February 2012 - month of Weight Loss - RealWorld forums

RealWorld applications have been here for almost 7 years now and all this time they have grown and grown. If this trend continues, they will become fat and slow and hard to maintain and use. Time for a diet.

It is the dreaded software bloat I fear. I am not saying RealWorld tools are bloated right now, but there is a risk. Software authors usually have a very hard time removing something that cost them effort to create. And so I need feedback from the actual users.

Please let me know (via PM, email or reply to this post) which functions of RealWorld tools you find the least useful and would not miss them if they disappeared in the future.

<< January 2012 - month of Bug Squashing

I'm not glad to say this, but in order to help…

I find that the least useful tools are the DrawTool.ERASER_PENCIL();, the DrawTool.ERASER_RECTANGLE(); and the DrawTool.ERASER_FLOODFILL();, because their functions can be emulated by choosing their not-eraser equivalent and the color 00000000, that is the pure alpha channel.

I really don't want to be sassy, but I found them as the worst tool in the entire apliccations.

Thank you for considering my opinion.

I disagree, because inexperienced users need a tool that they are familiar with using and know to look for. Using a transparent color and the regular tool with it is more of a workaround.

However, perhaps those tools could be removed by making it so that selecting them applies "presets" that do what NEOC is suggesting. In other words, choosing the flood erase does not turn on a flood erase tool. It loads the flood tool with the transparent color setting instead. Choosing the rectagle erase tool does not load a rectangle erase tool, it loads the rectangle tool with the transparent color applied.

Deselecting these tools simply returns to the previous color settings, etc.

I think that the color swatches could go away. I never use those, the color sliders are better in my opinion.

Well, that's a good point. Novices may need something easier to use.

But I will take opposition upon the removing of the color swatches. As the color sliders are better for general pruposes, I'm agree in that point, but the color swatches come in handy when you want to save some colors hard to remember, in example, when you want to have a color such as R 200, G 60, B 120. Obviously, that color is harder to remember in comparation to R 255, G 0, B 0, for example. That's a reason for not removing the color swatches.

A third oppinion is needed. Really, is needed.

I hear you both. Color and drawing tool selection redesign will happen sooner or later.

Well, that's for sure, no?

I just remembered to say: there are so many tools that may be prescindible, that maybe the only thing that will sure remain is the pencil, XD.

And, if the working speed of the application if what concerns you, a wider quality adjustment could be a very good option. Tough "Bad quality but good speed", "Balance", and "Good quality but low speed" is a solution for some people, a adjustment bar in percentage can be also good. Just in example, a 0%, the leftmost side of the bar, is the lowest quality but the highest speed, the 100% is totally contrary.

Well, that's it. Maybe works, maybe not.

Nothing is for sure. There are always other features to work on and the application is complex enough to make it hard to predict how much work given change needs. But I am mildly optimistic about the drawing tool revamp, it can make the user experience much better.

I was just joking about the pencil ¬_¬

Well, other tool that I barely use, is the retarget. That's for two reasons: 1) I couldn't see a difference (and eventually, couldn't see how works) and 2) It took a veeery long time to work.

But I don't use it only because I don't know how exactly works. Maybe could be handy when I discover how to use it, but for now…

The Retarget function is a rough version of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rnb_GdBHuak It is true that it needs to be much faster and possibly interactive - a lot of work.

Now I understand. So it's very useful, but most of times I really can't appreciate the difference. Anyway, tough upgrading the way retargeting tool works (i.e. a "friendlier" interface) would be very useful, will also add some extra weight to RW applications, and that is not our objective today, am I right?

Another tool that I don't use very often is the Custom Presets. Is useful as the color swatches, but I really never use them, except Fade Away.