Fix issues with System Preferences

[TheForkOfJustice]

I've noticed a few problems with 'About Us' and 'Appearance' applets in System>Preferences

1) About Us becomes useless after you completely remove Evolution so why bother have it around?
2) 'Appearence' has a 'Visual Effects' tab that remains after you remove Compiz.

Suggested fix:

1) Merge the 'capplets-data' package with the 'gnome-control-center' package and then seperate each utility application ('About Us', 'Sound', 'Keyboard', 'Appearance', etc) into individual packages by their function/icon.
2) Remake gnome-control-center to only load icons for installed utility programs. I suggest adding an XML file to each individual package that will act much like a .desktop file containing a link to the program and it's icon. The new gnome-control-center will read these files which are all in a pre-defined directory and load them as they are present when gnome-control-center is run.
3) Make the 'About Us' package dependent on Evolution (as it should be) and SEPERATE IT from gnome-control-center and instead make it a recommend of Evolution.
4) Do not make gnome-control-panel dependent on any of these system configuration utilities (use them as recommends instead)
5) Seperate the 'Visual Effects' tab into its own utility seperate from 'Appearance'. I believe this is a compiz-related so it becomes pointless if you remove compiz, therefore it should be REMOVED when compiz is. Make sure it becomes a depend (or recommend?) of compiz.

I think that's everything I intended to say here. I just hope it is in the right forum!

[smartboyathome]

1) See below

2) I don't like the idea of having gnome-control-center use icons only. The whole reason I use it is because it has icons AND text for quick look up with the search on the side. Instead, I think it should be integrated with all the other tools in the preferences and system menus.

5) This is how it was in Feisty, and all I have to say is no. I don't want another thing in the preference menu, as it is already cluttered enough. Maybe just have it remove the tab when compiz isn't installed?

[TheForkOfJustice]

1) See below

2) I don't like the idea of having gnome-control-center use icons only. The whole reason I use it is because it has icons AND text for quick look up with the search on the side. Instead, I think it should be integrated with all the other tools in the preferences and system menus.

I never said anything about just having icons or getting rid of the quick search feature.

What I'm saying is that the whole button will be gone unless the package containing the utility is installed. Currently, the whole gnome-control-center panel is static and will have a button there no matter if the utility is installed or not. I just outlined a method that would create buttons depending on which utilities are installed.


5) This is how it was in Feisty, and all I have to say is no. I don't want another thing in the preference menu, as it is already cluttered enough. Maybe just have it remove the tab when compiz isn't installed?

That may be easier said than done. Re-writing the panel to drop only that tab on a certain condition would be complex and ultimately too much work.

While I agree that the menu is cluttered, giving 'Visual Effects' its own seperate utility may be the best way to go.

Of course they could create subfolders that divided up the entries by type, like what was done for the 'Accessability'. That would reduce a lot of clutter.

[kakaroth]

That may be easier said than done. Re-writing the panel to drop only that tab on a certain condition would be complex and ultimately too much work.


maybe the best way is to prevent the selection of "Normal" and "Extra" option when compiz is uninstalled.
More simple!