[ubuntu-studio-devel] Menu Layout

[Len Ovens]

On Tue, 19 May 2015, Kaj Ailomaa wrote:

> Here's the feature definition page for ubuntustudio-menu
> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/UbuntuStudio/FeatureDefinitions/UbuntuStudioMenu

Thank you

> In the proposal for the 15.10 menu..

> CHANGES:
> * I renamed sub-category "audio processing" to "effects", which seemed
> like a more common name (I think Len already suggested this as well)
> * I renamed sub-category "sound generators" to "instruments", for the
> same reason

OK

> * Photography was moved to be a sub-category to graphics, which is more
> in line with freedesktop categorization

While this makes sense. If photography is made a sub menu of graphics then 
someone working in photography will have to go to a sub menu for almost 
everything. So putting photography in graphics to me means a merge rather 
than a sub menu.

> * Publishing was moved to be a sub-category to grahics, for the same
> reason

Again this makes sense except for the other suggestion of putting CD/DVD 
authoring tools in with publishing then might make these tools hard to 
find.

> ADDITIONS:
> * "Audio Utlities" was suggested by Len - Not a freedesktop category ( I
> would also like to see which desktop files will go in there)

It would probably include a lot of what is in mixers now and possibly that 
is the submenu/categories that need work. A working mixer such as 
non-mixer or idjc or mixxx do not really need a submenu/category. But ALSA 
controls for various cards might make more sense. So maybe our mixers sub 
menu is named wrong.

> Why I don't want to add categories "sequencer", "recorder" to the main
> category "audio", all though they are freedesktop categories is simply
> because very few applications are only doing those things. Perhaps if we
> add a category for DAW, it would also make more sense to use sequencer
> and recorder for applications that are not DAWs in the same fashion.

At least two DAWs are using "AudioEditer" now.

> "Video" is not regarded as a big category for some reason. There are no
> sub categories for that, other than perhaps "recorder" and "player",
> which are the same for both "audio" and "video". Do we need more
> categories here?
>
> Categories are fine, but they also need to fill a practical purpose. If
> only one desktop file in all of Ubuntu repo ends up in a subcategory,
> there is probably no reason to have it in our menu - that is what the
> main categories are for. That said, it's probably better we add more
> than less, and then judge by the result which can be removed later.

I agree, we don't need lots of categories, but a split between creation 
and playback/viewing would be very nice. Also, a solid split between audio 
and video. The practical purpose in the end is to be able to organize 
things so that not too many applications end up in one menu. So far Audio 
seems to be the worst one for too many applications.



--
Len Ovens
www.ovenwerks.net