Version: (using KDE KDE 3.4.2) Installed from: SuSE RPMs OS: Linux This is a request to add an optional viewmode that might help the user to deal with his documents in a more natural way (without focus on the application but on the document). The idea is to provide a interface that makes the user feel that he is not using an application to view a document but viewing the document itself as it would be a piece of paper: - seamless zoom of the preview-icon in Konqueror to full size by (double)clicking it (opening okular) - there are no winow-borders, titelbar or menues visible. Buttons for close, minimize and turn page are placed semitransparent in the corners (button for next page in the bottom-right and for previous page in the bottom-left corner) - zoom changes the windowsize (maybe done with mousewheel) - pageturn: animation-effect of turning page - mouse-over-effect of the page-turn-button: pagecorner is lifted pageturn when lmb is pressed - one-page- and double-pageview possible - looks like a newspaper when turning pages, while the page flips, you can already see the new page on the backside of the old one. - mouse-over-effect of close- and minimize-buttons: black&white opaque - to turn several buttons with one click (needed in large documents): maybe mousewheel or mousemovement whyle pressing the page-turn-button increases/decreases a stack of pages which is turned at once when mousebutton is released. (display of pagenumbers would be helpfull) - menues via rmb-contextmenues Of course there will be usecases, when the traditional look&feel is prefereable (hence there should be an easy way to switch), but I think that my proposal would make things more accessible for unexperienced people.
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Some of this features are already provided by the "Full Screen Mode", under the Settings menu (it really ought to move to the View menu).
Altough I don't mind this feature, I think the current layout is used everywhere and users feel no dificulties using it. Presenting them with a single page and forcing them to go to a corner to bring the next one might be a lot more confusing ; especially the special gesture you suggest for multiple page skipping. The aim of digitalized document is not to recreate the look & feel of the old one but improve it. If you like to see the page flipping, grab a real book (no offence, I'm just kidding). It might be nice for a quick preview though.
A while back I tried every .pdf viewer I could find for Linux and found Okular to the best. That said it still falls short using it to display sheet music .pdf's at the piano. This is something professional musicians are using an iPad for quite frequently. Okular has two major weaknesses that preclude ease of use for a performing musician. Touch needs to be improved in the Presentation mode. It needs an easier way to move back and forth on the pages. It moves forward easily, but going back to page 1 is difficult. The wheel in the upper right hand corner is just to small to use accurately. It would be nice if you could tap the page on the left side, and it would go back one page. Now with a mouse it works just fine. Left click moves the page forward, and Right Click moves the page back. A pianist needs to be able to quickly just touch the screen to go either forward or backward in the score. A mouse is impractical at the piano. There are some pedals that might do it, but a change in the software seems less expensive and more practical. Extra equipment should not be needed simply to turn pages. Actually the wheel does work, but again it's too small for accurate quick sure footed navigation. Secondly there needs to be a side py side page view in presentation mode. This is the cleanest mode and most legible because the document can be nearly as large as the screen. Computer screens have become wider and less tall. I have a very nice Dell 2 in 1 but it is rather heavy. In the sideways view is is very heavy on the music desk and also rather unstable. The best and most practical position would be with the screen folded back, but in the normal wide view position with two pages displayed simultaneously. I request this a couple of years ago and was blown off, but the developers need to wise up and implement these requests as they are sorely needed by Linux advocates who are also professional musicians.