Re: [Scid-users] some basic proposals.

[Pascal Georges]

(please note to post at scid-users@lists.sourceforge.net, not
scid-users-...@lists.sourceforge.net)

2009/1/13 Roger Jargoyhen <rjargoy...@gmail.com>

>
>  Hi,
>
>
>  I am a very happy new French Scid user even if I am far from young. I
> have been using intensively version 3.6.26 of Scid compiled on Ubuntu for
> some weeks now. The 3.6.26 version is a marked improvement in usability. I
> only regret a more mind catching version number has not been chosen. It
> would have deserved a full 3.7, may be a version 4 number.
>

The first number in the version (3.x.x) is mandatory to show the format of
the bases. If the bases were updated to a new binary format, then and only
then a "4" major number would be used.


> You really have to work with it to learn how much work and improvements
> have been brought onboard. Thanks for it.
>
>
>  I would like to present you some modest proposals to try to improve a
> little the usability or the look of Scid.  They are here, without any
> particular order. These proposals have been made from the user side only. I
> have no idea how practical or easy it could be to implement them and I
> apologize for it.
>
> 1. Change the icon.
>
> The Scid icon is ugly and not chess related so why keep it?. I added for
> myself a new icon as a mimetype  to my .si3 files, and also changed the
> basic and ugly Scid icon. I do not know however if this new icon is free of
> rights. But it does not seem too difficult to improve on the existing one.
> Here is an image as an example.
>
> [url=
> http://pix.nofrag.com/1/0/9/ca692adb147f1501e10e039bf140e.html][img]http://pix.nofrag.com/1/0/9/ca692adb147f1501e10e039bf140e.png[/img][/url<http://pix.nofrag.com/1/0/9/ca692adb147f1501e10e039bf140e.html%5D%5Bimg%5Dhttp://pix.nofrag.com/1/0/9/ca692adb147f1501e10e039bf140e.png%5B/img%5D%5B/url>
> ]
>

I am personally used to current icon, but if someone wants to organize a
contest....


>  2. Window list of games.  Change the place of the ladder.
>
> It will soon be possible to look at this window fullscreen. I would also
> suggest to take this opportunity to place the ladder on the right, which is
> the usual expected place instead of the lower part of the window which is a
> little counter-intuitive.
>

This window is often larger than tall. Putting the scrollbar at the bottom
eases its use (it is wider, so more precise).


>  3. PGN Window. Switch background colour for plies.
>
> Current ply has a blue background. Next ply has a yellow background.
>
> Maybe it's only me, but I can't help looking first at the next ply due to
> the colour and find it disturbing.  I would suggest to switch the two
> background colours, i.e. select yellow for current and blue for next. Or
> I'll be happy to learn how to do it.
>

I will see if I can make it user configurable.


>  4. Add balloon help to the icons on the main window.
>
> These icons are a bit cryptic. I would suggest giving the possibility of
> switching on a kind of "balloon help" or commented mode, giving at least the
> name or purpose of the icon. I think it would make the main window more
> friendly for beginners.
>

When the mouse is over an icon, an explanation is given in the status bar.


>  5. Bookmarks menu. Add a pop-up on delete.
>
> This menu is so useful that I use it all the time. It gives the user a lot
> of interesting possibilities. When somebody peruses the same database during
> several sessions, after working on it, he usually erases the old bookmark
> and creates a new one.  Usually, it does so on leaving the database.
>
> I would suggest this:
>
> I suppose I ask to create a bookmark of database Alpha -game 65. It happens
> I already have a bookmark of database Alpha -game 34.
>
> Then, a pop-up window appears and propose me to delete the old bookmark of
> database Alpha :  Yes or No ?
>
> Ideally, the pop-up would only appear if there is an old bookmark of the
> same database.
>
> It would add some simplicity and natural to the use of bookmarks..
>

Deleting a bookmark is a simple task with nearly no risk (no loss of data).
The user should not make such error. More important would be to confirm the
deletion of variations, moves, etc...


>  6. Bin books. What for? Offer a real "opening book".
>
> I wasted some time to learn how to use .bin books, how to make one using
> polyglot, just to realize that they provided only scant statistical
> information and that the "good"opening book for me was just the tree window
> of a well chosen and locked database with a fixed font.
>
> I think this will uselessly confuse beginners. I would advise to suppress
> these bin books and provide the beginner with a basic opening window menu
> where at the same time he selects a database, locks it and use it as a true
> opening database. Of course, a fixed font should also be automatically
> selected.
>

Books have their own usage. They certainly should not be removed.

Pascal Georges

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