Adding nuance to rate how well an app works in different form factors?

Brainstorm
1

I am working on a website where users can rate how well linux apps perform when used in different form factors. The idea is to be simple and similar to how Steam has the “Steam Deck Verified” ratings, but community based.

When I say form factors, I’ve got 4 general configurations in mind so far:

  • Desktop (mouse/keyboard)
    • Does it look/feel natural on a full desktop or laptop configuration?
  • Large Touch screen (tablet)
    • is the app completely usable with only a touch screen?
    • Does it feel natural without a mouse/keyboard?
  • Small Form Factor (phone)
    • Does the app fit comfortably on a smaller/portrait mode configuration?
    • Is it completely usable without modification?
  • HomeTheater/Console(TV or handheld console, no touchscreen)
    • Is the app usable using only a remote or gamepad?

Let’s use Firefox for an example:

  • Desktop: designed for this. feels natural.
  • Tablet: usable, but does not feel natural
  • Phone: Does not scale well, unusable without significant tweaking
  • Console: Not usable without a touch screen or mouse/keyboard.

Im only considering a website for this because this kind of information doesnt seem to exist already. Can I get some thoughts on this idea?

  • Is there anything like this already in the pipeline for KDE Discover?
  • If not, is this worth pursuing?
  • If I make this and an API to access the data, would KDE Discover be able to add this info?
2 Likes
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Yes something like that already exists, it’s part of the requirements you can specify for AppStream data: Upstream Metadata | AppStream | AppStream 1.0 . Technically you don’t need to create a website for this, you would just expose this data point somewhere. The spec also suggests some common values to use for phone, tablet etc configurations.

I know some stores should expose this data somewhere, I think Discover currently does if the application provides it?

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I swear I spent hours reading docs and still that bit slipped right past me. I think what I was considering would largely be redundant if this data was shown anywhere in the App store.

What are the odds of KDE Discover adding icons for whatever controls an app supports? something like this maybe?

icons_mockup
icons_mockup720×1440 202 KB

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Only if someone implements it, or opens a wishlist bug on bugs.kde.org and wait for someone else to :slight_smile:

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With my “occasional Discover developer” hat on, I feel comfortable saying that it would be a very welcome contribution!

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This looks simple enough to implement… I already found the metadata here Upstream Metadata | AppStream | AppStream 1.0 . It already have supported controls and display size data so we just need to create a UI element in the discover app page which shows the relevant data right?

I can try implementing it next week after my exams.

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KDE Feature request here.

assuming the metainfo for inputs supported is already there when the app’s page loads, in theory you could only load icons for each input method supported. Not sure where one would source real icons though, the ones I used were from haphazard internet search and very lazy editing in Krita.