Change LO icon set shown in user guides?

Documentation General
#1

In our user guides, we've always used the "default" icon set (theme),
which is Galaxy. On some operating systems, this default was different
from the "automatic" icon set or theme. In recent Ubuntu installs,
Galaxy wasn't even offered to users as a choice unless they knew how
to get it from the software center.

With LO 3.6, the "automatic" icon set is Tango on all three major o/s
(Windows, Linux, Mac). This means that many (though not all) of the
screenshots in our docs will not match what many users (especially new
users) will see.

Therefore it is probably time to change our user guides over to the
new icon set and create new screenshots as needed. In many cases, we
will need new screenshots anyway, because of other GUI changes.

What do you think? Should we change to the Tango icon set at this
point, or keep using the Galaxy set?

Changing screenshots can be done either by the person making updates
to the text, or by someone else. We prefer that screenshots NOT be
done on Windows, so if you use Linux (preferred) or a Mac, you can be
very helpful by working on images even if you don't want to work on
the text.

--Jean

#2

Hello Jean

If Tango has become the default set of icons for LO3.6, then I think we should change the user guides to reflect this. In my opinion most LO users will not bother to change the settings of LO to show the Galaxy icon set and it will be better to use screen shots showing the Tango icon set.

Regards

PeterS

Peter Schofield
psauthor@gmail.com

#3

Hi :slight_smile:
The icon sets and themes were carefully chosen to try to fit 2 criteria
1.  Something available on all platforms;  Mac, Windows and Gnu&Linux (and therefore probably Bsd too)
2.  High contrast for good quality printing.

However, all this was last discussed such a long time ago it might be good to think again.
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#4

Tom I think you're talking about something different than Peter and I am, but it's too late at night for me to explain in more detail right now.

Jean

#5

Hello Jean,

With LO 3.6, the "automatic" icon set is Tango on all three major o/s
(Windows, Linux, Mac). This means that many (though not all) of the
screenshots in our docs will not match what many users (especially new
users) will see.

I have a OpenSuSE 11.4-System. Default is "Galaxy", not "Tango". Also on
a OpenSuSE 12.1-System. So I have to choose "Tango" separately.

Therefore it is probably time to change our user guides over to the
new icon set and create new screenshots as needed. In many cases, we
will need new screenshots anyway, because of other GUI changes.

What do you think? Should we change to the Tango icon set at this
point, or keep using the Galaxy set?

We should add a hint at the beginning of the user-guide. There should be
shown, how to change the icon-theme and a screenshot with "Galaxy" and
"Tango".
Let us change all chapters, where new screenshots would be made, to
"Tango" - not the whole book. The Geman Base-handbook has about 300
screenshots - I think there is much more to do before changing all this
screenshots.

Robert

#6

Tom, to be specific, the theme you are referring to is the *desktop*
theme, which (as you note) we have tried to specify so screenshots
from different operating systems look similar and is something that
prints well in black and white. This is not the same thing as the
*icon set* or icon "theme" selected in LibreOffice itself. One LO icon
set was specified so everyone's screenshots would show the same icons.
It is only the icon set that we are considering changing at this time
-- nothing to do with the desktop theme. Terminology is too confusing!

--Jean

#7

Hello Jean,

With LO 3.6, the "automatic" icon set is Tango on all three major o/s
(Windows, Linux, Mac). This means that many (though not all) of the
screenshots in our docs will not match what many users (especially new
users) will see.

I have a OpenSuSE 11.4-System. Default is "Galaxy", not "Tango". Also on
a OpenSuSE 12.1-System. So I have to choose "Tango" separately.

Thanks for that information.

Therefore it is probably time to change our user guides over to the
new icon set and create new screenshots as needed. In many cases, we
will need new screenshots anyway, because of other GUI changes.

What do you think? Should we change to the Tango icon set at this
point, or keep using the Galaxy set?

We should add a hint at the beginning of the user-guide. There should be
shown, how to change the icon-theme and a screenshot with "Galaxy" and
"Tango".

Good idea. That can go in the Preface, along with some other info I've
been adding about differences and what things are called.

Let us change all chapters, where new screenshots would be made, to
"Tango" - not the whole book. The Geman Base-handbook has about 300
screenshots - I think there is much more to do before changing all this
screenshots.

I agree. Changing screenshots when nothing else has changed is IMO a
lower priority than other work.

Hmmm.... you mention a German Base handbook. Any chance of getting
that translated into English?

--Jean

#8

Hello Jean,

Hmmm.... you mention a German Base handbook. Any chance of getting
that translated into English?

There is an English project, too.
The German Base-handbook has been created during 3 month at the
beginning of this year. I have created the content, other person have
had a look at the layout and so on.
The English project is planned in another way - and needs a little bit
longer to create a whole bool in this way.

For translating a text from German to English I can't speak and wirte
Enlish good enough (my teachers would have said: "Horrible!").

At this moment one person will translate the book from German version to
French version.

I think ist could be a good idea - when the English base-handbook is
completed - to get a new version with all the good content of both.

The German version will be update to the end of the year, because there
are many links, which aren't shown correct in the global-document, and
some little mistakes in the macro- and the report-chapter.

Here is the link to the Geman handbook:
http://de.libreoffice.org/hilfe-kontakt/handbuecher/
... you have to scoll down a little bit ...

Robert

#9

Hi :slight_smile:
Quite.  There are plenty of different objectives that a Base handbook could have.  I think that is one of the problems with writing one, especially the "1st one".  So, it's great to see one is already out there and translating it might be a good plan.

Then there is just a question of where to put them on the interantional/English (US) wiki.  It might be easier to give them better names after they are done.  Base 1 and Base 2 might work for the short-term? 
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#10

Comment inline:

Jean Weber wrote:

Hello Jean,

With LO 3.6, the "automatic" icon set is Tango on all three major o/s
(Windows, Linux, Mac). This means that many (though not all) of the
screenshots in our docs will not match what many users (especially new
users) will see.

I have a OpenSuSE 11.4-System. Default is "Galaxy", not "Tango". Also on
a OpenSuSE 12.1-System. So I have to choose "Tango" separately.

Thanks for that information.

Therefore it is probably time to change our user guides over to the
new icon set and create new screenshots as needed. In many cases, we
will need new screenshots anyway, because of other GUI changes.

What do you think? Should we change to the Tango icon set at this
point, or keep using the Galaxy set?

We should add a hint at the beginning of the user-guide. There should be
shown, how to change the icon-theme and a screenshot with "Galaxy" and
"Tango".

Good idea. That can go in the Preface, along with some other info I've
been adding about differences and what things are called.

       I also agree. Instructions for how to change the icon-theme are important. I remember a post to the LO mailing list (global.libreoffice.org) complaining about the "horrible icons" when they were changed from galaxy.

--Dan

#11

A translation from the German book could be called "Base Handbook".

Where to put the English version? I can think of no reason not to put
it on the same wiki page as the other user guides, in the Base
section.

--Jean

#12

Hi :slight_smile:
Ok, i can add a little section to the end of the wiki jic anyone finds time to work on it.  I do prefer the name you suggested.  Handbook rather than Guide :slight_smile:
Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

#13

Hi :slight_smile:
Gary :)  The lists have changed so that you need to do "Reply to all" now instead of just "Reply".  It's a bit of a pita but mostly people have just about stopped grumbling now.

So galaxy isbn't the default!  lol

Regards from
Tom :slight_smile:

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