Equinox/p2/User Interface

Original Goals

Most of the goals were derived from problems observed/reported in the previous UI (Update Manager). See Equinox p2 UM workflows for the equivalent scenarios.

Reduce click/decision counts
Move advanced concepts out of main workflows
- required software details (automatic resolution)
- repo management (alternate views of content)
- mirror selection (automatic)
- install locations (not supported)
Automatic updating should not interrupt workflow
Make it easier for users to get content they find on the web
Integrate "what do I have" with "what can I get"
Integrate "what do I have" with "what updates are available"
User-oriented error messages, higher level explanations
Code structured for multiple levels of integration (pluggable policies, different host dialogs, building blocks)

Scenarios

Scenario 1: Check for updates

Help >
Software Updates...

select Installed Software page
Update...

Next

I accept...
Finish

Click/decision count

7 clicks/decisions (vs. 14 for UM)
Can reduce to 5 once a license has been accepted/remembered (vs. 12 with UM automatic mirror selection)

Scenario 2: What add-ons can I get?

Help >
Software Updates...

select Available Software page
alternate ways to select content
- expand each site, then categories, and checkmark desired items

- view by categories, expand categories, and checkmark desired items

- view by name, checkmark desired items

- filter by name from any view

Install...

Scenario 3: Found something cool on the web

Scenario 4: What do I have?

Scenario 5: Automatic Updating

Scenario 6: What's wrong with my configuration?

Scenario 7: What sites am I using

Problems

Implementation has same performance problems as UM did (user may have to wait a long time for content to fill in or for resolution to take place).
Original modeless ("dashboard") design forced modal due to implementation problems with progress reporting, keyboard handling, inconsistency with rest of Eclipse
Too much repo management forced on user
We haven't improved error reporting (some find it worse) - need to decipher resolution errors and report in user-friendly way
We removed detail about software requirements/underlying libraries. Some users want to know. Inconsistencies remain due to late-breaking issues (need to show licenses for all things even though user doesn't see those things anywhere else).

Questions

tweak the problems or step back?
unfolding of detail

Milestone plans

UI planning information has moved to Equinox p2 UI Plan

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