Re: [Tails-dev] Removing the clock applet from the desktop

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Author: intrigeri
Date:  
To: The Tails public development discussion list
Subject: Re: [Tails-dev] Removing the clock applet from the desktop
Hi Kevin,

sorry for not getting back at you before. See comments below.

Kevin C. Krinke wrote (20 Sep 2013 16:36:33 GMT) :
> Would it be better to have just a very simple clock for tails that does
> exactly what we want? Perhaps spec'd as follows:


> * Shows time in the boot-configured zone
> * Only shows the time, date and timezone (no weather or other fanciness)
> * Configurable to show just time or just date, default both.
> * [Optional] Have a tool-tip / note that states everything else in Tails
>    is UTC except for this clock applet?


> I'm sure I could cook one up relatively quick and I'd be willing to
> maintain it for as long as Tails needs it.


This would be awesome, and I do encourage you to implement this.

Minor comments:

* I would keep it simple, stupid, and not allow any configuration of
the display (apart of the timezone itself, obviously).

* As I see it, the configuration would be saved in
~/.config/tails/timezone; then, a new persistence preset
(available in the persistence configuration assistant) could allow
to make ~/.config/tails/ persistent.

* I'm unsure if the configuration would be better added to the
greeter, or done via a right-click on the applet itself. We could
ask some UX experts. But anyway, an initial implementation doesn't
have to provide any GUI to edit ~/.config/tails/timezone yet, so
that's not a blocker at this point.

* Displaying the timezone doesn't seem that useful to me, given the
user has selected it themselves.

* I don't see much use in the suggested tooltip. If you feel like it,
I'm happy to see you add it, but this certainly shouldn't be
a blocker: we have design documentation for advanced users who are
interested in technical details. But perhaps I missed a good reason
for it?

* You'll want to make sure the applet works both with current Tails
(Squeeze, GNOME2) and future Tails (Wheezy, GNOME3 in fallback
mode). If you prefer to focus on only one to start with, better
target Wheezy/GNOME3 directly.

* Memory consumption will be something to consider, when choosing
a programming language and associated toolkits (e.g. if you're going
Perl, and want some modern OO loveliness, please go Moo instead of
Moose -- no idea about other languages).

Cheers,
--
intrigeri
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