[sugar] naming

[Yamandu Ploskonka]

<snip>
>  I hope that this naming
> problem (lack of naming, lack of tagging, laborious naming process,
> poor default names, buggy name updates, etc.) can be nearly if not
> completely cleared up in the next major release.
>
> - Eben
>   

I appreciate your agreement as to easier to use alternatives.

I am afraid that part (or the origin?) of the naming/tagging problem is 
philosophical / ideological / aesthetic.

There is a major current of "icons only" confectioners :-), folks who 
believe the typical user  is illiterate, that cannot read text 
accompanying the icons, i.e pre-schoolers.  Or they suppose localization 
will be easier, as icons don't need translation?  Or is it just the look 
of the thing overriding its use?

Then there's those of us who believe in usability and shout "fertilizer" 
to cutesy-pooh post-modern fashion statements that block actual 
results.  (oh my, I will be tagged for flaming...)

Anyway, another one:  a NEED (yes, I mean to shout it) is that 'file' 
names or whatever you call them BY DEFAULT carry the author / child / 
machine ID, so that when that file ends up in the teacher's machine, he 
can figure out which one of the 35 'Write Activity' that were submitted 
is Roberto's. 

Now, this is one of the serious, serious missing links when it comes to 
using the XOs for actual schoolwork.  Teachers assign homework.  Kids do 
it.  In a contemporary-ideal setup :-( these pieces of work are sent to 
the teacher for evaluation.  This has maybe a 50-50 chance of working if 
the teacher can follow up and figure who's who.  Otherwise, it will 
never fly.  (oh yes, the /untrained/ teacher could train kids to name 
and tag files)

Yes yes, in an _ideal_ world teachers do not evaluate schoolwork...

Another religious issue there, should XOs be used for contemporary 
schoolwork?

Yama

>   
>> Could we have some of that, please? and be able to see the name of an
>> Activity at least when the mouse hovers, if not even better right there
>> under the icon?  Yes, usabilitity criteria should be more important than
>> the minimalist look, which is a rather empty artistic statement rather
>> than a practical, useful design decision.
>>
>> Since we're at it, let also be plainly visible with a plain old number
>> which is which of the 3 circles that represent the mesh networks.  That
>> would save some useless hovering around when several kids are trying to
>> get on the same one.
>>     
>