[Sugar-devel] [somos-azucar] [DESIGN] Home views (was: Request for Sweets Distribution logo)

[Aleksey Lim]

On Thu, Apr 12, 2012 at 06:05:56AM +0000, Aleksey Lim wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 12:00:37PM -0400, Frederick Grose wrote:
> > On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 11:23 AM, Aleksey Lim <alsroot at sugarlabs.org> wrote:
> > 
> > > On Wed, Apr 11, 2012 at 03:36:00AM +0000, Aleksey Lim wrote:
> > > >
> > > > Sugar Network icon (three dots in a circle) might be recycled any way.
> > >
> > > In fact, the whole idea, in case of Sugar Activities, for Sugar Network
> > > is that these Activities are located in the network. In contrast,
> > > particular local machine might have local Sugar Activities, i.e.,
> > > activities that exist in real directory in ~/Activities and need to be
> > > managed by user manually.
> > >
> > > Keeping in mind the favorites mode in Home view, we might have 3 icons
> > > (instead of current 2 icons for favorites and list modes):
> > >
> > > * favorites icon
> > >  activities that are favorited, such activities might be local or from
> > >  Sugar Network
> > >
> > > * icon that represent local activities mode
> > >  ~/Activities directory activate, users are responsible to manage them
> > >  remove/change-the-code/etc
> > >
> > > * icon that represent global activities mode
> > >  activities come from Sugar Network
> > >
> > > We already have icon (start) for favorites, so, we need icon that says
> > > "local" and one that says "global".
> > >
> > > --
> > > Aleksey
> > >
> > 
> > This segregation is not  so 'harmonic'.
> 
> Yeah, thats right...
> 
> > Would this be a situation where a global emblem could be applied to the
> > Activity icon of globally sourced Activities?
> 
> You mean having a badge painted on activity icons for activities that
> came from the Sugar Network? It might be the way if we decide to have
> both kinds activities (local and from Sugar Network) in one list.
> Right now, it is not clear for me.
> 
> > And shouldn't the Home view options be harmonized with the filters we have
> > in the Journal?
> > Then one could view all in a list by removing the favorites toggle, or
> > filter the favorites by the menu of filters.
> 
> Originally, the intention was having Sugar Network icon as a 2nd/3rd
> icon in Home view (not in activities tray how it is implemented right
> now). The problem was (it is possible but not trivial) with setting up
> interactions between Sugar Network client application (which is local
> Web application) and Sugar Shell, also, making it easy to run Sugar
> Network client in standalone mode.
> 
> But maybe having exactly Sugar Network view embodied to Home, is the
> right way to go. We can, reserver a place for Sugar Network icon in Home
> view and move client there after completing more needed work.
> 
> The original problem is, Sugar Network exists in parallel with F1/F2/F3
> views:
> 
> * it handles (but not only) activities like F3, but these activities are
>   remote by source
> 
> * it handle a kind of collaboration (F1/F2) but these are processes
>   specified more to social networks, e.g., it will allow to type
>   question/idea/problem/review regarding activities (but not only);
>   the semi automatic bugs reposting will happen though SN as well

I missed another important point regarding Sugar Network. It is designed
to support "pure offline" scenario as well.

Sugar Network client application should be useful also for users that are
not connected to any Sugar Network server (which might be Internet
located, online case, or school localted, offline case). The reason:

* being pure offline, you need to start activities that originally were
  remote

* you need to have a chance to keep semi automatic fail reports after
  launching activities in offline (to automatically upload them to
  the server after connecting)

* you might decide to create new content begin offline to upload it to
  the server after connecting

* you might decide to keep arbitrary Sugar Network content to get access
  to it in offline

Right now, I'm more or less sure for two modes:

(1) favorites "X" mode in Home view
    a kind of activities bookmarks, people see all stared activities,
    local and remote (only being connected to SN server) and can only
    (in comparing with Sugar Network mode) launch them;
    the default view right after starting up sugar

(2) Sugar Network mode (not sure where its icon should go finally)
    people can browse all remote activities (if people connected to SN
    server); launch them, like in (1); but also browse/create/change any
    content (questions/ideas/reviews/etc) related to particular activities;
    people can "star" them and they will appear in (1);
    if people are offline, they see only activities that were explicitly
    made "local"

In this regard, I'm not sure should/if-should,-where current list more
(Ctrl-2) from Home view should go. It might be totaly replaced by (2).

-- 
Aleksey