Scoping the UI changes for 2.0

Ian Clatworthy ian.clatworthy at internode.on.net
Fri Apr 17 04:33:23 BST 2009


Having opened the can of worms w.r.t. "how should we change
the 2.0 UI?", let me clarify my objectives and how I see the
process working.

Objectives:

1. Improve the alignment between our UI and the ways we
   recommend to use Bazaar.

2. Open the discussion about how things might look one day.

3. Ship 2.0 on time (i.e. when the new format is production
   ready and the default).

Let me stress #3. Unless there is a *compelling* reason to
expand scope and *unanimous* agreement by all to do it,
2.0 needs to ship on time.

Steps:

1. Throw some ideas out there for debate and get all of us
   thinking about root causes to existing UI issues.

2. Collect the feedback and classify the suggestions into
   categories:

   a. Things we should delete.
   b. Defaults we should change.
   c. Things we ought to add.
   d. Documentation we need to rework based on a, b and c.

3. Do the essentials for 2.0, particularly stuff in categories
   a and b.

In summary, think better model-to-UI alignment for 2.0.
"Radical" changes like making colocated branches the default
aren't in scope for 2.0 (if I have any say) *but* are certainly
in scope for "how might things look one day".

So thanks to everyone for their input so far. Please keep those
ideas and opinions flowing. We aren't going to make radical
UI changes in 2.0 but we are going to take the opportunity,
within timeboxed constraints, to clean some things up and
streamline others. Furthermore, we're looking to proceed along
the path to goodness (whatever that is), rather than paper over
issues, though a *small* amount of the latter may be warranted
in selected cases.

Does that make sense?

Ian C.



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