User Interface changes? What do you think?

[PhilBurton]

As a newcomer to Photo Supreme I'm still learning about all the feautures, and for me that involves a lot of just "experimenting" with the user interface options and settings. I find that the difference between the UI in Photo Supreme and the standard Window 7 UI makes it harder for me than might be the case otherwise to learn about all the features and options.

So I'm asking everyone this: Would you prefer that the Photo Supreme UI colors, dialog boxes, etc, be the same all the other applications on your system, including Explorer and other built-in parts of Windows. If you don't like the defaults, you can change them but the changes will be consistent throughout your system.

I have no real experience with Macs, so all I can ask here is if you would like to see the same change.

If there is enough support for this idea, then I will submit it to Mantis, with this thread in support.

I don't mean this thread to be a pile-on for every other issue, large or small.

Phil Burton

[andrew.heard]

Personally there are a bunch of issues already in Mantis, large and small, some from ages ago, some more recent, that have never been actioned, but that I would prefer effort be put into. Having spent a lot of time trying to write useful Mantis issues over the years I generally don't bother anymore because very few have moved to implementation. Don't get me wrong, PSu is a brilliant product, entering into the mature phase, where most changes are probably not going to make much difference to most people.

[vlad]

Phil,

You may be disappointed, but I like the PSU interface as it is. I don't mind at all that it stands out compared to other applications - that could even be a plus, in my book. Would I still like (perhaps, even more so) a radically different interface? Maybe. I am not one against change(s). But, given that Photos Supreme works on different platforms (including different Mac and Windows versions), if I were its developer I would certainly find the development and maintaining of multiple interfaces (with native look-and-feels) a needless headache and losing proposition.

Bottom line, I am in favor of a common interface across platforms, which goes against the proposal. (Now, if IdImager enters the mobile app market - and I hope it does, in some way, shape or form - that opens a whole different discussion on a bunch of things, interface included.)

Andrew,

I agree with you on treating some of the existing Mantis tickets as higher priority. It has also been my impression that the pace of updates has somewhat slowed down - we can only hope that Hert will suprise us in the near feature with a major update or brand new version. Yes, PSU is entering a mature phase, but the potential for meaningful improvements (and even major evolution) is still there.

[Mike Buckley]

Phil,

My guess is that your learning curve is slowed down far more by the lack of documentation and incomplete Tip system than by the look of the user interface. The look of all of my photo software is different from the rest of my software and I think that's because photos are best displayed in the context of a background that is different from my other software. In summary, I would be against a major change to the look of the interface.

[Mke]

The interface is certainly quirky, and experimentation is required, but personally I found it quick and easy to learn - hopefully you will too, Phil! That said, I could see that extending the menu system could make it more appealing to new users. And it could benefit from an updated (or choice of) color scheme / skin.
My priority, however, would be in resolving a number of inconsistencies in the interface and the way that certain actions are handled, most of which are already documented in Mantis.

[tstoddard]

Phil,

I have to agree with what the others have said. I find the interface to be extremely intuitive given the complexity that it manages on the back end. I had commented early on about the lack of a more extensive menu system that includes access to all of the main functionality and would still welcome such and enhancement but other than that, I don't don't find the interface to be so different from other Windows applications that it is difficult to use. In fact, the direction Microsoft is taking with Windows is going to take us all further away from that comfortable old look and feel that I sometimes long for. The fact that Hert was able to create a cross-platform interface that works as well as it does is impressive.

Furthermore, I agree with the statements about mantis issues. There are so many that have not been addressed that adding more seems a little futile. I would much prefer to see issues related to the main functionality of Photo Supreme to be addressed before any UI enhancements. For example, there are issues related to the metadata that gets written to files based on label and global configuration. The concept of labels and using them to manage metadata in files is central to PSU. There are issues related to that I would much rather have Hert focusing on than enhancements in the look and feel of the program.

[Preston B]

I think the UI in PSu is fine as it is. I also agree with the fact that PSu works cross-platform, and across many different OS versions is an impressive feat: kudos to Hert!

...I agree with the statements about mantis issues. There are so many that have not been addressed that adding more seems a little futile. I would much prefer to see issues related to the main functionality of Photo Supreme to be addressed before any UI enhancements.

+1, here.

--P

[Hert]

PSU is currently more popular than ever (also notice that we broke the most visitors ever here on the forum just recently). Keeping the product as stable as possible is my nr 1 focus now and that can't be achieved by adding all sorts of changes (regardless if they're improvement s or not). The next major update will be for the Server edition to bring more business features to it. Apart from that regular small maintenance releases will be made. Mantis tickets with requests are registered and ready to be used when the time is right. Right now the product is at its maturing stage and needs to become rock solid. I'm convinced that the last small releases made leaps in that area.

[PhilBurton]

Thanks guys. I guess I should not pursue this issue further.

Phil

[Mike Buckley]

Keeping the product as stable as possible is my nr 1 focus now and that can't be achieved by adding all sorts of changes (regardless if they're improvement s or not).

Expressing that philosophy is extremely reassuring to me. I hate when making a change to one area, whether or not I perceive it as an improvement, causes something else to go wrong in another area.

[vlad]

@Hert:
Many thanks for your explanations, which are reassuring to me as well. Writing from time to time this kind of informal insights and updates goes a long way towards reinforcing customer trust. (I value stability too and I can patiently wait for fixes and goodies, as long as we get some reassuring that there are other priorities at play, or good reasons for a longer update cycle.)

Good luck with the work on the Server edition and I'm looking forward to more updates and good news in the future!

Regards,
Vlad

[HaraldE]

Morning,

I would place Stability and Enhanced Functionality well before a changed User Interface. As a PSU user since IDI days I am very happy with the product and how to manage it.
Yes, there are changes to the UI which I would wellcome but they are minor and no real show-stopper.
If I made a list of my most wanted PSU changes, UI changes would be few (if any).

Regards, Harald