[ubuntu-studio-devel] Our Set of Freedesktop Categories, WAS:Re: Feature Definition Discussion: Multimedia Application Categorization

[Len Ovens]

On Tue, 23 Jun 2015, Set Hallstrom wrote:

> Actualy, maybe it's a good idea. I was looking closer at the graphics
> software list and these seem like good candidate for a X-GraphicsUtility
> category :
>
> Ristretto (viewer)
> Entangle (wireless camera management)
> Rapid Photo Downloader (memory card/ management)
> Phatch Image inspektor (batch foto processing)
> Phatch PHoto bATCH processor (batch foto processing)

It would seem that if these go into utility, there is no longer any need 
for a photography cataegory as it would have less applications than 
utility.

The first three I would not call utility in the same way I would not call 
Audacity a utility. Entangle, for someone who is doing stop motion video,
becomes their major recording application. I have seen similar apps used 
by portrait photographers. The word utility can be far reaching to the 
point the computer itself is a utility and everything on it.

The idea is to bring order to the menu and to application searches by 
presenting the user with a smaller more focused group of applications. 
This can go too far to the point where the application the user is looking 
for is effectively hidden. This is one of the reasons I personally do not 
like Unity and other search based application starters. My search terms 
rarely put the application I am looking for on the screen.

I think it is important to look at these from a workflow POV too. If a 
utility/accessory gets constant use as part of the workflow, maybe 
sub-catagorizing it no longer makes sense.

--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net