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Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

blog.broulik.de

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Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#61

Post by kitsunesoba »

tylerjwilk00 wrote: post #18
sergiomattei wrote: post #4

I can't be the only one that dislikes KDE's typography. I see that notification pane and aside from color, nothing gives it typographical hierarchy. It just looks odd to me.

This has always been the problem with KDE and the reason I can not switch. KDE UI never gets Typography, spacing/padding, or alignment correct. It's a shame because they are so close on most other criteria.

Glad I’m not alone, KDE’s design system (or lack of such) has always been like nails on a chalkboard for me. GNOME takes it a bit too far in the other direction but is more tolerable (especially with a compact theme). XFCE is probably my favorite and because it strikes a great balance between design, readability, and info density.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#62

Post by kitsunesoba »

mediocrejoker wrote: post #37
KirinDave wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What do you use that respects these principles?

Not trying to be snarky but MacOS. That being said, on Linux I think Elementary OS is at least trying to create a coherent visual design language. Maybe there are others?

Most GTK based DEs are pretty decent in this regard (GNOME, XFCE, Cinnamon, Budgie). Qt based DEs tend to be more utilitarian and weaker when it comes to design.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#63

Post by bscphil »

arendtio wrote: post #28
sdegutis wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

All the UI and UX in general looks like it's from 2007. I know that it's volunteer work and I don't want to downplay the generosity of those who contributed to it, but I do wonder what's causing the delay in catching up to modern aesthetics. Is it a technical issue? Is there too much bureaucracy to overcome? Is there a shortage of UI and UX developers?

Actually, there are many things I like a lot better about the 2007ish KDE/Oxygen/Breeze style than about more modern approaches like for example Windows 10. I am not saying it is perfect, it is not, but especially in design terms, 'newer' isn't always better. And in general, I like KDE look very much.

I agree with you that newer interfaces (Windows 10 in particular) are mostly not very good. But I wouldn't say personally that KDE is a good example of 2000s era design. I think Gnome 2 was the absolute pinnacle of PC GUI design, actually. Having instantaneous access to Applications / Places / System (with text labels!) makes so much sense; it's one of the few desktop environments that pretty much any competent computer user could sit down at and immediately use.

Actually, I have my KDE set up to be an approximation of Gnome 2 with a few tweaks that work better for me, but I'm not under any impression that it approaches the immediate usability of Gnome 2.

It even looked nice! https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f7/Ubuntu_8...

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#65

Post by azinman2 »

funkiee wrote: post #16

Is lack of horizontal padding part of the KDE aesthetic?

When looking at all the screenshots, it’s clear that padding and alignment is neither professional (looks amateur), nor consistent.

If you’re going to rip off Apple, at least do it to Apple quality! Otherwise it’s a cheap knock off. Before people grip that this is free software, would you be happy if KDE’s core components were poorly written? Free or not, we should take pride in our work and put the bar at high quality.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#66

Post by fooqux »

symlinkk wrote: post #12
fooqux wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Last I tried, you couldn't type direct paths into the fileselector or the file browser, basically requiring that you mouse your way around. I found that extremely aggravating and went back to KDE almost immediately.

You can, simply press Ctrl + L. It's funny to me that you switched desktop environments instead of Googling that.

Well, it wasn't advertised, and I argue it's a basic feature of a file picker / browser so it should be very obvious. To be honest, that was just the final straw. I was already unhappy with Gnome for a variety of reasons, that was just one of them.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#67

Post by mixedCase »

inetknght wrote: post #39
funkiee wrote: post #16

Is lack of horizontal padding part of the KDE aesthetic?

Lack of horizontal padding? What padding do you want? There's clear whitespace between everything. I for one definitely like and want more compact information. I definitely do not like the trend for making information more sparse. Leave that for your blog; business runs on information.

Then the vertical padding should be reduced. As it is, they're inconsistent and looks bad. I really want to like KDE and I used KDE 3, KDE 4 (from 4.8, since every version before that was a shitshow) and Plasma 5 for a long time as a main driver and is still my go-to in my backup laptop; but the visual aspect has always been an utter failure despite the massive improvements made in version 5.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#68

Post by brmgb »

buovjaga wrote: post #59
brmgb wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are not alone. Typography is questionable but the worst parts are padding and alignment. I have to apologize in advance because it's going to sound like a harsh comment and I know this is volunteer work. I really think that KDE is technically very good. The amount of basic design mistakes however is just unbearable as far as I am concerned. I mean, let's take a look at this improved notification panel. The closin…

There already is a very active design team: https://community.kde.org/Get_Involved/design For progress in polishing stuff (not only visual), see the blog https://pointieststick.com/ for weekly updates.

There is some good stuff there.

I kind of feel bad about my first comment because I know it takes a lot of time to do these modifications, the new interface is a clear improvement from what was there before and UX wise it's not bad at all.

It's just that every time I use KDE, I have this feeling that great work doesn't shine as it should because of padding, alignment and box in a box in a box issues. I know these adjustments are a pain to make and that it's a very ungrateful work but it shows.

So, thank you to the design team I guess and keep up the good work.

Re: Next Generation KDE Plasma Notifications

#70

Post by lfms_dotfile »

KirinDave wrote: post #43
mediocrejoker wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not trying to be snarky but MacOS. That being said, on Linux I think Elementary OS is at least trying to create a coherent visual design language. Maybe there are others?

I apologize, but I don't understand how anything you wrote in any way responds to what I asked, who I asked it to, or could be considered "helpful" in any way. Please don't inject meaningless flag waving platform propaganda into genuine conversations.

Pretty sure they're just pointing out the polished typography, padding, and alignment of MacOS, which is what the GP's comment was about.
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