Peter, What coding skill would someone need to be able to be helpful? Linda
On Mon, Dec 5, 2022 at 2:07 AM Peter Kovacs <pe...@apache.org> wrote: > Hi Joana, > > In General volunteers who develop Apache OpenOffice are discussing on > d...@openoffice.apache.org > > The Software is developed by pro bono volunteers. This is open to you if > you want to drive change. > > > The project has concluded not to change GUI order by argumentation of > pure Intuition or logic. > > The reason is that we did not see the proposed, benefits on community > level. > > It is a generic issue that ease depends heavily on your individual > training. We are open to solutions that target all users. > > > OpenOffice "Dark Theme" fails on all platforms due to lack of icons and > other topics. We can use help. > > > All the best > > Peter > > > > > Am 05.12.22 um 06:57 schrieb Joana Ottenbacher: > > Disclaimer: I am new here, just subscribed. Please be kind if this ended > > up in the wrong place. > > > > Hi. > > I have a mixture of a discussion but also a proposal I would like to > > make. I ended up here after doing a fair share of search engine digging, > > not finding a good solution for the initial problem. Apparently, about > > 12 years ago, there started to be demand for what I'm going to discuss, > > according to old Open Office forum posts I found in the process. > > > > Problem part A: > > As far as I can understand the software, there is not an easy structure > > to user-friendly switch color themes in Open Office Writer (I haven't > > looked at other programs, but it could be true for them as well). > > Yes, there is one solution to switch colors. > > You go... What was it? Edit, Settings? No, maybe View... Extras... > > Appearance? No, not either. The correct way is > > Extras>Settings>OpenOffice>Appearance (as an example, I'm myself still > > confused about whether that now applies to all programs under the Open > > Office wing, or just Writer??). > > You see the first problem? > > I as a user/dig my way through the whole interface/, potentially even > > missing the settings for program appearance. This is not only very > > difficult to find, it leads to *frustration*. > > What I've been experiencing through the years of usage is the same > > problem over and over again. We do have functions, but the amount of > > clicks required to find them, is inefficient and brain-wrecking. > > An analogy: Some updates ago, the 3D Software Blender moved their "User > > Preferences" window from "Files" to "Edit". Why? It's more logical, it's > > convenient and easy to find by one click, containing everything you need > > in one single window with a couple of tabs. Blender also lets you choose > > your "Theme" on first startup and later in the preferences and add new > > themes as you please. > > > > Which leads me to problem part B: > > There are people who do have issues with bright light screens. Websites > > these days update to "Dark Mode". > > I could imagine following scenario: A person who needs accessibility > > aids like a customized dark theme, would they even manage to find the > > according settings to change the program appearance to their needs? > > Would a person who is already puzzled by where to even save their file > > or how to print find such an option? > > Maybe, if it were easier to find, AND what I think of an improvement: If > > there were well-designed pre-installed examplary color themes one could > > just switch by clicking a button. There is a list of color schemes (for > > me, there is only the OpenOffice light theme in the list!), but again, > > until a user finds this option, they might have given up on it already. > > Users are not designers. They might struggle with color values, how > > light or dark the font color should be displayed and also, they might > > worry that changing these colors might make their printer switch colors > > as well. (I saw somebody in a forum stating you should revert appearance > > before printing, they were likely scared of exactly that!). The concept > > of a "Dark Theme" or "Dark Mode" is not so easy for them to understand > > when they get a long, long list of colors they are to change themselves. > > So what to do to improve? Instead, let the user have a standard one they > > could switch by clicking one button a light theme button and a dark > > theme button with an icon to determine what's going on. > > Voilà. We have an accessible, easy system to make these changes. Just > > like clicking a different theme in a PowerPoint presentation. And if > > there is none the user likes, they can add a new one and have a new > > button or a list for their themes, as well, selecting each color > > individually just like you can do right now in version 4.1.7. > > > > Now there's one extra point to the mix. We have users who are using > > OpenOffice under Linux. I read that for some reason there is a Dark > > Mode, but I don't understand the details at all. I cannot speak for > > anybody using that OS, so this here is all from a Windows perspective. I > > though do believe that a standardized option to do this throughout each > > program *regardless* of OS or the like, would make things so much easier > > for everybody. > > > > In my own POV there are enough reasons to overhaul this part of the > > system. Possibly, there are menu parts that could be put in one large > > window containing everything you might need. The problem when you look > > at your own project for too long is that you cannot see what your users > > see anymore. You get "designer-blind" as some call that phenomenon. You > > forget about those who don't have the structure in mind that you had, > > building this. They just look at it and try to figure out how to solve > > their problem. I grew up as one of those people, so I know the struggle > > firsthand. And according to my research, people tried achieving this > > before. We have 2022 now. I believe this is possible. > > > > Still, I would love to hear other voices out there. Any concerns? Are > > there technical reasons for this specific situation we find ourselves > > in? I might not know. Do enlighten me. Maybe just nobody actually voiced > > it before? > > > > Either way, thanks for reading to anybody out there who recieves this. I > > hope I did this first E-Mail to the list correctly. I'm apologizing if I > > didn't. I'm just human, after all. > > > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > To unsubscribe, e-mail: users-unsubscr...@openoffice.apache.org > For additional commands, e-mail: users-h...@openoffice.apache.org > >
