Kubuntu Website Sprint

Sat Feb 28 10:59:38 UTC 2015

Please use the reply to all function from now on.

I'm sending this so the Mail list can keep track of our conversation.

În ziua de Sîm 28 Feb 2015, la 10:28:01, Paweł Abramowicz a scris:
> Ugh, whole University district is out of electricity. I'll notify you when
> I get anything to power my laptop and connect it to the Internet.
> 28 lut 2015 02:45 "Paweł Abramowicz" <pawelabrams at gmail.com> napisał(a):
> 
> > A video chat is fine, I'm available from 11:00 UTC to 16:00 UTC (12-17
> > CET) with a 15 min break around 14 UTC to get back home from job (which is
> > of wait-until-something-breaks-administration, so yes, I can accept calls
> > during work). I prefer Skype and web-based technologies; as you are a GMail
> > user, too, we can talk via Google Hangouts, or just determine details there.
> >
> > I haven't mentioned that, but I would rather use Breeze
> > (plasma-next-icons) where available - and seek/ask for fitting icons for
> > where we can't choose one of them. It just adds to the consistency with
> > general look and feel with the system, which is a good thing - you can
> > always tell if you're on Kubuntu website, if it looks as Kubuntu itself.
> > Another reason is that the prospective user can determine if they like the
> > default UI or they should start looking for customisations as soon as they
> > start download ;)
> >
> > Oh, and I forgot to say I've developed themes for Wordpress, so anything I
> > present as a sketch can be made into a Worpress theme; maybe without the
> > shiny admin panel where you can change almost everything, but certainly a
> > good integration with all the needed options can be done.
> >
> > 2015-02-28 0:15 GMT+01:00 Ovidiu-Florin BOGDAN <ovidiu.b13 at gmail.com>:
> >
> >>  What would you say we have a Video chat tomorrow and discuss this?
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I've already had a few plans on how to achieve what you've said, bit with
> >> the Advertica Lite theme. There still are a lot of pieces to be put
> >> toghether though.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> I've got a friend of mine do design some new icons and pictures for the
> >> site.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> Tell me when you can meet.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> În ziua de Joi 26 Feb 2015, la 21:50:21, Paweł Abramowicz a scris:
> >>
> >> > Nah, it really *is* "tl".
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > So tl;dr:
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Advertica Lite good for a news site, which might be different from the
> >> main landing site.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Landing site should contain "call-to-action": a simplified way to
> >> download Kubuntu; feature tour should either be a cta or be the main page.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Not included in original message: people scroll more, click less than
> >> before [citation needed, although I've seen some research on this].
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Good examples of distro sites: http://www.ubuntu.com/ ;
> >> http://elementary.io/ ; good for its purposes: https://getfedora.org/ ;
> >> good usability, not quite good design: http://www.linuxmint.com/ (not
> >> incl. in orig.) ; BAD EXAMPLES: https://www.archlinux.org/ ;
> >> https://www.debian.org/ .
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Make it more vivid ( ;) ) by showing a photo with a Kubuntu-running
> >> Linux in a good-looking environment.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > And yeah, I forgot to mention mobiles: instead of call to download -
> >> "let us send you an e-mail with a download link".
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Everything for now, I think.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > 2015-02-26 21:48 GMT+01:00 Paweł Abramowicz <pawelabrams at gmail.com>:
> >>
> >> > Hey,
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > This is Paweł 'Avras' Abramowicz here, the Quintasan's flatmate from
> >> earlier discussion; together with a bunch of my friends we're designing
> >> websites for some time now.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > To add my two pennies worth; I see Advertica Lite as a very refreshing
> >> proposal, but as it is a multi-purpose theme, it would need some serious
> >> tweaking to fit Kubuntu perfectly. Its text pages are really good, and it
> >> would be a neat theme for Kubuntu News, obviously, but rearranging the tour
> >> and main page using Wordpress and Wordpress only (even with theme options,
> >> but without struggling with editing the theme's CSS and PHP) might prove
> >> difficult. I have minor concerns about the parallax, too; it must be done
> >> right to achieve any effect, and not just be a pure decoration – and when
> >> it is, it must be a bit more subtle.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > Browsing through other distros' sites I've observed a few features
> >> worth discussing. I'll drop the links on the end of my e-mail.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > To start with, the first page a potential user sees of Ubuntu [1],
> >> Elementary OS [2] or even Fedora [3] to some extent, are optimised for
> >> newcomers; they have either a feature tour right on the first page, or
> >> there is a big button (or, as marketers say, a Call-To-Action) to download
> >> or see for yourself if you are not yet convinced. Debian [4] tried, but the
> >> only thing they did is a white button, not big enough for a 1366x768
> >> screen, not to mention Full HD ones.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > There is a trend to delegate the news section to a dedicated blog [2n],
> >> [3n]. It might be a fad, but I think it's a good idea, and you can use a
> >> distinct, but similar theme for the blog. I think that's where Advertica
> >> Lite should go, as its typography is perfect, but the landing page is not
> >> convincing enough. A different look for a news site allows for a few
> >> modifications, too; you can expose RSS feed and category listings, and hide
> >> irrelevant options from the menu. The main page and the rest of the site is
> >> mostly about visuals; the news site is all about text.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > The question if Advertica Lite won't just be maintaining a status quo
> >> in people's reaction (except from the change from "oh, it's old" to "oh,
> >> it's new") is not about what it does right, but about what it doesn't, and
> >> what's wrong that it doesn't avoid. It's basically another do-all news site
> >> without a strong feeling of what you should do next. I know Kubuntu is not
> >> a commercial project, and we don't need to bait people into buying
> >> anything, but it would be beneficial even for a veteran user to have a
> >> visual cue to locate the download button; the download process itself
> >> should be straight-forward and amount of clicks needed should be minimised.
> >> A new release, or just a current number of a version the download button
> >> points to, should be easy to spot. The intent of the page – here, we have
> >> the best Linux for both casual and experienced users, that is good for
> >> every environment – should be clear.
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > The bad practices are now easy to point in ArchLinux' site[5] - a KISS
> >> distro that has a reddit-type, complex website, where there is only one
> >> download button, hidden from plain sight. Debian[4] is not good either -
> >> it's engineer's interpretation of good practices in design, that turned out
> >> badly. The 16-colour-palette blue is not a pleasant hue, the download
> >> call-to-action is tiny on Full HD screens, and while the site is
> >> responsive, it is certainly not mobile-friendly (links are densely packed,
> >> the colors are too contrasting and hurt eyes in the long run).
> >>
> >> >
> >>
> >> > To end on a positive note, there are a few features worth using :) The
> >> double menu (static big one in header and fixed top when scrolled down) is
> >> a good idea, but its execution could be a bit better [6]. The header image
> >> is OK, but it can contain a call-to-action within it,
> >>
> >>
> >> --
> >>
> >> Ovidiu-Florin BOGDAN
> >>
> >> GeekAliens.com <http://ovidiu.geekaliens.com>
> >>
> >> Kubuntu România
> >>
> >
> >

*Ovidiu-Florin BOGDAN*
GeekAliens.com[1]
Kubuntu România

--------
[1] http://ovidiu.geekaliens.com
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