Re: [Usability] online/offline design

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Wed, 18 May 2005, Luis Villa wrote:

> Date: Wed, 18 May 2005 18:47:40 -0400
> From: Luis Villa <luis villa gmail com>
> To: usability gnome org
> Subject: [Usability] online/offline design
>
> Hey, all-
>
> I was wondering if anyone had given thought to designing a standard
> 'you're not online, so action X could not be completed [configure
> network][dismiss][cry in shame]' dialog for if/when apps start to poke
> networkmanger for that information? Or if such a thing would be
> appropriate?

Ah welcome laptop user!

Gets real annoying fast when your Operating System makes all those
assumptions about having a network connection doesn't it?  As more
developers get laptops and other types of portable devices and are torn
away from their always on connectivity I hope they will be as observant as
you have been.

There are plenty of things I'd like to have standard dialogs for and this
seems like another appropriate choice.  However in the long run I think it
would be more important though to try and make things generally less
unpleasant for offline users in general.  (The one that gets me most often
is menu items that look just like other menu items but go and open up a
web browser and try and connect to a website.)

> Thinking out loud-

Definately worth mentioning, in my not so humble opinion

- Alan