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dev:system-wide-settings [2009/11/02 15:35] – Edit kitchm | dev:system-wide-settings [2009/12/18 20:52] – Fixed typos and grammatical errors for clarity purposes. 198.103.172.9 | ||
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=====Introduction===== | =====Introduction===== | ||
- | As the title implies, this category is an attempt to bring together all various system settings into one simple interface. | + | As the title implies, this category is an attempt to bring together all the various system settings into one simple interface. |
- | Further, this roadmap will be useful in eliminating those desparate | + | Further, this roadmap will be useful in eliminating those disparate |
- | We will here attempt to bring together | + | We will here attempt to first bring together an overview of the issue from the standpoint of the user, followed by a suggested description of a possible solution, and a concise discussion with a focus upon creating a consensus |
- | Note: It is not necessary to discuss the issue of whether or not some problem exists, but rather note the user's experiences, | + | Note: It is not necessary to discuss the issue of whether or not some problem exists, but rather |
- | All are welcome to submit here. | + | All are welcome to submit here; Programmers and users alike. Please take your discussion to the links indicate so that we can keep this neat. Thank you all. |
=====Overview===== | =====Overview===== | ||
(Please discuss [[dev: | (Please discuss [[dev: | ||
- | Currently within the Xfce desktop environment (DE), there are a number of different areas users must go to change the settings of their environment. | + | Currently within the Xfce desktop environment (DE), there are a number of different areas users must find to change the settings of their environment. |
===The Settings=== | ===The Settings=== | ||
The various settings include (in no particular order): | The various settings include (in no particular order): | ||
- | ^Item ^ Location | + | ^Item ^Name of Module(s) (if known) |
- | | Settings, general | Settings Manager, Appearance-Settings, | + | |Settings, general|Settings Manager, Appearance-Settings, |
| | | | | | | | | | ||
- | | **Hardware** | | | | + | |**Hardware**| | | |
- | | Keyboard and/or mouse | Accessability, | + | |Keyboard and/or mouse|Accessability, |
- | | Monitor | Desktop, Xorg | | | + | |Monitor|Desktop, |
- | | Sound and/or Speakers | | | | + | |Sound and/or Speakers| |
+ | |Printer|Removable Drives and Media-Printers| | | ||
| | | | | | | | | | ||
- | |**Desktop** | | | | + | |**Desktop**| | | |
- | |Look & Feel| Appearance-Style, | + | |General |
- | | Wallpaper | Desktop-Background, | | | + | |Wallpaper|Desktop-Background| | |
- | | Menus | Desktop-Menus, | + | |Menus|Desktop-Menus, |
- | | Windows | File Manager-Display, | | | + | |Windows|File Manager-Display| | |
- | | Main Navigation Bar | Panel | | | + | |Main Navigation Bar|Panel|xfce4-panel| |
- | | Icons | Appearance-Icons, | + | |Icons|Appearance-Icons, |
- | | Text | Appearance-Fonts, | | | + | |Text|Appearance-Fonts| | |
- | | Screensaver | Xfce Power Management-On AC-Monitor | | | + | |Screensaver|XScreenSaver| | |
+ | |Power Management|Xfce Power Management-On AC-Monitor| | | ||
| | | | | | | | | | ||
- | |**Misc.** | | | | + | |**Misc.**| | | |
- | | Popups, Messages, Notifications | Notifications | | | + | |Popups, Messages, Notifications|Notifications| | |
- | | Power Management | Xfce Power Management | | | + | |Power Management|Xfce Power Management| | |
- | | Suspend to Disk or RAM | Xfce Power Management-Extended | | | + | |Suspend to Disk or RAM|Xfce Power Management-Extended| | |
+ | |Authorizations & Permissions|Users and Groups| | | ||
+ | |Network|Network Settings, Shared Folders| | | ||
+ | |Modules & Daemons|Services| | | ||
| | | | | | | | | | ||
|**Applications**| | | | |**Applications**| | | | ||
- | |File Manager (If Thunar?) | File Manager-SidePane, | + | |File Manager (If Thunar? |
+ | |||
+ | As we can see from this there can be a lot of confusion generated by the current layout and organization. | ||
| | ||
===The Controlled Components=== | ===The Controlled Components=== | ||
- | The user may assume that the settings employed above are to take control of certain components or modules. | + | The user may assume that the settings employed above are to take control of certain components or modules |
For instance, the item " | For instance, the item " | ||
- | This may be old hat to many, but it seems important to point out the level where the item resides so as to make sure everyone is on the same page with regard to which belongs to Xfce and which to some other part of the system. | + | This may be old hat to many, but it seems important to point out the level where the item resides so as to make sure everyone is on the same page with regard to which belongs to Xfce and which to some other part of the system. |
+ | |||
+ | Where appropriate, | ||
^System Level ^Belongs To ^Interfaced By ^ | ^System Level ^Belongs To ^Interfaced By ^ | ||
- | |Desktop Environment |Xfce |Xfce4 Settings Manager, Time and Date, | | + | |Desktop Environment|Xfce|**Xfce4 Settings Manager**, **Time and Date**| |
- | |X Graphical Interface | OS |xorg.conf, Screensaver (XScreenSaver), | | + | |Widget Toolkit subsystem|GUI|GTK+2| |
