[GRASS-dev] New splash screen for GRASS GIS 7?

[Michael Barton]

This is an improvement over what we have now.

Commenting on other subsequent posts (a lot happened while I was in the meeting).

We don’t need “Welcome to GRASS GIS” here. We can have that in the splash.
Actually, it would be better visually to have the splash appear first, followed by the startup screen.
My students (experienced GRASS users now) commented on how intimidating the start up screen is.

We probably don’t need the word “project” with “location” both are specific to GRASS in this meaning and along with “mapset” not generally understandable otherwise (which is part of the problem).

Maybe we need to have space for a simple 1,2,3 steps

1. Choose GIS data directory
2. Choose location (projection/coordinate system)
3. Choose mapset (directory of GIS files)

Then we don’t need the same explanation over the control widgets.

OR (note that step 3 is to the right of step 2 as it is now)

Step 1: Choose GIS data directory [text entry control for path]

Step 2: Choose location
(projection/coordinate system)

[list chooser control for location]

Step 3: Choose mapset
(directory of GIS files)

[list chooser control for mapset]

Other stuff below and to right of list choice controls.

Maybe other thoughts on how to improve usability here?

Michael
______________________________
C. Michael Barton
Director, Center for Social Dynamics & Complexity
Professor of Anthropology, School of Human Evolution & Social Change
Head, Graduate Faculty in Complex Adaptive Systems Science
Arizona State University
Tempe, AZ  85287-2402
USA

voice:  480-965-6262 (SHESC), 480-965-8130/727-9746 (CSDC)
fax:          480-965-7671(SHESC), 480-727-0709 (CSDC)
www:  http://csdc.asu.edu, http://shesc.asu.edu
http://www.public.asu.edu/~cmbarton

On Jan 21, 2015, at 10:04 AM, grass-dev-request at lists.osgeo.org<mailto:grass-dev-request at lists.osgeo.org> wrote:

On Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 9:28 AM, Markus Neteler <neteler at osgeo.org<mailto:neteler at osgeo.org>> wrote:
On Wed, Jan 21, 2015 at 11:37 AM, Vincent Bain <bain at toraval.fr<mailto:bain at toraval.fr>> wrote:
> Just for fun, I made a couple of tests there:
> http://www.lesfavrets.fr/telec/grass_splash.tar.gz

Please, have a look at my suggestion in the attachment for welcome/startup screen/window. It contains a graphics but it has small height. Title and whole upper part is changed. Note that it is actually done in code, so it is pretty precise, except for the graphics which was done just quickly. The gray in the background of the image is the one of the window done using transparency so it should always match with the window. Unfortunately, this will fail miserably when somebody has dark window background color or green one (text or logo will be invisible).

I would also like to change some terms used in the startup window. Namely, avoid using ambiguous word "project". If it is not clear, use "GRASS location", otherwise just "location". Same for mapset. We should also let the translators know that location and mapset should not be translated, or translated very carefully. Perhaps also, "Start GRASS" should be replaced by "Start GRASS session" which is something we avoid in documentation but it is quite crucial to understand how it works.

I like the splash with grass in the background. Hopefully, there is enough CC BY images out there.
<grass_startup.png>

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