Bug 91441 - Implementing a 'Welcome' dialog on first launch (creation of new user profile)
Summary: Implementing a 'Welcome' dialog on first launch (creation of new user profile)
Status: RESOLVED WONTFIX
Alias: None
Product: LibreOffice
Classification: Unclassified
Component: LibreOffice (show other bugs)
Version:
(earliest affected)
unspecified
Hardware: Other All
: medium enhancement
Assignee: Not Assigned
URL:
Whiteboard:
Keywords: needsDevEval, needsUXEval, topicUI
: 132357 (view as bug list)
Depends on:
Blocks: Options-Dialog-UserData Dialog-Msgbox
  Show dependency treegraph
 
Reported: 2015-05-21 21:34 UTC by Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired)
Modified: 2020-05-04 08:49 UTC (History)
5 users (show)

See Also:
Crash report or crash signature:


Attachments
freeoffice initial launch dialog (24.52 KB, image/png)
2017-10-14 14:22 UTC, Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired)
Details

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Description Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-05-21 21:34:12 UTC
When a user runs libreoffice for the first time, or their profile is reset, we should display a welcome dialog, which was available in OOo and is available in AOO (http://wiki.contribs.org/images/6/69/Oo-setup-5.png).

The dialog will allow a user to fill in their 'user data', but will also be a means to let people know how they can contribute to libreoffice, etc.
Comment 1 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-05-21 21:35:10 UTC
Setting NEW as its an enhancement.
Comment 2 Adolfo Jayme Barrientos 2015-05-22 05:11:24 UTC
I don’t see the point of reviving obsolete user interface paradigms. Wizards in general are clumsy and in-your-face. And I disagree that we need to shove down users’ throats the perception that we are a software project in need of contributors (I don’t mean we aren’t in need, but why users, especially enterprise users, should care about that?)

We’ve removed this wizard on purpose. There was no useful functionality for us in it —
“Welcome”? That’s obsolete, and a top UX violation according to [1].
“License agreement”? Just no.
“User name”? That’s the *first* page in Options, why duplicate and why encourage people to provide sensitive details that are easily leaked beyond users’ control?
“Online update”? That should be invisible to users’ eyes, just like Chrome.
“Registration”? We aren’t a greedy corporation, but a foundation that protects people’s privacy; so we won’t unnecessarily collect that kind of data.

[1]: https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/dn742479(v=vs.85).aspx

Sorry, but I’m seeing too many disadvantages that most likely outweigh any possible advantage (I can’t think of any, to be honest).
Comment 3 Jean-Baptiste Faure 2015-05-22 05:41:21 UTC
I agree with Adolfo.
Perhaps we should make Options more visible by adding a button "Customize LibreOffice" in the startcenter.

Best regards. JBF
Comment 4 Heiko Tietze 2015-05-22 08:19:54 UTC
I wouldn't condemn the wizard pattern in general. And probably Jay's idea was to offer access to generic information like how to contribute or to reset the configuration. If so why don't we integrate that into the about box? If it's about the welcome thing I'd also rather refrain from the implementation.
Comment 5 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-05-22 10:05:05 UTC
(In reply to Adolfo Jayme from comment #2)
> I don’t see the point of reviving obsolete user interface paradigms. Wizards
> in general are clumsy and in-your-face.

My suggesting to use the existing welcome dialog, doesnt mean that it has to be used as is, but we can customize it to our needs.

> And I disagree that we need to shove
> down users’ throats the perception that we are a software project in need of
> contributors

So showing a one-time notice that a user can contribute in various ways to libreoffice is somehow shoving it down their throats. If this notice would appear everytime a user opened libreoffice, then i'd agree that would likely be considered shoving it down their throats.

> (I don’t mean we aren’t in need, but why users, especially
> enterprise users, should care about that?)

All types of users can contribute in different ways, so telling a user who downloaded LO from download.com or got it with his ubuntu installation that he could donate to LO or that if LO crashes he can file a bug/enhancement report as means of supporting LO isnt a bad thing. With enterprise users, their IT admin could easily disable the appearance of the dialog if they so choose.

When you run MSO 2010 for the first time, it asks you to enter in your full name and initials [1]. New/casual users, e.g. Benjamin, would have no idea of the importance to set these options unless they were prompted to set it, and without this prompt, all the documents they created would be created with blank user information. The user would likely notice this problem in libreoffice when they insert a comment or record track changes, as it would be assigned to 'Unknown Author'. Most users never open the options dialog, and them setting this information outside of the dialog, is just another reason for them to never have to open it.

