Re: Adding icon sets to Emacs -- and next steps for icons.el

[Po Lu <luangruo@yahoo.com>]

Stefan Kangas <stefankangas@gmail.com> writes:

> I think we could think about this from the point of view of what most
> users will prefer.  In doing that, we would probably do well to note
> current trends in UIX, which definitely have been moving more and more
> towards the minimalistic.  Clear icons of a single (or two) colors seem
> to be the norm.

Let's keep minimizing the user interface until it becomes useless!

I propose that the keyboard be replaced by a streamlined, unobtrusive
interface, where the user can simply pair a mobile phone with Emacs via
Bluetooth and drag-and-drop letters from the phone into each window.

> I tend to think that this is a valid choice, that, if nothing else,
> helps simplify and unclutter the user interface.  This allows users to
> focus more on the task at hand rather than unimportant and secondary
> details (such as decorations).  The user interface becomes secondary to
> the daily work.

I don't understand how a 25x25 icon will serve to "clutter" the user
interface.  Or how switching to mono-color icons will make it less
obtrusive.

If that's the goal, why not turn off widgets entirely? And modelines at
the same time?

> I note that these icons have been created by professional designers, as
> have the guidelines on how to use them.[1]  This includes the one-color
> look.

What is more and more obvious is that professional designers, serving
commercial interests, are only attentive towards creating the "next hot
trend".  So they seriously deem icons with all contrast drained from
them as an improvement.  I do not.

> There could be other good icon sets, of course, and we could evaluate
> them side-by-side with the material icons.  So far, I didn't find any
> that also both have enough coverage, and a free license, but there might
> be some that I've missed.

So what about the current Adwaita icon theme? The color icons, not the
symbolic ones?

They are already used by default on the GTK builds.