Re: [GnomeMeeting-list] Some more comments on the GUI.

[Damien Sandras <dsandras seconix com>]

Le lundi 25 avril 2005 à 17:09 +0200, Bruno Hertz a écrit :
> OK, I've been reading through our threads and looking over the screen
> shots again - especially the 'accounts' dialog was a missing piece in
> the puzzle - and actually the design as planned looks pretty great.
> 

Thanks for the effort!

> A few additional comments though, some more feature than GUI wise:
> 
> (1) Call display area
> 
> The area where you display caller id and codec for active
> (resp. incoming calls when multiple lines are available) could as well
> contain the stuff now shown in the status bar, especially call
> duration.
> 
> That way all call specific data is centrally displayed and logically
> organized for the benefit of the user. No space is lost, since you
> then might actually remove the otherwise idle status bar area.
> 
> XLite example of centralized call display:
> http://leafsite.org/pics/softphones/xlite-main-1.jpg
> 
> 

I'm reluctant on this one, I don't know what others thing about it.
I'm of the advice that this kind of thing must be displayed in a
statusbar. X-Lite doesn't have one, right, but that doesn't mean that it
is a better choice.

The statusbar is also present for other things (display menu tooltips,
flash events to inform the user), so why not using it...


> (2) Current Server
> 
> Among the servers registered on, the 'current' one is the server where
> calls go if not given a complete URL. I.e. dialing a simple number
> would dial it on that server.
> 
> Now, most softphones require you to go to options and specify a
> 'default' server or account. This of course is bad.
> 
> Iaxcomm is the only exception, as it offers a dropdown selection list
> of registered accounts in the main window, and the currently selected
> account is the current server ('schioetz' in this case) :
> http://leafsite.org/pics/softphones/iaxcomm.jpg
> 
> This of course is not bad but rather cool.
> 

I had seen that one. It is not well-suited for H.323, but I think the
idea is cool.

> 
> (3) Multiple lines
> 
> A feature I understand only planned for the future, but why not dwell
> on it right now. Since I already included screen caps of other phones,
> a look at them might give some good ideas.
> 
> In the above XLite cap you see three buttons below the call
> display. Those are the three lines XLite offers, no more no less.  New
> calls will arrive on a different line than the one you're currently in
> and the button 'LED' will blink. Of course you click to accept/switch.
> 
> Iaxcomm has that scrollable list below the volume controls. All active
> resp. held calls are shown there. A click on a specific line puts
> other calls on hold and makes the clicked call active. Clicking on the
> empty line enables you to place a new call, while all others are held.
> 
> Obviously, that approach is nice. There is no visual limitation of
> lines, switching is very easy, and all that is integrated with a
> (terse) call display area which is just one line.
> 
> Another imaginable approach could be a dropdown list box which lists:
> 
> * all calls currently active or held with caller id
> * a 'New' item to place a new call (while putting the currently active
>   on hold, of course).
> 

I think I'll go for the X-Lite approach, I have tried it, and it seems
the most intuitive for most users, and it is also very similar to real
phones.

> 
> Finally, a maybe offtopic remark: if you show the dial input box at
> the top all the time (i.e. with all the tabs), it could make sense to
> to that with
> 
> * current account/server selection
> * multiple line chooser
> * and maybe even the call display area
> 

ok for this, but there is not so much room.

> as well. E.g. you already show the display area on all tabs. Why not
> move it to the top (although it doesn't necessarily need to be
> dockable). Also, the current server is linked to the history of the
> dial input box. That history contains numbers likely dialed on
> different servers, so it'd make sense to group them logically
> together.

I don't understand this... Can you explain further?

> 
> All the latter, as said, only as starting points for further thoughts.
> 
> That's all which comes to my mind right now.
> 
> Thanks, Bruno.

-- 
 _      Damien Sandras
(o-     GnomeMeeting: http://www.gnomemeeting.org/
//\     FOSDEM 2005 : http://www.fosdem.org
v_/_    H.323 phone : callto:ils.seconix.com/dsandras seconix com