Diff for "CytoscapeIcons"

TableOfContents([1])

About this document

This is an official Request for Comment (RFC) for a a new icon set in Cytoscape 2.4.

For details on RFCs in general, check out the [http://www.answers.com/main/ntquery?method=4&dsid=2222&dekey=Request+for+Comments&gwp=8&curtab=2222_1&linktext=Request%20for%20Comments Wikipedia Entry: Request for Comments (RFCs)]

Status

Open for public comment.

How to Comment

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Try to keep your comments as concrete and constructive as possible. For example, if you find a part of the RFC makes no sense, please say so, but don't stop there. Take the extra step and propose alternatives.

Proposal

I'd like to propose that Cytoscape 2.4 adopt a new, more intuitive set of icons for the main tool bar. The current set of icons is not very intuitive, and a number of users find them very confusing.

As part of this RFC, I have explored a number of icon options:

• [http://www.kde-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=22x27 Linux KDE Icons]: Lots of beautiful icons, but unfortunately, none of the icon sets support key Cytoscape actions, e.g. zoom selected region.

• [http://www.gnome-look.org/index.php?xcontentmode=120&PHPSESSID=9ca47374357d9e9552e40100e3f5da69 Linux Gnome Icons]: Same problem as the KDE icons. Lots of beautiful icons, but unfortunately, none of the icon sets support key Cytoscape actions, e.g. zoom selected region.

• [http://www.codehaus.org/~bwalding/eclipse-icons Eclipe icons]: Has lots of potential, but I couldn't find all the corresponding zoom icons.

• Stock icons from commercial companies. I found a number of relatively cheap icon sets for sale. These range in price from $100-$400. However, many of these icons have redistribution requirements. For example, icons can only be distributed as part of a binary or exe. For an example commercial set of icons, see: [http://glyphlab.com/stock_icons/index.html Glyph Lab].

• Custom icon design from a commercial company. I requested a quote from one icon design company to get an idea of how much custom icon design costs. Their quote was $60-$120 / icon.

• [http://tango.freedesktop.org/Tango_Desktop_Project Tango Project]: This seemed to be the most promising option. From the web site, "The Tango Desktop Project exists to help create a consistent graphical user interface experience for free and Open Source software." Sounds very promising, and they have a great set of base icons. But, it is not yet finished, and there are lots of missing icons. Once Tango creates a complete set, I think we should re-evaluate.

After evaluating the above options, I stumbled upon the Open Office Icon set. More specifically, the [http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/feature/1637.html Ximiam-themed Open Office Icon set].

I'd like to propose that we adopt this icon set for Cytoscape 2.4. Here are the major reasons for doing so:

• Consistent and familiar visual metaphors. For example, the "save" icon looks like a disk, the "zoom in" icon looks like a magnifying glass with a +. All of these visual metaphors make sense and are very familiar.

• Professionally designed. They just look good.

• With over 1,000 icons, we have plenty to choose from. I was able to find good icons for all the Cytoscape actions in the tool bar, e.g. zoom selected, viz mapper, filter, etc. This is really important for future evolution as well, as we are not stuck with a small, limited set of icon options.

• All icons are available in two sizes: 16x16 and 24x24.

• This specific icon set is available under the LGPL. From the web site: "If you're putting together an application, you are free to use every one of these icons. Ximian has released the icons under the LGPL. This means that you can use the icons in your program free of charge. If you want to fork the icons into your own icon collection, you need to retain the license and the original copyrights, but from there you're free to do what you want."

Deferred Items

None defined yet.

Open Issues

None defined yet.

Comments

EthanCerami, 07/19/2006 - Sample comment to get things started... Love the new icons! Blah, blah, blah...