[Gretl-users] Splash Screen (longish)

On Sun, July 23, 2006 04:53, Frederick Fagal wrote: Folks, This splash screen thing is going a little too far for my taste. I'd like to summarise the issue as objectively as I can and get some facts straight. The story so far: Talha plus some other people are convinced that a splash screen would make gretl look more professional. A few others find a splash screen a moderate annoyance, good for apps that take ages to load and little else. The majority has remained pretty much silent. Talha came up with a proposal. No reactions that I know of except from Allin and myself, who both missed the little girl. This led to a second proposal (which doesn't feature the little girl either) on which there has been litle reaction as of today. Fact # 1: no-one is making money out of gretl -> we don't have to SELL gretl -> gretl has no need to "look professional". Consequence: I'd personally like to see widespread adoption of gretl all around the world, but on its technical merits alone (in a wide sense: I consider being GPL'ed a technical merit). A sexy splash screen is not forbidden, but in my view it's totally inessential. Fact # 2: Vey few people have expressed strong views on this subject so far. Consequence: I can't see a flamefest coming, which is good. OTOH, I have the feeling that most people don't really care about the issue. This may prompt the question "If so few people care, is a splash screen really necessary?", but this leads us back to #1. Fact # 3: None of us around here is a visual marketing expert/image designer. Consequence: Assume for a moment that the masses take hold of the winter palace and a splash screen becomes priority #1. I'd take it for granted that the idea we want to convey via the splash screen and the way this is done (ie, the concept and the actual content) are the outcome of the work by someone who really know what he's doing: the C code Allin writes is of excellent quality by any standard; the Italian translation by Cri is of outstanding quality (I can't judge other translations). So, is the little girl getting the sack or not? In this scenario, this would not be a matter of taste anymore, but part of a precise and definite brand strategy. In my eyes, Talha's proposals look cold, but he's probably keen on the idea of looking "scientific": infinite planes, Greek letters, the moon, etc. all project the image of "hard science". On the other hand, a fairytale character takes your mind to Beatrix Potter books (no relation to Harry), elegance, a moderate skepticism towards "modernity" and a penchant for a Wallace&Gromit-like sense of humour. My personal preference goes to Beatrix Potter and Wallace&Gromit, but, again, this wouldn't be a matter of taste anymore. Others may think that "shoulders of giants" should be the main theme, and therefore go for Gauss's face or something like that. (Note that I'm playing the amateur psychologist here.) But even if there was a consensus on the concept, then the actual making of the splash screen requires visual skills that I, for one, don't have. Sure, I can use the GIMP (badly), but that doesn't turn me into an artist. One of the reasons why I use LaTeX instead of Word is that I'm not a typesetter, and I know it. Conclusion: I don't really care that much. If I had to vote, I wouldn't want any splash screen at all. But I wouldn't really mind one (if done competently), I just fail the see its importance. Certainly there are hundreds of other things inside gretl I prefer spending my time working on. Riccardo "Jack" Lucchetti Dipartimento di Economia Facoltà di Economia "G. Fuà" Ancona