[Sugar-devel] Features: Background image in Home View

[Walter Bender]

On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 1:41 PM, Manuel Quiñones <manuq at laptop.org> wrote:
> 2013/3/25 Martin Langhoff <martin.langhoff at gmail.com>:
>> On Mon, Mar 25, 2013 at 11:48 AM, Manuel Quiñones <manuq at laptop.org> wrote:
>>> My first impression is that this feature can potentially hurt the
>>> clean design of Sugar at some points:
>>>
>>> - the icons color semantic
>>> - high contrast, accesibility
>>
>> Agreed. IMHO it can be improved by applying a "washout" -- mix the
>> image with a white image at 50% alpha.
>
> Great, a washout is a simple and effective solution to my concerns.
> We can play with the percentage of white to get the best value.  I
> feel 60-70% could be better.
>
>>> I would like to know more about why is this a long requested feature,
>>
>> Identity is a strong human urge. Kids put stickers on them, adults buy
>> cars of different colors :-)
>
> You are right, and I have to say I love the art intervention kids do
> with stickers.  I was wondering if the home background was the right
> place.  Sounds like a valid reason.

I first proposed this feature after observing a school where the kids
were constantly switching back and forth between Sugar and GNOME. When
I asked why, they said it was so they could load a background image.
It was important to their sense of identity. It seemed that we should
offer this feature directly in Sugar.

This was further reinforced by the request by the president of
Amazonas to load a background image on their machines. We ended up
with a modified boot image as a compromise at the time, but it would
have been much preferred by the "customer" to have it on the home
screen.

Finally, while I agree that a background image can make a mess of any
desktop, including Sugar, it is also possible to design a background
that enhances the look. I defer to the imagination of our users in
that respect.

Regarding fading or mixing with white, I think it is dependent on the
image. Maybe let that be a degree of freedom with a reasonable
default?

>
>>> - Adding it only in the home view kills the ilussion of having three
>>> zoom views.  The background should be displayed in all three, I think.

Not 100% convinced, since the layout for the icons is different in
each view. I could imagine zooming out on the background image in some
interesting way as the view changes. Or just let the user choose
separate backgrounds for each view?

>>
>> +1
>
> Ideally the background could do a subtle zoom to better enhace the
> illussion.  Would require hardware acceleration though.  Could be left
> for future enhacement.
>
>>
>>> - Why it needs a restart?
>>
>> +1
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> m
>> --
>>  martin.langhoff at gmail.com
>>  -  ask interesting questions
>>  - don't get distracted with shiny stuff  - working code first
>>  ~ http://docs.moodle.org/24/en/User:Martin_Langhoff
>
>
>
> --
> .. manuq ..
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-- 
Walter Bender
Sugar Labs
http://www.sugarlabs.org