters, but I found that vector graphics look much better without them
    <mirek2_> anyway, let's look at all the submitted templates
    <mirek2_> https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Design/Call%20for%20Templates
    <mirek2_> to be honest, I'm not entirely happy with any submission
    <mirek2_> "Progress" is the one I'm most happy with
    <mirek2_> though it needs to use Liberation fonts
    <mirek2_> and I might like the title screen to use white text for the title, as in the original conception
    <mirek2_> http://spiceofdesign.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d4qwtkj
    <mirek2_> btw, we'll need to mention Caleb Riley aka. spiceofdesign in Credits if we go for it
    <mirek2_> as it's his design
    <mirek2_> anyway, what do you think of the templates?
    <mirek2_> anyone?
    <astron247> faves are lush green, progress, typography, hexagons, clean inspiration (no order)
    <astron247> but as i said before, i usually don't work with templates and start from scratch
    <astron247> * re: typography: it needs better contrast and it certainly wont work with liberation
    <alexander_> Did anyone contact Caleb?
    * mirek2 (d5dcf47d@gateway/web/freenode/ip.213.220.244.125) hat #libreoffice-design betreten
    <astron247> hello?
    <mirek2> I'm here
    <mirek2> got disconnected again
    <astron247> oh god empathy...
    <mirek2> not on empathy
    <mirek2> but on the web interface
    <astron247> i clicked copy and it cleared all text.
    <mirek2> I should really think about setting up empathy
    <alexander_> btw Vintage has 370 KB but looks rather awful
    <astron247> okay, alex asked, if you have contacted caleb
    <mirek2> Alex, I believe you will be responsible for publishing the log
    <alexander_> Ok
    <mirek2> keep that in mind -- perhaps keep a backup just in case
    * mirek2_ hat die Verbindung getrennt (Ping timeout: 245 seconds)
    <mirek2> yes, I have contacted caleb
    <alexander_> ah, apparently Xchat doesn't keep the whole conversation
    <mirek2> he agreed with us going ahead with "Progress"
    <astron247> can you get him to send a blanket statement to the list?
    <mirek2> but doesn't want the templates from http://spiceofdesign.deviantart.com/gallery/#/d52vby2 to get included
    <mirek2> CC0 is too much for him
    <mirek2> CC-by would be acceptable
    <mirek2> but, as Michael said, we need CC0 to guarantee users can make derivative works out of the bundled templates without restriction
    <mirek2> @astron: what kind of statement?
    <astron247> hm, i see calebs point though
    <mirek2> I agree
    <mirek2> I told him that we would still mention him on the Credits page
    <mirek2> he hasn't responded yet
    <mirek2> (but I haven't given him enough time to)
    <mirek2> (just sent my latest response today)
    <astron247> in that case, that he makes all the templates he makes available for us as CC0 (which would then only be one)
    <mirek2> I'd prefer something more specific to "Progress"
    <alexander_> otherwise that template based on his design would need to be remove, I guessẞ
    <astron247> you know what michael'd prefer.
    <mirek2> like "I hereby agree that I release the intellectual property within Progress under the CC0 license."
    <astron247> maybe discuss if thats enough with michael
    <astron247> ianal
    <mirek2> I'll try that.
    <astron247> okay... ill need to leave in a bit, so id like to ask sth OT
    <mirek2> go ahead
    <astron247> did you send the mail to the website list, mirek?
    <mirek2> which one?
    <astron247> (asking about the wiki polling stuff)
    <mirek2> yes
    <astron247> anyone outcomes?
    <astron247> -one
    <mirek2> I need to find it first
    <mirek2> hm... I was sure I sent it, but now I can't find it
    <mirek2> oh, ok, I found it
    <mirek2> no response
    <astron247> oh... do you mind poking again?
    <mirek2> it's called "Poll2" on the mailing list
    <astron247> right
    <mirek2> alright
    <astron247> thanks very much!
    <astron247> also say that it might prove useful if we had it for the splash
    <astron247> (it might be a very short time frame of a day, but ... its some justification)
    <astron247> also, bye, ill go now! nice chatting with you.
    <mirek2> bye, then
    <alexander_> ok, cu
    <astron247> (i have the whole chat till here as a log still, so mail me if you need that)
    * astron247 (~frootzowr@dslb-088-072-037-154.pools.arcor-ip.net) hat #libreoffice-design verlassen
    <alexander_> what else do we need to discuss?
    <mirek2> hm, I'm not sure if it makes sense to discuss anything between the two of us
    <mirek2> is there anything you'd like to discuss?
    <mirek2> we could discuss the general usability of the submitted templates
    <alexander_> sure
    <mirek2> if you'd like
    <mirek2> also, could you convert the text on your templates to Liberation
    <alexander_> I'll upload the newer versions to the wiki, yes
    <mirek2> great
    <mirek2> how much have you simplified Metropolis?
    <mirek2> I feel like that could be drastically simplified
    <alexander_> I think those single-slide masterpages shouldn't look to complicated
    <alexander_> e.g. ThreeNotes isn't really useful, IMO
    <mirek2> I agree
    <alexander_> what do you think
    <alexander_> Maybe if we can somehow include full templates in 3.7
    <mirek2> the only artefacts needed on Metropolis seem to be the header ribbon and the "lights" coming from the corners
    <mirek2> full templates?
    <mirek2> what do you mean by that?
    <alexander_> And regarding new default stlyes, should we set up a whole new whiteboardẞ
    <alexander_> Impress templates with several masterpages
    <mirek2> do we need that?
    <mirek2> @alex: I'm not sure about new default styles
    <mirek2> perhaps it'd be better to get the styles UI more usable first
    <mirek2> get rid of some of the bundled styles, perhaps
    <mirek2> or at least hide them until they're needed
    <alexander_> that would be the long-term solution, I think
    <mirek2> I don't think the current defaults are so bad
    <mirek2> and looking through all of the ones we have will certainly take a lot of time and effort as well
    <alexander_> With 'full templates' I meant otp files with several masterpages, e.g. one for content, one for the first slide etc.
    <mirek2> isn't that possible now, though?
    <mirek2> different backgrounds for different layouts
    <mirek2> most of the submitted templates are that way
    <alexander_> One can open such a template, but not use it via that sidebar
    <alexander_> yes
    <alexander_> IIRC, LibreOffice doesn't allow to specify a certain background for a certain layout, though
    <alexander_> one needs to select each individually
    <alexander_> But the latest Apache OO seemed to have worked around that issue:
    <alexander_> Based on the layout of the page it would automatically choose a certain masterpage
    <mirek2> cool
    <mirek2> anyway, I'll have to go now as well
    <mirek2> sorry to leave so early
    <mirek2> you can publish the log, right?
    <alexander_> Yes, I'll updload what I have and mail astron about the rest
    <alexander_> Ok, bye
    <mirek2> bye