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Quality of MandrakeLinux interface


Guest Adriano
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Hello,

 

I just wanted to defend "menu". I think the Debian-like unified menus are a great thing. It encourages users to try different environments.

 

And customizing the menus is not that hard. I've found that the easiest way to customize the menus was to manage /etc/menu/ (system) and ~/.menu/ (user) entries myself.

man menu

man menufile

 

I understand, though, that this is a "system-admin"/non-newbie point of view. Beginners may find this method difficult (editing files).

But let's be honnest. Many users who say editing files is difficult are the same that enjoy tinkering with Windows' .INI (and sometimes also .BAT and .SYS) files. At least in linux, those files are documented...

 

Yves.

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Many users who say editing files is difficult are the same that enjoy tinkering with Windows' .INI (and sometimes also .BAT and .SYS) files. At least in linux, those files are documented...

i disagree with you here. most computer users do not have any idea of what some files are good for. they only know the start-button, the word-icon and that's it. every person that tinkers with win.ini files etc must be considered a "beginner-geek/half-geek/geek" and does represent maybe 10-15% of total computer users.

The real problem is we need something totally different than a workalike of the windows tm.gif start-menu. If you want to have an idea what it could be like, take a look at Logical Desktop.

errrm.. i have seen this a long time ago and even after months of reevaluating this logical desktop, i find it unlogical, unuseful, unproductive, simply iritating. just like any other person that i know who knows of that project. imho, the "logical desktop" project is as useless as the 3d-desktop. but that is my opinion anyway. ;)

I think the Debian-like unified menus are a great thing. It encourages users to try different environments.

agreed. it just needs some polishing imho. :)

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a note to aussiejohn - mdk's official development language is English. It's not developed in French and translated to English; it's developed in English, and French is actually a translation / localisation effort like any other.

 

That said, since many of the developers are French, some of the descriptions and so forth can look a trifle "translated". I occasionally write better descriptions for particularly guilty packages but I really need to have a more systematic effort at this (I hope some people notice that the description for urpmi in 10.1 OE is a lot better than it has been up till now).

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I think you may have misunderstood me. I believe the layout concept is influenced by the French culture and the way of seeing and arranging things, in other words, the logic of doing things. And frankly that is one thing I am pleased about because I am getting sick of the US centric thinking of other OSs (of course M****$*** in particular plus Red HAT to name just two of the many). The developments may be done in English but the overall combining must surely have a French influence

I had no, and have no, quibble with any of the French to English aspects at all. So my utterances were NOT at any time, a criticism of the French factor, in fact the exact opposite.

 

Cheers. John.

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I think you may have misunderstood me.    I believe the layout concept is influenced by the French culture and the way of seeing and arranging things, in other words, the logic of doing things.  And frankly that is one thing I am pleased about because I am getting sick of the US centric thinking of other OSs (of course M****$*** in particular plus Red HAT to name just two of the many).  The developments may be done in English but the overall combining must surely have a French influence

I had no, and have no,  quibble with any of the French to English aspects at all.  So my utterances were NOT at any time, a criticism of the French factor, in fact the exact opposite.

 

Cheers.                          John.

 

 

I have to agree with AussieJohn and I am at least qualified to do this....(living in France)

The interface reeks of garlic ... thats not a criticism but its true...

 

Everything in France from tax forms to advertisements and comics has a distinctly French style... someone more atistic than me might be able to describe how but I certainly see it reflected in the Mandrake interface.

 

In general:

In some areas its nice, I like the way they show the stock market trends as cartoons or the weather but in other places it is frustrating...

 

not the most striking example but a subtle one:

wanadoo in the UK

wanadoo in france

 

I don't think AussieJohn is an artist either (but you never know) but I guess someone who was could describe how these are subtly different... my problem is I can see why but not describe it!

 

Anyway, I dont find the menu works for me, I prefer the debian style menu's..I was about to say its because of my ango-saxon origins but then Yves seems to prefer them too... perhaps its a Celtic thing?

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well, the differences in a french or angloamerican approach are the result of longlasting cultural evolutions and analyzing it would be require a philisophical-anthropological thesis which i will not smash at your heads right now. :P

 

but some things can be said in an easy way. e.g. the angloamerican approach is more direct, while the french is more subtle, filled with more "rafinesse". just take a look at newspapers. french newspapers usually work a lot with elements like "style". they do not put as much focus on headlines and placative/propagandistic pictures like angloamericans. the yellow-press is a different thing though, so i will not talk about it.

 

if we keep in mind that the angloamericans prefer more the "direct approach" and then look at e.g. a windows menu, what do we have: some buttons that do directly lead to the task that we want to use on top of the desktop. it is the first thing we see. a non-angloamerican desktop (french or spanish or german desktop) would be more simplistic. less icons in order to give the impression of a more "cleaned up" environment, thus looking more "stylish". there is a simple amount of icons that lets a desktop look overcrowded. thus, the ideal "european" style desktop (free of angloamerican or other influences) would have maybe two or three icons. not more.

 

so , what a bout the menu? just the same. the angloamerican approach is very direct. short ways to the app. if that means more menu entries in the first level... okay, let's add them. the typical european menu would still be more hierachical. just like a royal court. the kind on top, the first authority before you get to dukes, counts and knights. this is a direct result of the long european history with its hierarchical structures, established in the medieval era. this medieval thinking is still determining our approach to a lot of things although not directly. it is an indirect influence in our (europeans) thinking and acting and grouping of things.

 

this is one reason why we find in mandrake a meu with a minimum of first hierarchie-entries and lots of subordinate folders.

 

interesting, eh? :D

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I just wanted to say... I could participate in the "default desktop" discussion because it was not (really) distro-specific, but since I do not have Mandrake installed, I won't be able to participate :cry: :wacko:

 

I'll be following this topic though!

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sorry but a bit OT.. but I think I can easily tell a german(ic) website/desktop from French ..I agree with the general statements but its even finer than that....

 

I wish I could explain it inwords but for instance check the Suse corporate website and its distinctly Northern German... certainly not Bavarian .... but then it could also be a Danish or dutch style too?

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but for instance check the Suse corporate website and its distinctly Northern German... certainly not Bavarian ....

:lol: SUSE is at Nürnberg, that is deepest Bavaria. :cheesy:

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:woops: :woops: :woops:

 

Its still interesting... but shouldnt it have Lederhosen then?

 

but do you see what I mean it doesnt look French .. if you look at the website its more germanic...

 

living in France I am so used to seeing french style stuff that when I go to Britanny it looks weird...

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