[xine-user] Useability overview

[Mark C. P. <Mar...@st...>]

All,

I have just performed a brief usability overview of Xine version 0.9.12.  Here
are a list of points and questions that I would like to raise for discussion.

1. There are a large number of preference settings (in the setup dialog -
classic gray design). Novices and beginners find this number is too many.  I
have loaded up Xine for 5 different non Linux computer users and when asked to
change the interlace method they said that this dialog was too complicated and
asked why Xine could not just a default.  I would like to suggest that some
options are considered for removal, simplifying code and interface. A great
quote to backup this strategy is taken from
"http://tuxedo.org/~esr/writings/cathedral-bazaar/cathedral-bazaar/x214.html"
by Eric Raymond,

``Perfection (in design) is achieved not when there is nothing more to add, but
rather when there is nothing more to take away.''.

The following are options that I thought might be possible candidates:

	- gui mrl browser y coordinate
	- gui mrl browser x coordinate
	- use wm layer property to place window on top - (I could not get this to
alter the wm behaviour and would like to ask what it does?)
	- skin selection in the setup dialog. (This is already accomplished with the
control dialog, which has the advantage of using the design of the skin for
it's dialog)
	- tips timeout (Could this be a suitable default setting?  e.g. 175ms)
	- time between two screensaver fake events (What is this please?)
	- remember volume (this IMHO should be always on, for proof and a good
clarification please see: "http://www.iarchitect.com/qtime.htm" two thirds down
the page, the paragraph beginning "There are many additional interface...")
	- volume level (This is already controlled using the skin)
	- read ahead caching

2. Currently in the mrl, file selection dialog and play list dialog boxes only
one file can be selected at once.  The vast majority of computer users are
familiar with using shift to select multiple files.  Could this be implemented?

3. The default skin ChelmaChrome is AFAICT based on a Pioneer DVD player/hi-fi
and therefore is difficult to use.  A mouse was never designed to press buttons
that a user might press with their finger on a real piece of electronic
hardware. The buttons are too small and the headphone jack and volume
adjustment are fake and confuse people who think they are actual controls.  To
quote a very good article about Apple's quicktime player
(http://www.iarchitect.com/qtime.htm):

"Rather than asking, How can we make this look more like a real thing?, the
designers would do their users a far more important service by asking, How can
we make this operate better than the real thing."

The "LCD" display is too small, also the scroll bar to select a position in the
stream/media is too small.

I would like to ask why the xinetic skin is not installed as the default?  It
is very effective, attractive, simple and does not try to look like a real
world device, which negatively affects usability.  I also think the cloudy skin
is much more usable than the ChelmaChrome, the buttons highlight when the mouse
moves over them, the buttons and text are large and the text is written on the
button, so there is no confusion over which button does what.  It also provides
a better scroll bar that is larger and therefore easier to use.


The following points refer to problems that I have experienced with version
0.9.12.

1. Currently the "open" button does not open the DVD drive in my computer.  In
0.9.10 that I began using a month ago it worked beautifully.  I own a Toshiba
IDE DVD drive and use the Linux Kernel 2.4.17.

2. The Xine logo does not appear on startup as it did in 0.9.10.  I use
XFreee86 4.1.0 and use Xv on an ATI rage 128 card.

Lastly, I have found a good document that has taught me much about the way
usability and UI design occurs in free software it is available at:

http://www106.pair.com/rhp/free-software-ui.html

I hope I have not offended anyone too deeply, my hope is that this overview is
helpful.

Thank you for a great media player that encourages audience participation.

MAark Pawwson