DSL Ideas and Suggestions :: icons look and feel



The point of including JWM in the first place was to make an easier and more comfortable environment for new users.

If the issue is more of 'eye candy' as some think JWM is ugly, then I take blame for that. I am not an artistic type.

Perhaps someone who is would be willing to make a nicer color scheme for JWM.

I did play around with key bindings for JWM.

I added these lines to the end of the .jwmrc file just before the closing </JWM> tag.

  <Key mask="C" key="s">shade</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="d">desktop</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="z">root:1</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="x">close</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="v">minimize</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="b">resize</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="n">move</Key>
  <Key mask="C" key="m">maximize</Key>

Use the Ctrl key together with the letter, i.e., Ctrl s to toggle shade

Try them and let me know.

Have I mentioned how much I admire you guys?!  I hope that you know that, and it's very sincere.

Thank you Robert, I think the keyboard shortcuts are going to be a good improvement.  That thinking lends itself well to the advanced user and allows for a simple model for the new user.  Good thinking.

[lucky13] mentioned on another thread that he's been toying with the BlueGlass theme for JWM... as that is my all-time favorite theme for DSL, I'd be very, very excited to see it used.  Mind you, I think that the default scheme used for Fluxbox is also sedate, professional and very, very pleasant.  It might be worth some thinking to decide whether it would be a positive or negative thing to make both desktops look the same?  Would it help in magration?  Would it establish a distinguisjing look and feel for the product?  Would it confuse?

I still believe that the new user would be best served by having all of the popular programs displayed on the desktop with shortcut icons.  I truly do.  It's very frustrating to try and find something in a new environment.  Let the new user have the chance to love this product by giving them the easiest path to discovery.

Which brings me to double-clicking.  How many of you have tried to teach a computer newcomer about double-clicking?  It's been my experience that older people and uncoordinated middling people have a humongously tough time double-clicking... and then after they finally learn how to do it, they double-click everything... and end up with 2 Firefox, 2 File Explorers, 2 Text Editors etc etc.

The only two things in the world I can think that get double-clicked are car horns and computer mice... can you think of any others?

This is great feedback and I applaud everyone for speaking up so politely.

My best regards,
John
Here are some screenshots and I mentioned the colors I used in it. The icon on the menu button was lifted from some Linux propaganda GIF that I edited to go with the T Rex thing (after the screenshot was taken) but left on when I changed color schemes because I like it and didn't feel like filling out the orange with green or cyan.
http://lucky13linux.wordpress.com/dsl-related-pages/jwm-aesthetics/

I disagree that cluttering the desktop with icons is a good idea -- that's what menus are for. Why have the redundancy of dragging icons out on to the desktop by default when users can do that themselves or can opt to use the menu, shut off icons, or switch icon "managers" (such as rox)?
lucky13,  WOW. Now those are very nice. Would you be willing to share your beautiful JWM themes? If so, please email to extensions@damnsmalllinux.org.
Agreed - I'd love that t.rex background for my old desktop (albeit using fluxbox).
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