[Sugar-devel] Shell Port: RandomLayout (FreeFormLayout)

[Walter Bender]

On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 6:41 AM, Simon Schampijer <simon at schampijer.de> wrote:
> Hi,
>
> while porting the Home View I am dealing as well with the RandomLayout. When
> it was introduced the idea was to give learners a chance to personalize
> their home view and group activities together if desired. This was basically
> mimicking the desktop metaphor.
>
> I agree that there is value in letting users customize their home view, in
> grouping activities for example, like grouping in subjects (e.g. math,
> language). I question a bit that the RandomLayout is a good tool for that.
> There is no grid where the icons get snapped to, no visual indication of
> groups only by positioning. And the current implementation is mainly a proof
> of concept which is not very precise in placing icons close to each other.
>
> So my questions are now:
>
> - is it used in deployments? If, in which ways do kids use it? What do they
> like about it and what do they try to achieve with it?

I have seen it used in deployments, but cannot say as to the extent to
which it is used.

>
> - do we want to keep supporting the FreeFormLayout? Or work on a better
> activity managing layout?

Might be nice to add snap to grid? Or maybe something as simple as
allowing reordering of the spiral (swapping positions)?

>
> - if we remove it, do we still want to port it? I am close for the no-hippo
> part, but it is another complex bit, that we need to invest and if we don't
> want to go forward with it no need to invest there.

I am not sure I understand what you are asking. Remove it and port it?
Seems a contradiction.

FWIW, as I reported earlier in the year when I visited the deployment
in Miami, many kids were using the GNOME desktop, not because they
were using GNOME apps, but because they wanted to set the background
image on their computers. IMHO, adding a set-background feature would
be of much greater interest to deployments than alt icon layout
schema.

-walter

>
> Regards,
>   Simon
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-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org