[Sugar-devel] Activity toolbar redesign: What to do with 'simple' activities?

[Gary C Martin]

Hi Simon,

On 12 Aug 2009, at 11:13, Simon Schampijer wrote:

> Hi,
>
> I just ported the hello world example to the new toolbar design [1].  
> I remember that once Gary pointed out, that simple activities will  
> look 'empty' when we move them to the new design (screenshot  
> attached), Chat would be a famous case. Most of the activities does  
> have options, though.
>
> How do we go forward with that? Live with that compromise? Other  
> ideas?

Thanks for the screenshot and bringing this up again. FWIW, it's not  
just looking 'empty' that is the issue. It's the fact that previously  
well designed simple activities with a single toolbar, now all have to  
get 2 toolbars for no good reason other than it makes the more  
complicated activities, a little simpler. All activities now also need  
to be able to deal with live resizing of their canvases, goodness  
knows what will be done with TamTamMini's packed layout (perhaps a  
full UI redesign moving some canvas button controls into the toolbar,  
ouch, a lot of work)!

I'll sit and stare at the HelloWorld toolbar screenshot, contemplating  
it's emptiness and the eternal void, perhaps I be enlightened, but I  
think this may be the price we have to pay for consistency in this  
design :-(

Regards,
--Gary