Re: [Usability] splash screen, session tangent

[David Christian Berg <david sipsolutions net>]

Alan was so kind to upload my mock up to
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/~horkana/splash-mockup.png

(thank you again, Alan)

He also pointed out, that maybe it makes things a bit too complicated to
have such a choice at all.

Now to some extend I agree, which is why there definitely has to be a
time out (I forgot to add that to the mockup in some way or the other)
and the default has to be good enough so that usually users just press
"start". I also wouldn't want to leave out the option in the control
center to _not_ show this dialog (maybe even if not shown, it can be
envoked with some key in the right moment?).

The reason why afterall I like the idea is that usually one doesn't
know, what kind of session one wants to have the next time you use the
computer when loggin off, but you decide on start-up that maybe you
could launch galeon right away (only if you had it running, when loggin
off) or maybe you only want to shortly check his emails and don't want
to start Gaim and Galeon and XMMS.

Also I want to add that in the other thread someone said he didn't like
the idea of not showing, what programs start when you're waiting (that's
what the whole thread is eventually about :)
Now if afterall you have some kind of splash I think, yes, you should
show and not do the windows "small, tiny text I'm doing wierd stuff"
kinda thing on start up. Therefore, I'd suggest with my mockup that the
icons and the text are greyed out, once you press "start" and fade in,
as the programs start.

David

PS: What would really be cool is to integrate this with the gdm login!
Have the window as in the mockup. Enter a username, press enter... now
you get the password entry and underneath a expander with the stuff in
there as is. (this way you don't need that many control center prefs).
To bad that magically the window should convert to a splash afterwards,
without changing the look.
The advantages are pretty easy to see. If this is possible at all, you
reduce the number of different screens, the user is faced with. You also
make possible what Bryan actually is looking for (I _do_ see the
advantage) without unnecessary time consumption.
Hey, this PS is kinda long, but I developed some thoughts.... I really
like that idea. Is that possible??