Bug 170362 - Task manager entries unreadable when panel on the left side
Summary: Task manager entries unreadable when panel on the left side
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL
Alias: None
Product: plasma4
Classification: Unmaintained
Component: general (show other bugs)
Version: unspecified
Platform: Ubuntu Linux
: NOR normal
Target Milestone: ---
Assignee: Plasma Bugs List
URL:
Keywords:
Depends on:
Blocks:
 
Reported: 2008-09-04 09:33 UTC by Ronny Standtke
Modified: 2008-12-02 21:11 UTC (History)
3 users (show)

See Also:
Latest Commit:
Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:


Attachments
Screenshot showing the unreadable task manager entries (example showing GIMP) (16.64 KB, image/png)
2008-09-04 09:33 UTC, Ronny Standtke
Details
Vertical plasma panel with perfectly readable buttons (213.92 KB, image/png)
2008-11-30 17:27 UTC, Marcelo Sales
Details

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Description Ronny Standtke 2008-09-04 09:33:06 UTC
Version:            (using KDE 4.1.1)
OS:                Linux
Installed from:    Ubuntu Packages

When i move the panel to the left hand side, the task manager entries are unreadable, i.e. only the first letter of the application name is visible. The highlighting (from the bottom) also looks very strange. I will attach a screen shot.

I suggest drawing the text vertically and also change the highlighting so that it always comes from the screen edge, i.e. from the left side instead from the bottom when the panel is at the left side.
Comment 1 Ronny Standtke 2008-09-04 09:33:51 UTC
Created attachment 27228 [details]
Screenshot showing the unreadable task manager entries (example showing GIMP)
Comment 2 Jesse L. Zamora 2008-11-30 01:05:40 UTC
What do you propose should be done? The only way to fix it would be to make the text rotate 90 degrees with the panel.
Comment 3 Ronny Standtke 2008-11-30 11:23:05 UTC
Yes, rotating the text is probably a good idea. Please note, that text rotation is locale dependend, please see
http://en.wikipedia.or/wiki/Spine_(book)#Spine_orientation_and_titling_conventions
Comment 4 Ronny Standtke 2008-11-30 11:24:06 UTC
Sorry, the link was broken. Lets try again...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spine_(book)#Spine_orientation_and_titling_conventions
Comment 5 Marcelo Sales 2008-11-30 17:27:31 UTC
Created attachment 28953 [details]
Vertical plasma panel with perfectly readable buttons

Please, don't rotate the text in vertical plasma panels. It's great the way it is now. I think the reporter should use a larger panel, making it retractable with auto-hide if he wants to save space. See attached screenshot.
Of course, if this would be a configurable option, then it's ok.
Comment 6 Aaron J. Seigo 2008-11-30 18:29:07 UTC
yes, rotation would be silly; if you want to use the taskbar on a vertical panel, make it big enough.
Comment 7 Ronny Standtke 2008-12-01 11:34:40 UTC
I tried with the larger panel and the result is still suboptimal. I don't like it at all. Reading text
hor
izon
tall
y
does not feel natural at all. And besides that, a lot of this broken up lines are faded out and the text is not visible at all. This is far from good.

How about the following idea?
When the width of task manager entries is larger than their height, draw the text horizontally, otherwise draw it vertically.
Comment 8 Aaron J. Seigo 2008-12-01 17:25:00 UTC
today will be a trying day for me.
Comment 9 Ronny Standtke 2008-12-01 19:14:39 UTC
(In reply to comment #8)
> today will be a trying day for me.
Sorry, I didn't understand. What do you mean by that?

Why did you close the issue without commenting on my idea? Reopening, because the current implementation still doesn't work for me.
Comment 10 Aaron J. Seigo 2008-12-01 20:42:09 UTC
> Why did you close the issue without commenting on my idea?

because i'm a busy person and this isn't a user support forum. i don't have time to sit here and explain to every individual who passes by what we've done differently in the next version.

i closed it since (a) it works nicely in larger panels now, and (b) we're not going to rotate the text.

of course, simply trusting me to do my job isn't plausible for you and so you need to banter back and forth and re-open reports.

> Reopening, because the current implementation still doesn't work for me. 

don't reopen again. you may be the reporter, but this isn't your bug report. take a look at who it's assigned to. thanks.
Comment 11 Ronny Standtke 2008-12-02 10:24:07 UTC
(In reply to comment #10)
> because i'm a busy person 

You are not alone.

> and this isn't a user support forum.

I didn't ask for support.

> i don't have time to sit here and explain to every individual who passes by 
> what we've done differently in the next version.

I didn't just pass by. I am a KDE user and contributor since KDE v0.9. Check the sources.

> of course, simply trusting me to do my job isn't plausible for you and so you
> need to banter back and forth and re-open reports.

You did not gave me reason to trust you. Instead of being constructive you started babbling about your trying day and such nonsense...

> don't reopen again. you may be the reporter, but this isn't your bug report.
> take a look at who it's assigned to. thanks.

Getting a little bossy lately? The rumors about you being an asshole just proved to be true. Please fix your attitude towards contributing users.
Comment 12 Aaron J. Seigo 2008-12-02 17:10:31 UTC
> You did not gave me reason to trust you.

then you have a very misinformed concept of what's required: i don't care if you trust me or not. the code doesn't trust or not trust me, it just is. coming into my house (and yes, the plasma bugs area is part of my house) and then judging me upon whether i deserve your trust or not is beyond irrelevant.

> Getting a little bossy lately?

if that's what you want to call "explaining how the process works", then sure. 

> The rumors about you being an asshole just proved to be true. 

ah, good job on calling me names!

look, i care that i can get work done. if you don't get in the way of that, things will be great. if you do, and you expect me to pretend to be pleased with you doing so, then get out your chequebook.

> Please fix your attitude towards contributing users.

says the person who just called me an asshole. ;)

now, you re-opened this because: "Reopening, because the current implementation still doesn't work for me."

and that's not your call to make. the idea that users are the ultimate authorities in these things is ridiculous, but the corollary means that users of the software need to respect that. we make software for users, but that's not the same as user directing the software.

note that i am one of those users in all the software, in and out of KDE, that i don't work on and abide by that exact same set of concepts myself in those cases.

and that's because it's how to make software that doesn't corrode into a pile of crap over time.
Comment 13 Ronny Standtke 2008-12-02 21:11:50 UTC
> i don't care if you trust me or not.

Even though English is my third language, I can notice that.

> ah, good job on calling me names!

You worked hard for that.

> if you do, and you expect me to pretend to be pleased with you doing so, then 
> get out your chequebook.

It is not too long ago that I donated a 3-figure sum to Jason Kasper, one of the main KPilot developers. He is a nice and helpful person. You disqualified since comment#8.

> now, you re-opened this because: "Reopening, because the current 
> implementation still doesn't work for me."
> and that's not your call to make.

What if I intended to start working on it?

> we make software for users, but that's not the same as user directing the 
> software.

Your are caught in the cathedral style software development model.


I don't feel like continuing a flame war on bugzilla. This will be my last comment here until you provide something constructive.