Re: Button order

faq
flatforty
contribute
subscribe
configure
search
rdf

main
parent
thread

Re: Button order
by fault on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @11:24

> GTK+ 2.0 has this nice little feature of swapping the horizontal layout of all widgets for right-to-left locales.

As do Qt and KDE (try kwrite --reverse, for example).

Related Links

·   Articles on Developer
·   Also by fault
·   Contact author

The Fine Print: The following comments are owned by whomever posted them.
( Reply )

Re: Button order
by Iuri Fiedoruk on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @11:35

I didn't new that, kwrite looks very strange, and strangely cool, this way :)
Thanks for the tip.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Jay H. on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @12:08

Wow, that looks so strange. If you'll excuse me, I have some new brain pathways to train now...

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Hongli Lai on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @12:18

But is it automatic? Does the layout of all QT/KDE apps automatically get reversed when run under a certain locale?

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by SadEagle on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @12:21

Basically, yes, depepndent on the currently selected language -- in the language packs in kde-i18n, one of the things the translators specify is whether to use RTL or LTR ordering.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Aaron J. Seigo on Tuesday 04/Feb/2003, @12:24

it would be rather useless if it didn't, hm?

hehe.. "let's put in this massive BiDi framework, but the not let it be turned on desktop-wide as a policy decision".. there is a method call that tells the program wether it is in LTR or RTL mode, and all the widgets/layouts listen to this.

even things like the window decorations get flipped... the keramik window deco actually flips the pixmaps so things look proper... it's really quite nice and been available for a while.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Trevor on Wednesday 05/Feb/2003, @07:43

In that case you've answered the question about which button order is best. You should use the Gnome/Mac order since that will be the most natural for both LTR and RTL locations.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Roberto Alsina on Wednesday 05/Feb/2003, @11:01

Uh, no. That is one factor. Another factor is what is not surprising the user.

Since KDE has used the current button order for about 4 years, and everyone that uses Windows has used that order for 9 years, and both together are:

100% of current KDE users
95% of possible future KDE users

it only makes sense that in order to change the button ordering, the change would have to provide a measurable improvement in the user experience that is larger than the annoyance it would produce.

Since no such measurings seem to be available, I see no reason to mess with status quo.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Trevor on Wednesday 05/Feb/2003, @12:50

But, using this logic, you should also stick with the double click system that Windows uses.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by ac on Wednesday 05/Feb/2003, @15:20

Windows has both single and double click in the same interface. An inconsistency. KDE can improve that by removing one of the options (double click). There already is consistency with button ordering and the benefits of switching are slim to none, while introducing an 'getting used to period' of a number of weeks.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Anonymous Coward on Thursday 06/Feb/2003, @14:18

KDE has removed nothing. Using double clicks for icons is still an option within KDE and has been for a long time. There's probably no reason why button order couldn't be the same.

Only one thing, though... Why is it the only time the freedesktop.org project gets any work done on it, is when both groups are shamed by some event. This last one was almost certainly because of the RedHat 8.0 Bluecurve controversy. Is everyone so isolated in their own little Desktop Environment world that they are oblivious to everyone else?

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by Roberto Alsina on Thursday 06/Feb/2003, @05:38

Of course not, because I think single-click does provide a measurable improvement.

[ Reply To This | View ]

Re: Button order
by ac on Wednesday 05/Feb/2003, @11:06

>You should use the Gnome/Mac order since that will be the most natural for both LTR and RTL locations.

No, that's according to some hand waving by Mac lovers. Changing button order would increase productivity by a factor of zero and would just annoy people for a time. I think people say it's better because when they finally get used to it, they are happy.

[ Reply To This | View ]

The Fine Print: The previous comments are owned by whomever posted them.
( Reply )


		"I guess my process varies from time to time." -- George Staikos
KDE®, "K Desktop Environment", "KDE Dot News", "got the dot?" and the KDE Logo® are trademarks or registered trademarks of KDE e.V. in the European Union, the United States and other countries. All other trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective owners. Comments are owned by the poster. The rest: Copyright © 2000-2008 KDE e.V. for The KDE Project. For further information or comments on this site, please contact the Webmaster.