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.
OK. Just to say I've uploaded an HTML version : http://les83plus.fr.st/sebastien.laout/kde-wishs/kget.html Perhapse split it to : - Toolbar(s) / Wording / Feedbacks / Usability - New and paste download dialog / process (see also Mozilla Firefox : it can ask NOTHING and fully auto download : a good feature I like, and like to see in KGet) - Order / priority of downloads / bandweidth control - Auto download next / at KDE session re-start / when re-available - Show status in system tray + use KPassivePopup and sounds / notifications Voila. That's all ;-D
We are working on the make_it_cool branch (of kdenetwork/kget) to bring kget to a whole new level. Thank you for your suggestions, usability reports (and conversion to the reader-friendly html format :-). Please post here more comments if you have; we're doing a complete rework on kget and need new ideas are needed now. Also please comment about gui (improvements on the old one or a completely new one!) Thank You, Dario & Enrico
Hi, I desperately need "add download in paused mode", when a file is added for download it should get paused instead of start to download. Here the bandwidth is too costly, and unlimited bandwidth is available from 2 - 8 am only. so, I want to add all the *download links* to kget and let it start the download. but as soon as I add a download to kget it starts downloading :( even in offline mode! kindly add "Paused" mode to download files with kget. thanks.
I also need "task scheduling" feature in kget, so that I could get the downloads, which is only permissible to me from 2am to 8am. except 2-8am, we have to pay huge money to download even few Megabytes of data :( stupid ISPs! kindly implement "task scheduling" with kget like *at* or *cron*. thanks.