- | |Network System | OS | file manager, browser, email client,| | + | |Window Manager subsystem|GUI|Xfwm| |
- | | The Storage and File Management System | OS | file manager| | + | |Windowing System subsystem|GUI| | |
- | \\ | + | |Graphics Server subsystem|GUI| |
+ | |X Graphical Interface | ||
+ | |Framebuffer (if used)|OS video|CLI| | ||
+ | |Network System|OS|file manager, browser, email client, | ||
+ | |The Storage and File Management System|OS|file manager| | ||
+ | |Operating System(OS)|self|CLI| | ||
===The Schema=== | ===The Schema=== | ||
The use of icons or tabs or individual applets supplies the majority of methods employed to organize things like settings. | The use of icons or tabs or individual applets supplies the majority of methods employed to organize things like settings. | ||
- | That selection may not be as important as keeping everything in one place. | + | That selection may not be as important as keeping everything in one place. |
- | \\ | + | |
- | Underlying all this is the necessity for the actual saving mechanism to keep these settings protected from change unless the user (or admin) makes a physical change to the settings. | + | Underlying all this is the necessity for the actual saving mechanism to keep these settings protected from change unless the user (or admin) makes a physical change to the settings. |
\\ | \\ | ||
===The Goals=== | ===The Goals=== | ||
- | 1. One central location for __all__ settings. | + | **1. One central location for __all__ settings. |
- | 2. Regardless of module or component source or target, the controls would all be grouped by kind.\\ | + | If the user is employing a DE, then they obviously wish to stay within it. Therefore the often-changed controls from all layers of the OS must be brought there.\\ |
- | 3. Settings must be made sacrosanct; no other process | + | **2. Regardless of module or component source or target, the controls would all be grouped by kind.**\\ |
+ | Mouse controls must all be grouped into one place. | ||
+ | **3. Settings must be made sacrosanct; no other process | ||
+ | Users get frustrated quickly when they go to all the trouble of setting things up the way they desire and then find them changing when they aren't expecting it. They have better things to do then futz around with the same things over and over again. | ||
+ | |||
+ | These are simple issues and they must be addressed in simple and concrete manner. | ||
=====Possible Solution===== | =====Possible Solution===== | ||
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Please remember that we want Xfce to not only be light-weight and simple, but to appear that way. All we have to do is to use a better way of looking at the process. | Please remember that we want Xfce to not only be light-weight and simple, but to appear that way. All we have to do is to use a better way of looking at the process. | ||
- | For the sake of simplicity, we continue to use the format that exists at the current time. This would be the folder/icon layout. | + | For the sake of simplicity, we continue to use the format that exists at the current time. This would be the folder/icon layout. |
^Icon or Applet Tab ^Change ^Reason ^ | ^Icon or Applet Tab ^Change ^Reason ^ | ||
- | |Accessability-Keyboard Tab|Move to Keyboard|This is actually a keyboard setting, and separating such things | + | |Accessability-Keyboard Tab|Move to Hardware-Keyboard|This is actually a keyboard setting, and separating such things |
- | |Accessability-Mouse Tab|Move to Mouse|" | + | |Accessability-Mouse Tab|Move to Hardware-Mouse|" |
+ | |Appearance|Move to Desktop|This is part of the foundational desktop look and so actually goes with Desktop items| | ||
+ | |Appearance-Settings Tab|Move to Desktop-Panel tab|These settings all appear to be panel-related.| | ||
+ | |Hardware|Create New|Group all hardware items here| | ||
+ | |Display|Move to Hardware as tab|Entitle it Xorg Display.| | ||
+ | |Mouse|Move to Hardware as tab| | | ||
+ | |Keyboard|Move to Hardware as tab| | | ||
+ | |Mouse Scroll Settings|Add to Hardware|Missing now.| | ||
+ | |File Manager|Move back to Thunar Application|This seems to be application specific, and not directly related to the Xfce environment.| | ||
+ | |Notifications|Move to Desktop|Is a part of the desktop| | ||
+ | |Panel|Move to Desktop|This is really part of the arrangement of the desktop| | ||
+ | |Power Manager|Move to Hardware(? | ||
+ | |Preferred Applications|Expand Options|Also pretty unique. | ||
+ | |Printing|Move to Hardware| | | ||
+ | |Removable Drives and Media|Move to Hardware| | | ||
+ | |Session and Startup|(? | ||
+ | |Window Manager|Move to Desktop|As much as people like to see it as separate, to the user it will always remain as part of the DE| | ||
+ | |Window Manager Tweaks|Move to Desktop|" | ||
+ | |Workspaces|Move to Desktop|" | ||
+ | |||
+ | \\ | ||
+ | An important aspect of settings control is to be sure to provide a sandbox-like area where the changes can be seen before applying them to the DE. Simple mouse-click selection would be fine. There should not be any item that has to do with look and feel that cannot be viewed before applying the change. | ||
+ | Summary: | ||
+ | Remember, the bottom line is to make the the system simpler without adding overhead. | ||
=====Concensus & Roadmap===== | =====Concensus & Roadmap===== |