Message Indicator: Opt-in or Opt-out

[Scott Kitterman]

On Wed, 30 Sep 2009 10:41:30 -0400 Yuriy Kozlov <yuriy.kozlov at gmail.com> 
wrote:
>On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 10:17 AM, Scott Kitterman <ubuntu at kitterman.com> 
wrote:
>> It was my understanding from the last Kubuntu meeting that the decision 
was
>> the we would provide the message indicator widget on the panel by default
>> because there are non-KDE apps in the repository that have been patched 
to
>> unconditionally expect and indicator to be present, but that we would not
>> enable indicator support in Kubuntu desktop apps and let users opt-in.
>>
>> I am checking this because at least Kmail defaults to on (even for 
upgrades).
>> See https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/kdepim/+bug/439333
>>
>> Before I 'fix' this, I wanted to check and make sure my understanding of 
the
>> decision was correct.
>>
>> Scott K
>
>I guess I missed this meeting, but I think it's silly to have the
>indicator there and apps patched but have the functionality disabled.
>I think it should either be all enabled, or all off, but I guess it's
>been decided.  I also think it's a bug if an app expects some applet
>to be there and crashes otherwise -- is that the case for these
>non-KDE apps?

They don't crash, they just don't provide functionality that would 
duplicate that of the presumed to be their indicator.  This is poor design, 
but not something we can particularly change.

Of the three options, no indicator at all, indicator and apps off, or 
indicator and apps on, this approach is, in some respects, the oddest, but 
is a reasonable compromise between those who want to stick with KDE 
upstream and those who want the indicator.

I don't want to rehash the decision though, just make sure I understand 
what it was.

Scott K