Re: [libreoffice-accessibility] Fwd: Re: [libreoffice-design] APP/Online LibreOffice

Hi Andrew,

> > As it was explained at the conference, the code used in one will be used in
> > the other, so we won't have two suites.
>
>
> umm... thats what I said. I know that we can reuse code.

I'll try to summarise what is necessary for LibreOffice Online (I hope
this won't madden you):
* Broadway (i. e. the server code that makes the GTK+ → Canvas
conversion and serves it) – part of GTK+ 3 (not LibreOffice!) and
already written
* a good GTK+ 3 backend for LibreOffice's VCL toolkit – partially
written, and we'd need it anyway to make LibreOffice look good on GTK+
3 platforms (that is, all major current Linux distributions), staying
with a GTK+ 2 backend only is not an option anyway
* some tweaks to floating toolbars and other window management things
– no idea, if there's anything there, but probably not a major effort.
As you can see, there's no reason for anxiety, as Broadway does the
magic and most of the work helps us on all desktop Linux platforms.

This is very different for Android and IOS, because on both platforms,
LibreOffice would need a native, touch-centric port. In other words, a
complete UI rewrite – and that's where I see space for a start-up to
step in. I have doubts whether the current community is strong enough
to pull this off, but let's see. We shan't be pessimists.


> I think that the people in this mailing list think that I am stupid or
> something.

There are different people on this list, not everyone knows everyone
else and not everyone reads their mail equally thoroughly etc. Please
just bear with people when they repeat points that have already been
brought up. I wouldn't understand this as a personal attack.


> It would be nice to have a mobile LibreOffice, even a web based one. but it
> will not make or brake LibreOffice. the majority of all documents will still
> be created on the desktop.

#1 I wouldn't be so sure about this. Tablets seem very attractive to
consumers, especially since using them is so "intuitive" and their
power to battery life balance is so far unmatched by laptops.
#2 For IOS there's I-Work, for WP7 there's MS Office, but for Android
there isn't much (i. e. Quickoffice) – so there's a real market niche
here.


> I would like to say that I am not against LibreOffice Android/iOS or LOOL. I
> think that these are things that will be great to have. im saying  that we
> need to start on the UI of LibreOffice NOW. we can't wait to have a working
> tablet/online suite to start working on the desktop UI. which is what will
> happen if we start the tablet/online suites and not the desktop UI.

Please read what I said more carefully. I didn't say that we (as the
community) should stop working on the desktop suite to make the mobile
suite happen. Quite the opposite.


> people are not going to download our suite as it is. my sister refuses to
> use it, even for the time being until my dad puts M$ Office on her computer,
> because it looks awful. people think that open source is ugly, and will not
> use it because of that.

You can't force her to use it. Also, please don't imply that MS Office
isn't ugly. It is (see also: inconsistent UI fonts, non-resizable
dialogues, huge installation size, OOXML).


> there are awesome tools hidden behind things that most people
> would not even think of looking through, and the nerds are too lazy to go
> though.  we need to clean up the UI, NOW.

Please realise this isn't a dictatorship. It's a meritocracy, and the
way to gain merit for design people here is to try and work with the
devs on their ideas. Devs don't always have so much interest in the
UI, so you'll slowly have to convince them of your value.

Astron.

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