N800 in "portrait" mode. - Page 3 - maemo.org

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	Texrat	2008-01-15 , 04:21
	Posts: 11,700 \| Thanked: 10,045 times \| Joined on Jun 2006 @ North Texas, USA	#21

Originally Posted by albright

I disagree. In fact, I just tried holding my n810 in portrait
mode and it's perfectly feasible to type "sideways" (albeit
you can only use one hand). For most functions, sideways
typing would be OK with me.

I think it is *obvious* that reading text is better in portrait
mode (studies show that long lines of text make reading
harder, short lines arranged vertically are much better).

at least, that is my HO

To each his own. I could never type sideways, and I prefer reading text in landscape on the tablets rather than portrait. I don't doubt the unidentified studies you cite, but I think you're omitting details. For instance, one could take that long, narrow box of text to an extreme that's just as bad as a really wide text box. And I don't find the width of the tablet to be too wide.

That said, I still think that adding requested viewing options is a good thing.

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	GeneralAntilles	2008-01-15 , 04:29
	Posts: 5,478 \| Thanked: 5,222 times \| Joined on Jan 2006 @ St. Petersburg, FL	#22

Originally Posted by DJames1

It's easier to rotate the screen at the OS/driver level so that apps don't have to be aware of it.

You evidently have little understanding of how GTK works in this case. It is a non-trivial change that will require a major overhaul at both the OS and the application level.

As for application programmers. Future-proofing software isn't an easy thing to do, and since Hildon doesn't have resizable windows, it's kinda hard to design applications to resize when the system is incapable of it (and you're not expecting this to change anytime soon).

I don't think more viewing options is a bad idea (in fact, it's a great one), people just need to understand that there are a lot of non-trivial technical hurdles in the way.

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DJames1	2008-01-15 , 18:41
Posts: 215 \| Thanked: 44 times \| Joined on Dec 2007	#23

You're not telling me that you all hard-coded the screen dimensions, are you? That would be a programming 101 error.

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ragnar	2008-01-15 , 18:50
Posts: 631 \| Thanked: 1,123 times \| Joined on Sep 2005 @ Helsinki	#24

Hildon does have resizable windows, all dimensions are not hardcoded. Just press the full screen key and you'll see it. Some dimensions are hardcoded, naturally, for instance the toolbar height is the same whether you are in fullscreen mode or not.

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	Moonshine	2008-01-15 , 19:08
	Posts: 469 \| Thanked: 88 times \| Joined on Sep 2007 @ Montana	#25

Originally Posted by DJames1

You're not telling me that you all hard-coded the screen dimensions, are you? That would be a programming 101 error.

Of course most native apps are laid out for landscape mode specifically! Why wouldn't you when A) it's the only one mode available and B) the app is then optimized for use in the one layout everyone uses.

At this point programmers don't have to worry about portrait mode, so why would they? Better yet ,how could they without knowing how to do it properly for a Maemo portrait implementation?

This is nothing new. Windows Mobile landscape apps were crap (or completely non fuctional) when landscape mode first appeared. (Buttons off screen, lots of whitespace, etc)

Last edited by Moonshine; 2008-01-15 at 19:12.

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	Benson	2008-01-15 , 19:22
	Posts: 4,930 \| Thanked: 2,272 times \| Joined on Oct 2007	#26

Originally Posted by GeneralAntilles

You evidently have little understanding of how GTK works in this case. It is a non-trivial change that will require a major overhaul at both the OS and the application level.

I guess I disagree there, General. If I understand correctly, you're saying GTK would be changed to display sideways widgets. That would be crazy! GTK should be untouched; the whole screen rotates, so the X server should handle rotation.

As for application programmers. Future-proofing software isn't an easy thing to do, and since Hildon doesn't have resizable windows, it's kinda hard to design applications to resize when the system is incapable of it (and you're not expecting this to change anytime soon).

I don't think more viewing options is a bad idea (in fact, it's a great one), people just need to understand that there are a lot of non-trivial technical hurdles in the way.

Agreed, though as others have pointed out, many apps do get drawn at 2 sizes, and I have heard that Hildon has been made non-resolution dependent. (Targeting UMPCs with 1024x600 displays, I believe, and also applicable to a possible N900 with such a display; that's where the topic came up.)