AboutUbuntuRevisited

Revision 6 as of 2007-05-14 23:33:10

Clear message

Summary

To make Ubuntu more polished and easier to support, it will have an About box that displays the Ubuntu derivative name (if any), the version number and basic information about the system.

Rationale

The original AboutUbuntu specification was fine to be proposed and get accepted for inclusion for the start of the Breezy cycle, however the Ubuntu landscape has changed remarkably since then, and AboutUbuntu needs to cope with this change.

People are used to "About Name of Program" showing a window that gives the software version details, and copyright info. Since many people do not distinguish between the computer and the operating system, other operating systems also include in their About box basic info about the computer the system is running on. Ubuntu should also include this feature, as well as linking to more information about the computer, as well as more information about Ubuntu.

Use cases

  • Stephanie installed Ubuntu a couple of months ago, from a CD she picked up at an Internet cafe. Now she has found the Ubuntu Web site, sees that the latest version of Ubuntu is x.y, and wants to know whether she's running the latest version.

  • Jeff, a marketing hack and propagandist, wants to make sure people using Kubuntu can find more information about the system, as well as Kubuntu itself.

Design

Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity.

  • Choosing the "About Ubuntu" menu item should open the About window, visually centered on the screen. It should behave properly with respect to startup notification and session saving. The window should be closable using either Ctrl+W or the close button.
  • The About window should include:
    • Derivative name, their logo and the version number (most prominent)
    • computer model, if available
    • CPU speed and amount of RAM on the system
    • a "Hardware Details" button that opens the Device Manager
    • a "More Information" button that opens the default browser pointing to the ubuntu-artwork page for the derivative
    • Linux kernel version number
    • Gnome or other session manager's version number.
  • Any of the informative text should be drag-and-droppable as plain text into another program.

Implementation

Code

CategorySpec