The app in the screenshot is populated with dummy data and I took it on my laptop so it using the desktop components, including the big think scrollbars, though on-device it uses the mobile components with more appropriate widgetry for things like the scrollbars.
It has a really nice column layout for browsing while making it easy to flick back and forth with your finger on the tablet. Once connected to the server, it shows the list of top-level categories on the left, such as "Apps", "Wallpapers" or "Books". You can then navigate through the sub-categories using a familiar columns system, which you can flick back and forth through on screen. Most top-level categories won't have many (often just 1) set of sub-categories, but for things like books supporting multiple levels was a requirement. The fluidity of it and some of the nice features like being able to tap on descriptions to get more information really only come to life when you start using it live.
It has integrated search, blends with the overall UI on the device, lets you manage your account in a screen that works just like the Settings app .. it's the kind of app we wanted as tablet users.
The Add-Ons App isn't limited to Spark, either. You can just as easily run it on any system with the KDE Platform installed. If you are a bit more ambitious, you could take the client library or write directly to the JSON API directly and create a completely different front end.
The API is still moving around a little, but once it is stable these "build an add-ons app" kit pieces as well as the Add-Ons App seen above will be made public under the GPL. This means that you can get in there and help make it even better or even make a completely different front end altogether, perhaps for a different type of device.
We will also be releasing the server-side code once we've gotten some experience with it in real-world usage. That means that organizations and individuals could self-host their own add-on infrastructure. (Textbook delivery for schools? In-house sales materials for companies?) We will also be offering custom store content configurations to those who would like that using our hosted installation. Since it isn't a package management system (though it can use them), it's quite agnostic in terms of how it is used and with what.
9 comments:
oh my god. i really love the UI. maybe because it has proper spacing and slick layout?
Aaron, but a similar thing with a GUI designed for PC-desktop, which manages the installation of plasmoids, and all the artwork of kde is a stupid idea for the future? One thing for PC-desktop, it would be fantastic I think the interface for this, among other things, it seems very well organized, well done
I really like this UI.
And I had the same thought as Lazy: A similar UI would probably also work really well in some places in Plasma Desktop, especially:
- the "Add Widgets" panel (I never found the one-big-horizonatl-list layout very comfortable to use)
- all "Get Hot New Stuff" dialogs
One question about the Addon App itself:
Will the Get-It-Now button always be labeled "Buy"?
How will free apps in the official app store be accommodated?
And what about the mentioned use-case of custom (e.g. school- or company-internal) app stores for internally distributing, rather than selling, apps?
Its a small detail, but I think it would be a shame if it would distract from the overall well-thought-out slickness of the Addon App.
@Lazy: yes, i would really like to see this come to the desktop as well and be used for a few different things.
as it will be gpl'd, people will be able to experiment with all of these things even before we get around to it if they want .. i think it would be a very cool project in fact.
@Unknown: no, the button isn't always labeled "Buy" .. only when it costs something. items with no cost have a button labeled "Install" :)
the points value of each item will be shown in the item column as well so it will be evident that it is 0 points / no cost.
Cool.
Another idea:
While for apps and books, showing a "tiny icon + name" list in the third column seems ideal, wouldn't wallpapers more naturally go well with a "medium-sized previews without text" list in that column?
If you make the previews just so big that two of them fit in one row, you probably won't loose any vertical space compared to the current layout.
And another question:
How about security?
- Does the app store support application signing?
- Does the tablet support different "layers" of system access permissions which may be seperately granted to individual apps, like in Android?
- Are non-application items such as books and wallpapers packaged in such a way that the possibility of malware being installed with them is ruled out?
@Unknown: "wouldn't wallpapers more naturally go well with a "medium-sized previews without text" list in that column?"
agreed; the listing supports in-line thumbnails as well and that's likely how we'll approach it for wallpapers.
"Does the app store support application signing?"
yes.
"Does the tablet support different "layers" of system access permissions which may be seperately granted to individual apps, like in Android?"
this is a feature set we will be working to get into Plasma directly; we've only recently got the QML integration to where we need it, and we have a design on the table for what you describe. i doubt it will be on the first Sparks (which puts more onus on us during curation, we know) but it will be on future releases so that we can more easily open up the device to development.
"Are non-application items such as books and wallpapers packaged in such a way that the possibility of malware being installed with them is ruled out?"
yes.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions!
(Seems like you've got it all figured out... :-)
I'm really looking forward to the release of Spark!
@Unknown: thanks for your support! :)
and i'll be the *first* to say publicly that we don't have it all figured out .. we're maybe a step or two ahead of people, but that's only because we've been thinking about it longer.
to really "figure it all out" will take the participation of the entire community .. because i know that once people have caught up with our ideas, there'll be people who race right past us as well as in different (equally valid) directions.
iow .. this is only the beginning of the fun!
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