Rockbox General > Rockbox General Discussion
more ambitious
arodier:
In first, Il have to recognize that your work is really huge, and the project has made a big step from the beginning. Thanks for all.
But for the moment, I have the feeling that Rockbox is a project by geeks, for geeks.
I dont know if you want became a more ambitious project :
- Included by default in some players, based or untouched.
- Receive donations or being employed by players manufacturers.
- Improve user acceptations of open source codecs.
What do you think about starting another branch of rockbox, with an easy to use interface as goal.
Reorganize GUI with less menu depth and more logic for users.
- Create a wiki for users, where they can propose user interface ideas,
- Start with a reduced number of menu entries and depth.
- Reorganize menu entries by most used entries, for example last played music at top level, etc...
Less options :
Separate normal, advanced, and ( normaly ) never used options.
- Show normal options,
- Hide advanced options by default, but left a button advanced.
- For power users, let the ability to set normaly never used options, for instance with a register editable in an advanced section. Like the about:config from mozilla products.
- Create a default options set for each model.
- Hide unusable options : Why display FM radio when my sansa e200 doesn't have one ?
- etc...
Create new GUI widgets
For instance, why use another page to set the play speed. A single percentage number that raise or below when is focused may be fairly better, and use less space on screen.
Games and applications
- Remove geek applications and games.
- Harmonize settings, translations, and loog'n'feel.
Default theme
- Create a default theme for each model.
- Example : after installation on my sansa e200, the default theme was poor in regards of this device capabilities.
Sorry for this comment if I have upset somebody. It's just suggestions because I believed that this project dont receive the support is deserves normally.
AlexP:
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---What do you think about starting another branch of rockbox, with an easy to use interface as goal.
--- End quote ---
Why branch? However, if you want to, feel free - it is GPL after all
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- Create a wiki for users, where they can propose user interface ideas,
--- End quote ---
We have a wiki
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- Start with a reduced number of menu entries and depth.
--- End quote ---
I quite like being able to get to the options
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- Reorganize menu entries by most used entries, for example last played music at top level, etc...
--- End quote ---
This depends on the person. What I use most is probably not the same as you
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---Separate normal, advanced, and ( normaly ) never used options.
- Show normal options,
- Hide advanced options by default, but left a button advanced.
--- End quote ---
This would just be more confusing. You might consider advanced what I consider normal, and vice versa
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- For power users, let the ability to set normaly never used options, for instance with a register editable in an advanced section. Like the about:config from mozilla products.
--- End quote ---
That would be a nightmare to edit on a dap, and I don't want to have to connect my dap to a computer to change the settings
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- Hide unusable options : Why display FM radio when my sansa e200 doesn't have one ?
--- End quote ---
They are. You are seeing a current bug in the Sansa radio detect code.
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---Create new GUI widgets
For instance, why use another page to set the play speed. A single percentage number that raise or below when is focused may be fairly better, and use less space on screen.
--- End quote ---
I don't quite know what a GUI widget is for a dap, but feel free to code us up some examples
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---Games and applications
- Remove geek applications and games.
--- End quote ---
Different people like different plugins. Who are you to decide that they can't have them because they are geeky?
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---- Harmonize settings, translations, and loog'n'feel.
--- End quote ---
Please feel free to help us do this. Rockbox is open source.
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---Default theme
- Create a default theme for each model.
- Example : after installation on my sansa e200, the default theme was poor in regards of this device capabilities.
--- End quote ---
We are aware that the default theme is not nice, and everyone would like a new one. However, no-one has yet designed and written one that will work on all players (we want the same look across all units) that can be agreed on. Perhaps you are that person?
We know there are areas that can be improved in look and feel, but it is a lot of work even once a design is agreed on (and there are problems with what you suggest as I have pointed out above). It has been said before, but I will say it again:
Rockbox is open source by volunteers. Of course we want it to be as good as possible, but people only work on what they want to. Most core devs would prefer e.g. the music playback to be stable before adding eyecandy.
Please do feel free to work on a design (and implementation would be nice), but just pointing out problems isn't so helpful.
markun:
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---I have the feeling that Rockbox is a project by geeks, for geeks.
--- End quote ---
Yes, I also think this is true. For me this is the open source philosophy: geeks make a program that is useful to them and decide to share it with the world.
--- Quote ---I dont know if you want became a more ambitious project :
- Included by default in some players, based or untouched.
- Receive donations or being employed by players manufacturers.
- Improve user acceptations of open source codecs.
--- End quote ---
I personally don't share any of these goals (for me it's more about having fun and more control over my player), but it might be good for the project.
--- Quote ---What do you think about starting another branch of rockbox, with an easy to use interface as goal.
--- End quote ---
I know nothing about interface design. If people think they can design a better system I'm all for it. Perhaps it would be better to include it with the official rockbox instead of forking, but that's up to you. I hope you find some people who will help you out (with the design and programming)
Good luck!
bascule:
And just to respond to those very few line items that BigBambi did not touch upon...
--- Quote from: arodier on September 18, 2007, 07:56:29 AM ---
I dont know if you want became a more ambitious project :
- Included by default in some players, based or untouched.
- Receive donations or being employed by players manufacturers.
- Improve user acceptations of open source codecs.
--- End quote ---
- I think you'll find very, very few manufacturers who wish to include an Open Source OS for their devices, because it makes it much more difficult (or impossible) for them to include DRM measures.
- Rockbox is 100% volunteer work and I suspect (without speaking for all the many contributors) that they wish it to remain that way. Rockbox is happy being by geeks users for geeks users
Ref: http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=7237.0, http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=3926.0, http://forums.rockbox.org/index.php?topic=12220.0
- I'm not even sure that increasing RB exposure would significantly increase Open Source codec take-up. As RB currently supports MP3, AAC and WMA (between them, a vast majority of the market), there is less incentive for RB users to switch to anything else if they are not forced to.
AlexP:
--- Quote from: bascule on September 18, 2007, 08:40:17 AM ---And just to respond to those very few line items that BigBambi did not touch upon...
--- End quote ---
Heh, sorry :)
I just want to say that I don't mean to sound like I'm dismissing the OP out of hand, I'm not. It is just that we hear similar posts not infrequently, yet the people who put forward the 'ideas' rarely do anything else. I would love it (as I'm sure would many others) if a proper design with ideas of how to implement were to be made. I'm just trying to point out that quite a lot of the ideas mentioned (such as hiding menu items, removing plugins) are very unlikely to happen.
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