Scale

[Zoxc]

Hello, I think it's about time I made a thread about Scale. I'm hoping for it to become simple desktop environment for Pandora, but currently only work on an launcher has been done. If everything goes as planned it might expand into a picture viewer, movie player, music player and a file manager. (Notice the might in there )

Scale has a light window framework which currently runs on OpenGL ES 2.0. It has an older SDL backend and an incomplete OpenVG one. I'm hoping to get it to run on the 2D hardware which I hope we will have some driver/interface for sometime soon, without this you won't see any of the fancy animations. I also hope for some very light fullscreen manager which basically just signals whenever an application may use the screen. This gives minimum overhead and gives full access to framebuffer while still retaining multitasking functionallity.

One of the reasons I made this thread is because I couldn't decide on an interface for the launcher. I have mostly been playing with two different designs.

The first design has default state where it simply shows running applications and opens the categories like drawers. (Video 1, Video 2)

The second looks more like Pangea with categories at left. (Video 1 / Rapidshare)

The second design lacks an easy way to show running applications and it doesn't have close/shutdown button. You could put one in the top right corner, but I feel it would blend much with the tray icons. It also might be kinda small to touch with your thumbs.

I also wanted some place to put mounts (SD cards, USB-HDD, etc) for easy access. You could put those left of the power button the the first design and maybe in a category on the second.

So if you have any useful ideas or comments, don't hesitate to post!

 

[nightwheel]

Dang thats beautiful! Looks nearly as nice as the Wiz's GUI.

 

[Pleng]

I like the first one best.

Besides, as you said yourself, the second looks quite a lot like Pangea. No point re-inventing the wheel, ah?

 

[yosh64]

hey

I like both, and I like how ya added a shadow under each of the icons, I think it's a nice touch .

cyas

 

[hells_dark]

Why not work on the same hui you and efegea ?
You seem to have the same tastes.

 

[nickik]

really like the first one looks really cool

 

[Pseudonym]

even though layout 1 is more creative, layout 2 seems more usable with the joysticks instead of the touch screen.

 

[PSyMastR]

Layout 1

 

[DaveC]

The first one has a pretty picture which is why some seem to like it. It doesn't have enough of a grid to select apps though. It looks like you would have to scroll one by one to get to what you want making it near useless (or very slow) for those with more than 10 apps on their card. The huge catagory icons limit how many catagories you can see to again making you have to scroll allot to see what you want. Again only good for those without much on their card. All fluff, but poor useability. I would not put this on my card it looks too cumbersome to use.

The second one looks far more useable. Add a pretty picture of a chair in the background for the eye candy lovers and you will convince them too :rolleyes: It looks like this is much better for use with a d-pad which is nice, I wouldn't want to be required to pull out the stylus every time I need to run something, or finger up my screen with pizza paws. Fingerprint mess screen is no go. People have to remember that fumbling with a stylus is not always convenient. This kind of looks like a Gmenu type interface that is sideways.

 

[dentrado]

The first one has a pretty picture which is why some seem to like it. It doesn't have enough of a grid to select apps though. It looks like you would have to scroll one by one to get to what you want making it near useless (or very slow) for those with more than 10 apps on their card.

have you seen the videos? When you click a category you get a grid much like the one on the second picture.

Edit: Look at video 2.

 

[Clean3d]

I like the second one better, as it seems to have a more consistent layout design. You might consider the right/left handedness of the interface, though, as right-handed individuals will currently be reaching over and covering the screen to click on the selection menu.

Great work! I wouldn't mind using this on my Pandora

 

[sindbad]

I don't really get why people try so hard to get rid of X11, but if the drivers allow it this thing could become useful.

 

[Squidge]

I don't really get why people try so hard to get rid of X11, but if the drivers allow it this thing could become useful.

specially since its looking like using X11 will be faster and offer more features than using the frame buffer (as well as all the other advantages of a windowing system).

 

[dentrado]

I don't really get why people try so hard to get rid of X11, but if the drivers allow it this thing could become useful.

You can run this on X11, I want something like this mostly because it's designed for a small screen, for easy navigation (and for the eyecandy).

 

[adamorjames]

Really nice! The first one. 7/5

 

[Username]

I think that you should make the 'you are currently running' section have a scrollbar, as you might have quite a few apps going. Instead of having the bottom part have those pop-up menus, turn it into a quick launch and instead have a 'menu' button that opens up something similar to the second concept.

 

[DaveC]

The first one has a pretty picture which is why some seem to like it. It doesn't have enough of a grid to select apps though. It looks like you would have to scroll one by one to get to what you want making it near useless (or very slow) for those with more than 10 apps on their card.

have you seen the videos? When you click a category you get a grid much like the one on the second picture.

Edit: Look at video 2.

Yeah it looks like you will need to use the touchscreen or analog to select things though. If you have ever used analog selection with a stick you will find it is cumbersome.

Whatever is done it should be configueable to use a d-pad like in Gmenu as well. Something like shoulder buttons to select catagory, d-pad to navigate grid.

 

[Zoxc]

Current the first design uses the shoulder buttons and the D-pad to navigate. (or more correctly the A and D button and some arrow keys )

If the categories is too few I could add some scrolling to fit more, but you might loose the overview too quickly...

I had a plan to remove the text and buttons and use some fancy horizontal selection of the running application. That would leave some space on top for quick access to mounts, power, a calender or something.

For the second design you could open that launcher from a default state and add a back button below the categories. That default state could show running and/or recently used applications.

I have two ideas for task switching both which could be triggered by pressing the bar at top or the menu button. You would then be switched to the desktop where you would have a list of running applications or you could have a more matchbox like approach where a list of running application would pop up, only fullscreen with return to desktop and close/terminiate buttons.

 

[lippy]

I like both of them, can't decide which one I prefer though.
I don't know if your project encompasses this, but I think one thing that I think could be useful, would be a search bar (similar to the default one in Vista or Beagle in Linux). With the pandora we have a full qwerty keypad making it easy to type, and once you fill up your 2 sd cards full of apps & files, it would make life easier just typing the 1st few letters , and then clicking on the app/file afterwards.

 

[nimnimnim]

I'd vote for something like the first one but more panels. like rollable tab rows? rolling them quickly like with the mouse wheel over firefox tab row (atleast it does in 5.0). problem with handy scrolling on a stylus though :/

why not make every icon context into another scrollable row panel?
one row for active tasks, another for tray, system specs etc, another for installed apps, user addable ones for specific folders etc... one for text input field to put shit quickly into terminal?
sort of like an abstract artwork of cool rows that can scroll and the active one can expand and collapse vertically to show more or less information with a bare icon as minimum?

fantasising after looking at your bottom icon row panel

about second I usually can't stand 2D GUI listings so I'd pass there :U

looking mighty fine aesthetically btw