Standard Proposal - Exit Application

[Loon]

Standard Proposal - Exit Application

To exit a Pandora application immediately use Alt + F4.

To exit a Pandora application via the applications' menu, press the menu key (or should that be the Pandora key?) then select quit, the option to quit should be the last available option on the menu.

 

[Svartalf]

Standard Proposal - Exit Application

To exit a Pandora application immediately use Alt + F4.

To exit a Pandora application via the applications' menu, press the menu key (or should that be the Pandora key?) then select quit, the option to quit should be the last available option on the menu.

I'd consider this almost a foregone conclusion, but... I'd like to second this motion...

 

[adamorjames]

+1

 

[sehs33]

+1

 

[redstar1949]

+2

 

[cb88]

1+ I thought this was already a given :blink: !?

oops i think i broke the standard +1 notation

 

[Izomiac]

+1

Although I'd suggest not using Alt+F4. IIRC that's used for virtual desktops in Linux. Personally I'd go for Ctrl+Q rather than Alt+F4 for four reasons: 1) Q for quit makes more sense than X, K, C, D, F4, E, S, or T; 2) It's in the corner of the keyboard (mostly); 3) It's next to W, and Ctrl+W is fairly universal for closing tabs; 4) That's the key combo in my favorite OS, so I'm used to it (well close enough, Alt is the default modifier key)

 

[Sphinxter]

Alt - F4 combination should spawn xkill. Had not thought about virtual desktops, does pose a quandry.

 

[Etinin]

+1

Although I'd suggest not using Alt+F4. IIRC that's used for virtual desktops in Linux. Personally I'd go for Ctrl+Q rather than Alt+F4 for four reasons: 1) Q for quit makes more sense than X, K, C, D, F4, E, S, or T; 2) It's in the corner of the keyboard (mostly); 3) It's next to W, and Ctrl+W is fairly universal for closing tabs; 4) That's the key combo in my favorite OS, so I'm used to it (well close enough, Alt is the default modifier key)

Not really. On Linux boxes, the default function (in X11) of alt+F4 is to close programs.
If you're talking about switching between virtual terminals (and possibly acessing the kernel log), then the short cut is ctrl+alt+F{1-12}

 

[Svartalf]

Although I'd suggest not using Alt+F4. IIRC that's used for virtual desktops in Linux.

Incorrect. Ctrl-Alt-F4 selects VT4. Alt-F4 typically kills windows in X11 and causes SDL apps to exit if they're properly implemented.

 

[multiplex]

Not really. On Linux boxes, the default function (in X11) of alt+F4 is to close programs.
If you're talking about switching between virtual terminals (and possibly acessing the kernel log), then the short cut is ctrl+alt+F{1-12}

I've never used a Linux system that didn't use the alt+fX buttons to switch between virtual desktops/workspaces. (Which are different from virtual terminals.)

This is up to the window manager, though, just as the button to close a window, and these are both usually customizable by the user.

Please keep in mind, quitting applications is not a feature unique to the Pandora. I don't think there's a need to take vote on every little UI convention.
And if you for some reason were to meticulously decide by vote every single keyboard shortcut and UI convention especially for the Pandora, alt+F4 is a horrible choice for exiting an application by pretty much any standard.

Not saying that having some kind of recommended HiG can't improve the user experience of a platform, but I don't think this is a very good way to create them.

 

[waffles]

I nominate Alt + f10.

 

[PSyMastR]

How about the delete key!

 

[Loon]

I don't think there's a need to take vote on every little UI convention.

Agreed, but the lack of a standard way of exiting a GP2X application was a real problem, to me anyway.

And if you for some reason were to meticulously decide by vote every single keyboard shortcut and UI convention especially for the Pandora, alt+F4 is a horrible choice for exiting an application by pretty much any standard.

What would you suggest is used to exit an application?

Not saying that having some kind of recommended HiG can't improve the user experience of a platform, but I don't think this is a very good way to create them.

How would you create them?

 

[Tor]

Just to clarify the ALT-F4 vs. ctrl-ALT-F4 combo in Linux: ALT-F4 only selects another virtual terminal if you're in non-GUI mode, i.e. no X server or graphical display. When X is running it uses ctrl-ALT-F4 to switch to another VT (which could be running X too, or just be a non-graphical console).

 

[kloplop321]

How about the delete key!

nah, a single button is a bit risky as it may be by accident.

 

[Oscaruzzo]

"The" standard for user interaction from which all "common practices" are derived (i.e. windows, gnome, kde, macOs, etc), comes from Motif. This is the common ground from where everything started, and it's still interesting, even if almost no one uses motif today. Most "standard" key bindings are defined in the Motif and CDE 2.1 Style Guide which can be found (for example) here. This page should be of particular interest.

 

[multiplex]

What would you suggest is used to exit an application?

Well, the traditional and sane choices are the mnemonics, like ctrl-q, alt-x, command-q, etc., and escape.
Just saying, if one is to create one's own guidelines instead of just following conventions, historical accidents of function key mappings like f10 and alt-f4 aren't worth passing on.

Not saying that having some kind of recommended HiG can't improve the user experience of a platform, but I don't think this is a very good way to create them.

How would you create them?
Good question. I must admit I'm free of any experience here.
Of course, Microsoft and Apple employs dedicated usability experts, and probably run extensive usability tests in lab environments.
More relevant would be how open source projects like Gnome and KDE makes their guidelines. It does seem to be based on community discussion and consensus.
I do think that e.g. common key bindings needs to be looked at as a whole if it's going to be discussed at all.
Ultimately though, I don't really think the Pandora is a large enough project to warrant the large effort involved in creating a 'real' HiG, and if I were to do some effort of standardisation, I'd find some suitable larger project and adapt its guidelines, with a small Pandora-specific supplement.

nah, a single button is a bit risky as it may be by accident.

Well, alt-f4 should be right on target then. Depending on how the keyboard layout ends up, it could be three or four.

 

[atomicthumbs]

Secondary termination mechanism: very small hammer

 

[tazg]

why not just use keyboard and gaming control combinations for "system" commands to avoid conflicting with any application functions? alt+X (on abxy) could close stuff. Wouldn't that be possible?