i apologise to u etan, its just i'm tired of the 'we are only going to add features we use' attitude of some of the developers on pidgin. i understand there rnt many developers working on pidgin, so i guess u have to prioritise your work. i'm not going to get into an argument with u, cause its a waste of time. i guess i'm still upset u developers killed gaim-vv, and lied abt including video/voice into pidgin. anyway, good luck to u all.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
Throw my vote for liking the protocol icons. I have friends who use more than 1 protocol and need to know which ID to send my msg. The flyover works, but its easier if the icon told me.
And while I'm at it... how about an option for NO icons, like Gaim had? A buddy who is logged on could have bold green (or a user defined) font and other buddies could be greyed out. This would make it easier for people with long lists to see all their buddies.
CJ
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
"A user interface is well-designed when the program behaves exactly how the user thought it would. As Hillel said, everything else is commentary. All the other rules of good UI design are just corollaries." (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html)
If it doesn't do what users expect it to, you let them choose for it to behave as such. It is not a question of the way it "should be" or the "proper" way to do it, it's a question of the way the users want it, plain and simple.
If people want the freaking protocol icons, for whatever reason, let them have them. Better yet, work with them to determine what they really want (a quick way to determine which protocols are active for a buddy, a way to highlight or separate certain buddies, a better way to differentiate or tag buddies, whatever) but never ever ever insist that you are right and they'll just have to get used to it.
I have to agree with most of the users here. "The developer is always right" is not good UI design. You, as developers, should be catering to the needs of the users, and never fighting them. If there's negative feedback coming from users, especially in this quantity, you should have red flags going up telling you something is wrong in your interface. It's a clue that some user need is not being met, and you should address that. If you're insisting that your way is correct, then you're simply wrong, as the usability of an interface is determined by the users, not you.
Personally, I like the combined buddy interface. I am a third party in this argument, and I see that for some people needs have not been met. All you need to do as developers is acknowledge those needs and study them, looking for ways to make your software better for everyone, from their point of view -- not yours.
A little humility goes a long way in UI design ;-)
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
By the way, I hadn't played much with the new version (2.2) but now that I have, what have you done to the IM window and why has it changed so drastically in a seemingly illogical manner?
More clicks and a more complicated way to access a commonly-used feature (I'm referring to the formatting bar) is not what anyone will be expecting, even new users. I do not understand the logic. Please explain. I'll give you one sentence to explain yourselves.
If you would like to refer to this comment somewhere else in this project, copy and paste the following link:
i apologise to u etan, its just i'm tired of the 'we are only going to add features we use' attitude of some of the developers on pidgin. i understand there rnt many developers working on pidgin, so i guess u have to prioritise your work. i'm not going to get into an argument with u, cause its a waste of time. i guess i'm still upset u developers killed gaim-vv, and lied abt including video/voice into pidgin. anyway, good luck to u all.
Throw my vote for liking the protocol icons. I have friends who use more than 1 protocol and need to know which ID to send my msg. The flyover works, but its easier if the icon told me.
And while I'm at it... how about an option for NO icons, like Gaim had? A buddy who is logged on could have bold green (or a user defined) font and other buddies could be greyed out. This would make it easier for people with long lists to see all their buddies.
CJ
"A user interface is well-designed when the program behaves exactly how the user thought it would. As Hillel said, everything else is commentary. All the other rules of good UI design are just corollaries." (http://www.joelonsoftware.com/uibook/chapters/fog0000000057.html)
If it doesn't do what users expect it to, you let them choose for it to behave as such. It is not a question of the way it "should be" or the "proper" way to do it, it's a question of the way the users want it, plain and simple.
If people want the freaking protocol icons, for whatever reason, let them have them. Better yet, work with them to determine what they really want (a quick way to determine which protocols are active for a buddy, a way to highlight or separate certain buddies, a better way to differentiate or tag buddies, whatever) but never ever ever insist that you are right and they'll just have to get used to it.
I have to agree with most of the users here. "The developer is always right" is not good UI design. You, as developers, should be catering to the needs of the users, and never fighting them. If there's negative feedback coming from users, especially in this quantity, you should have red flags going up telling you something is wrong in your interface. It's a clue that some user need is not being met, and you should address that. If you're insisting that your way is correct, then you're simply wrong, as the usability of an interface is determined by the users, not you.
Personally, I like the combined buddy interface. I am a third party in this argument, and I see that for some people needs have not been met. All you need to do as developers is acknowledge those needs and study them, looking for ways to make your software better for everyone, from their point of view -- not yours.
A little humility goes a long way in UI design ;-)
By the way, I hadn't played much with the new version (2.2) but now that I have, what have you done to the IM window and why has it changed so drastically in a seemingly illogical manner?
More clicks and a more complicated way to access a commonly-used feature (I'm referring to the formatting bar) is not what anyone will be expecting, even new users. I do not understand the logic. Please explain. I'll give you one sentence to explain yourselves.
Right click->ungroup items
Thanks. I put on my dunce cap...
I'm with you and you don't sound ungrateful to me. I hear ya loud and clear...