Version:           v0.8.3 (using KDE 3.2.2,  (testing/unstable))
Compiler:          gcc version 3.3.3 (Debian 20040401)
OS:          Linux (i686) release 2.4.25

By: Sébastien Laoût <sebastien.laout@tuxfamily.org>

Hello all,

I'm new to kde-devel and it's my first post (of course !).

I've mailed the following report to KDE Usability List but no reply was
send.
Idem for the KGet's author : no reply.
kde-usability list just suggested me to send the report here.

Personnaly, I think using KGet is not as easy as it should.
And it miss few features to be pleasant.

                            -*-

Before to begin : I have french version of KDE, so I've retranslated
back to english the strings :-)
Secund note : I've taken a totaly new to KGet user profile (that quite I
am) and wrote all questions this user can ask.
I alwayse think what to write to describ buttons/features by asking me
all questions (typically "what", "for what", "why", "when"...). I think
as this, all user questions will be OK and he will can choose to use the
feature or not just by read the name/label.

========= The toolbar (Usability misses) : =========

- [Auto-resume] What's this "auto" ? Will it be continued now or
triggered later ? If so, when ?
  And if download is at 0%, "Begin", "Download" or "Begin download"
would be better... If possible, "Restart download (resume not assumed)"
when needed.
- [Pause]. No comment. Just that in players, we can reclick this button
to continue to play. But it isn't needed. Ho yes : if resuming is not
supported, the label must be "Stop", and then the icon a stop icon to
the user be careful.
- [Remove]. But remove what ? The download from the queue, the
downloaded file on the disk, or the two ? Not obvious.
  This must be renamed to "Remove..." or "Remove download from list..."
and then show a dialog with :
  "Would you really want to remove this download from the download files
?"
  "Download already has begined"
  "[Remove download from list] [Remove downloaded file] [Cancel]"
  The trash can icon do not help : it's the same icon than the "move to
trash" konqueror feature => user can think it's will affect the file and
not the download data
- [Continue] : Useful ??? Is it the same as "Auto-resume" ? Quite
strange duplicate feature. But if there is here it's another feature...
But what ?
"Queue" and "stack" words are not obvious to distinguish.
Which means the entire list of downloads ? Which means the currently in
download files ? Which means the currently "in wait state" files ?
I propose to have "list" for all the list, "queue" for queued downloads
(paused, to resume later). And that's all.

- [Put in wait stack] : A wait stack, for me, purpose to wait...
download *later* ! It' strange behaviour to be, third time, the same as
"Auto-resume" (resume as soon as possible, if I understand) !!! Ho ! If
I click, I switch between the three options... Let's discover them...
- [Chronometer] : Ho cool I will be able to download it in few defined
minutes / hours. Cool because I currently have an active download. I
click. What ? No effet : no dialog appears to ask me when I want to
download it. What's this ?
- [In wait] : ho ! cool duplicate information with the pause feature

- [Show logs window] : Useless for me. Just : between each lines of log
there is an empty line (please use break line instead of new paragraph).
Is it a bug ?
- [Paste] : No problem. It can also be used as a [New] button (logic,
but not expected at first)

- [Expert mode] : Waou ! What's an explicit button :-) First, I don't
like modes, but after all... And what is this misterious "expert" mode ?
After Shift+F1, it appears it's *just* to disable confirmation dialogs.
Waoh ! What's a so hidden expert feature :-) Would it be more explicite
to name it "Do not show confirmation dialogs" ?
- [Last folder mode] : No more explicit ! Is "Last folder" only act on
new downloads or on all ?????? If yes it must be moved as a checkbox
into the "Past/Add download" window !!!
Checkbox that is checked if it was checked the last time : NO NEED FOR A
MODE.
- [Auto-disconnect mode] : Bof. When ? When all downloads are complete,
I suppose. OK (but see below). I don't know any downloaders that do it a
"mode"
- [Auto-shutdown mode] : Idem (shutdown compter)
- [Offline mode] : Hein ? It's a *downloader* ? What can we care of an
offline mode ? OK : web-browsers have this mode to allow view pages when
non connected. But when files are downloaded, they continue to be
readable, reassure me ! :-)
- [Auto-paste mode] : Mouais... Perhapse useful
Now : as said, I don't like modes (and it's forbidden by usability
guides).
Altough, all those tools are "options", and not "modes" !
To do them more obvious they are options, I propose to split the toolbar
into two : one for "downloads", and one for "quick options changing" !

