Privacy Rewrite GSoC Project

[Mark Doliner]

On Tue, Aug 4, 2009 at 10:32 PM, Sulabh Mahajan<sulabh.dev at gmail.com> wrote:
> The print screen of the interface that I mentioned in the last post:
> http://i31.tinypic.com/214owso.jpg

Ooh, screenshots are nice.  Definitely helps me get a feel for the UI.

> What are the limitations :
>
> - ends up being huge
> - can't control the four settings (allow all, block messages not from buddy
> list, .., custom) per account
> - doesn't look as good as I would want it to be

I agree with these.  I think being able to control the four settings
per account is important.

> - can't control "invisible to all" provided by most protocols (do we need to
> control this feature from the privacy dialog, the control is also available
> via status dialog.

My vote would be to control it via the status dialog.  That's where I
expect invisible to be, anyway.

> A simpler interface that solves above mentioned issues would be:
> ( Why do I end up coming with a simpler interface only after coding a
> complex one :P )
>
> [   ] Allow all users
>
> [   ] Block only messages from all users not on my buddy list
> [   ] Block all users not on my buddy list
>
> [ * ] Per Account Settings
> Set Privacy for:  | abcd at gmail | **
> Privacy State:    | Block all users not on buddy list | ***
>
> V Presence Settings:
> |    Account    | Invisible to all | Invisible to users not on blist |
> +------------------+---------------------+------------------------------------------+
> | abcd at gmail |                      |                     X
>   |
> | xyz at yahoo  |          X          |                     X
> |
> | pqrs at msn   |                      |                     X
>   |
> +------------------+---------------------+------------------------------------------+
>
> **  List of all enabled accounts, choose from drop down
> *** List of the following options, choose from drop down:
> Allow all users
> Block only messages from all users not on my buddy list
> Block all users not on my buddy list
> Custom****
>
> **** On choosing custom, separate window opens up, which enables privacy
> settings per contact:
>
> Per contact settings:
> |    Buddy name    | Block | Block Chat  | Invisible | Block FT | Block
> conference | Block Friend Request |... |
> +------------------------+---------+------------------+-------------+--------------+--------------------------+--------------------------------+---+
> | All Others*         |    X    |        X         |      X      |
> X      |             X            |                X               |    |
> | Sulabh Mahajan  |          |        X         |      X
> |                |             X
> |                                 |    |
> | Richard Stallman |         |                    |      X     |        X
>    |                           |                X               |    |
> +-------------------------+--------+-------------------+------------+---------------+--------------------------+-------------------------------+---+
> * All others is meta contact, lists privacy settings for contacts not on the
> list.
>
>
> Please provide your comments. Anyone has a better idea?
>
> I will go ahead with this structure, if no one provides a better idea.

Hmm, I do think I prefer this simpler interface over the one in your
screenshot.  I'm not sure "Custom" is the right approach for blocking
specific people.  I think blocking specific people is an often used
privacy feature, and I don't think it should be hidden one level
deeper.  I wonder if maybe the per contact setting would fit in the
main privacy dialog.

Also, I'm not sure it's necessary to differentiate between blocking
presence, IMs, chat, FT, etc.  I think if someone blocks a person then
95% of the time they don't want to get any communication from that
person.  Would removing this differentiation make the UI simpler?  If
so, my vote would be to remove the differentiation and just have a
single option to "block everything from this person."

-Mark