Gnome-app-install: User interface issues with post-install dialog.

[Dylan McCall]

Binary package hint: gnome-app-install

After installing an application with gnome-app-install, a dialog appears saying "New application has been installed".

However, this dialog is flawed in two respects.

The dialog displays two options: To continue adding / removing applications, or to quit the program. However, the button to quit the program is improperly using the stock gtk-close label. In GNOME, Close is associated with closing a window or a document, whereas Quit is associated with actually quitting the application. As user may click that button expecting to close the dialog and return to the program, but actually quitting the program. The Close button should be replaced with the stock Quit widget.

Before the dialog appears, the program regenerates its package list (checking installed and available applications). In doing so, it wastes valuable time, since one of the options is to quit the program entirely. In fact, it is the more common action for one to quit the program after his selection of packages is installed!
To solve this, the dialog should appear immediately after the installer is finished; the package list should be refreshed only if the user chooses to continue using the program!

[Dylan McCall (dylanmccall)]

Okay, here is a patch using the original source files for gnome-app-install to change to the stock Quit button. Also added the stock Apply icon for "Apply Changes" in window_main, to solve a similar bug that I filed.
Sorry, the diff is pretty darn ugly.

[Dylan McCall (dylanmccall)]

Sorry about filing two bugs in one, by the way. That was lazy of me!

A peak at the source code (and an attempt to rearrange it, resulting in breakage) tells me that updating the package list after installing is indeed necessary. It would be good if this did not require a costly update to the entire list, but my original thought that it would be a simple fix is clearly incorrect. As long as I know it's there for a reason, I will put up with it ;)

[Dylan McCall (dylanmccall)]

That first patch had a problem, both with the patch itself and with the file it eventually created. This one should have a mnemonic that works, which is correctly linked to the button from its contained "Apply Changes" label. I am not well versed on how translations work here, but a glance at the .po files tells me it should just magically keep working.

Unfortunately, diff hates me. (Either that or it simply cannot figure out xml files). Because of that, it is impossible to apply the patch without a file identical to the one I already have. Thus, I may as well send it as a glade file! Maybe someone else, better at creating patches, can make one for this :)

Sorry about the clumsiness here. It would be great to have this little adjustment in Gutsy. Another thing I noticed, while looking at the po files, is that the Apply Changes string does not seem to be translated into many languages! Without an icon, the text on its own cannot be universally understood.

[Sebastian Heinlein (glatzor)]

The Applay Changes button behaves more than an OK button, so I would not use the apply icon.

The translations get merged into the language packs. But you are right the translations shipped in the source code could be updated.

You are right about the close button.

I would recommend to use bzr in the future to keep track of your changes.