- [Drop on the target] : If you want... As writen it could implie "Hey :
by clicking that a... thing will be droped to the target. But what
targer, and what will be dropped ?".
- [What's this ?] : What's this button has to do in a toolbar ? During
all this write I've used Shift+F1 and I now learn that button exist !!
Musn't it be in the title bar of the window ???

========= Proposed modified main toolbar : =========

- [New download...]
- [Paste URL...]

- [Begin] [Resume] [Restart (resuming not supported)]
- [Pause] [Stop (resuming not supported)]
- [Suspend]
- [Cancel download] [Remove from list]

- [Automatically paste URLs]
- [Download new files in the last folder]
- [Disconnect when all downloads will be done]
- [Shutdown computer when all downloads will be done]
- [Show confirmation dialogs]

- [Show target to drop URLs]
- [Show logs window]

I've added "..." on paste and new because it's implie a dialog.
I've added "New download...".

I've regrouped the only three download control + one.
Basically, we want to download all files we add to the queue, because we
want to download all, files must be automatically deownloaded without
operation : when a download finish, another must be started.
They are downloaded with "Play". But we want to have a download number
limit and download files from top to bottom (priority), so they are
currently paused. They will be re-downloaded as soons as a download will
finish (or Play is clicked, and priority is higher than other current
downloads). It's what expected : KGet is a downloader and we don't have
to explicitly clic "Start/Continue" to download.
But for some files, we don't want to continue download : that is the
reason of the "Suspend". It replace the "offline mode" : select all
files and then "suspend" to have the same behaviour.
The "Remove" has been replaced by "Cancel download" if download in at 0%
or < 100% : it's quite explicit that download will be deleted AND also
the file. If download is at 100%, name it "Remove from list". Here also
it's obvious and nice usable.

Each download should have an icon if it's state :
- Connecting (animation as now) : clicked begin/continue/resume and KGet
try to continue/connect to the server
- Downloading (animation as now) : clicked begin/continue/resume and
KGet curently download it
- Waiting : clicked begin/continue/resume but the download number limit
is already attempted : will be downloaded after, according to priority
- Paused : cliqued pause : download in last (when all waiting files will
be done)
- Suspended : wait an explicit "Continue/Start" to download it

Those states replace [Put in wait stack], [Chronometer] and [In wait].
Because [Resume], [Pause]... can do that : make feature doublons.

I think thins wording is very explicit and usable.
If you have remarqs, feel free to correct.

========= Complements : =========

Another issue is the new download process that need two dialogs to
accept. It's ennoying :
Because of the configurables folders (by extensions...) their is no
particullary need to change folder on past/add.
And because we paste URLs, there is most time no need to edit it.
I propose to have a new add/paste dialog :
 ________________________________________________________________
| URL to download   : [ http://www.kde.org/something.tbz ]       |
| Where to download : [ file:/home/me/[something.tbz]    ] [...] |
|                     [ Use last folder ]                        |
 ________________________________________________________________

Then, when paste, the focus must be placed on the secund field, with
"[something.tbz]" selected to be able to personnalize only the name of
the downloaded file (as now : the most often control a user expect).
If dialog is called with "New", then place focus on URL, of course.
The [ Use last folder ] will recall the last folder

========= Other concerns : =========

To solve the problem of "New download" by using the "Paste" feature, I
propose to add an adress bar, like in Konqueror.
After all it's consistent.

The "Open a download" and "Paste a download" texts are strange. Or it's
not a use in french.
I usually don't say "Open a download".
Perhapse rewording it as "Open an URL to download" and "Paste an URL to
download", isn't it ?

The "Drop to target" appears in two menus : View and Options.
Quite unhabitual to have two options in two different places.

========= What options I usually want : =========

- Define an order for files : reorder files by d'n'd ; Not only set on
top or bottom
- And perhapse a priority : a new column in the list could show 3
starts, click could change -> 4 starts -> 5 -> 1 -> 2 -> 3...
- When a download is done, automatically download the next(s) file
[[This perhapse already doable with the chronometer, chronometer that I
have discovered by doing this review]]
- If a link is down, download another file in the queue (if there is one
in the queue)
- On KDE/KGet start, continue active downloads / continue queue
- System tray icon could show the status (in download or sleep, which
percent of all files / current file)
- Use KPassivePopups on download end (as Apollon do)
- Take a certain percent of bandwidth, alwyase or TEMPORARY in one click
(another "mode")

Waoo ! It's a long comment :-/
But I wanted to do it for some time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

What do you think about it ?
Will you modify KGet ?

Thanks for your attention and time to read it.

Best regards,

Sébastien Laoût.