[1] : http://blogs.msdn.com/blogfiles/vsto/WindowsLiveWriter/TestAutomationTipsUserNamedialogafternew_ABB4/clip_image002_2.jpg

The dialog would also provide a notice about collection of 'usage data' for use with the user metrics TDF tender [2], whenever it is finalized, because very little data would be collected if users could only opt-in to it from the options dialog.

[2] : http://blog.documentfoundation.org/2015/02/24/tender-to-develop-and-incorporate-usability-metrics-collection-for-libreoffice-201502-02/
Comment 6 Maxim Monastirsky 2015-08-20 21:20:38 UTC
(In reply to Yousuf (Jay) Philips from comment #0)
> The dialog will allow a user to fill in their 'user data'
Ideally we should get the user data from the OS. We already doing it on Linux, and should do the same on other platforms (if possible).

(In reply to Yousuf (Jay) Philips from comment #5)
> My suggesting to use the existing welcome dialog
It doesn't exist anymore. Was killed by kendy back in 2010.
Comment 7 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2015-08-20 23:23:19 UTC
(In reply to Maxim Monastirsky from comment #6)
> (In reply to Yousuf (Jay) Philips from comment #0)
> > The dialog will allow a user to fill in their 'user data'
> Ideally we should get the user data from the OS. We already doing it on
> Linux, and should do the same on other platforms (if possible).

Yes ideally it should be pulled from the OS but even that data isnt always correct, because users dont always put their real or complete name into the OS's user account. But when it comes to creating documents and those documents having their real name visible in it (e.g. in a comment), users are more likely to put it in, which is why even MSO shows a dialog on first run asking for it.

Also LO's pulling the name from the OS and parsing it based on a space character doesnt take into account when user's have two first names and a space between it. Also it leaves the initials field blank.

> (In reply to Yousuf (Jay) Philips from comment #5)
> > My suggesting to use the existing welcome dialog
> It doesn't exist anymore. Was killed by kendy back in 2010.

I'm assuming it still exists in git if it had to be resurrected as it used to be, but as previously stated, it could be done with a completely new dialog and include features like bug 69042.
Comment 8 Maxim Monastirsky 2015-08-21 12:29:56 UTC
(In reply to Yousuf (Jay) Philips from comment #7)
> Yes ideally it should be pulled from the OS but even that data isnt always
> correct, because users dont always put their real or complete name into the
> OS's user account. But when it comes to creating documents and those
> documents having their real name visible in it (e.g. in a comment), users
> are more likely to put it in, which is why even MSO shows a dialog on first
> run asking for it.
OK, makes sense.

> I'm assuming it still exists in git if it had to be resurrected as it used
> to be
My point was that you can't just "git revert" it, as it will require fair amount of work to adapt to the current code base. And given that we're not going to use it as-is anyway, I think that trying to resurrect it is simply a waste of time.
Comment 9 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2016-08-03 11:52:59 UTC
Possible additional settings to include in the dialog are icon theme, UI layout (bug 101249), and various user submission data (crash reports, usage/metrics data, hardware data) that are checkboxes in the options dialog.
Comment 10 Robinson Tryon (qubit) 2016-08-25 05:49:23 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 11 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2016-09-12 19:47:50 UTC Comment hidden (obsolete)
Comment 12 Yousuf Philips (jay) (retired) 2017-10-14 14:22:31 UTC
Created attachment 136972 [details]
freeoffice initial launch dialog

saw this the first time i launched freeoffice.
Comment 13 Cor Nouws 2017-10-14 14:49:23 UTC
(In reply to Yousuf Philips (jay) from comment #12)
> saw this the first time i launched freeoffice.

I would think of something more modern, graphical too.
Explanation, links to FAQ, donation, ask.x, goals of the project
Comment 14 Heiko Tietze 2020-05-04 08:48:40 UTC
*** Bug 132357 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***
Comment 15 Heiko Tietze 2020-05-04 08:49:33 UTC
This RFE is a duplicate of bug 81540 and others. The welcome dialog was/is known from OpenOffice and was removed intentionally in favor of the start center - as kind of welcome, and we don't want to bother users with profile questions. Therefore I'll resolve this as duplicate and the other as WF.