5.1a Beta 1 (5.1.1.0568) is available

Angela Murashov said:

5.1a Beta 1 (5.1.1.0568) is available for testing.

To update to Beta 1, enter the Update Now command if you’ve switched to the beta channel before, or enter the Set Update Channel to Beta command if you’re on a stable version (such as 5.1 SR-1). To install Beta 1 from scratch, see the notes and download links on this thread.

Release Notes

Installed and crashed

8345.LogosCrash.txt

1616.LogosError.log

10-4, i'll give it a try

Off to work- will chek back later

Quick question: 

If the yellow notification bar says that Logos is indexing and I click on the "X" does it 1) stop the indexing?  2) close the notification bar only? or, 3) stops the indexing and closes the notification bar?

I generally dislike being negative, but I'm not sure I like the Program Settings.

• It's too condensed (on my desktop-haven't checked the tablet yet where touch input reqs more space.). It would feel better with a little more vertical space between lines and definitely more space or something between the yes/no options.
• The blue highlight is not enough to indicate the selection on the yes/no options. Maybe making the text bold on the selected option? Maybe some graphic indicator such as a switch that toggles back and forth under the yes/no? Or an arrow between them that flips back and forth? I keep waiting to hear the sound of a switch flip when I click on an option.
• The "Hyperlink Copied Citations" setting looks like a mistake with the extra space. If it's supposed to be a subitem of "Copy Citations" it needs better visual indicators. Keeping the same line color like the "Automatic Download" options would help. But I would also add more indentation and a bullet (possibly an arrow bullet "->") before the subitem.
• The help icon looks stranded, being so far out to the right. Why can't we see the help text when we hover over the setting text? eg. Show the help text when hovering over the text "Send Feedback". The same as is done in the main menus such as when you hover over Tools -> Highlighting.

There's still something else that just doesn't feel right that I can't put my finger on. Maybe it's too much. It seems to run on. Maybe adding a good bit more vertical space and separating the sections into tabs? Or doing something to make the sections stand out a LOT more, like increasing the font size of the headers and/or changing their color or the background color of the line?

alabama24 said:

The desktop app ... isn't designed for touch. There should be no compromises for normal desktop users.

Amen.  Case in point ... Windows 8.

alabama24 said:

I know I will get some pushback... and that is OK. 

OK. [;)]

alabama24 said:

A UI that is designed for keyboard & mouse isn't ideal for touch. A UI that is designed for touch, isn't ideal for keyboard & mouse.

I agree, somewhat. But, I believe they can meet much closer with very little trade-off.

alabama24 said:

There should be no compromises for normal desktop users.

Absolutely agree!

alabama24 said:

Touch devices are still fairly novel, and fragmented.

Somewhat agree. I think they will be considered "novel" until application developers produce truly useful apps that take full advantage of gestures. I believe Logos is ideally suited to this. And I would love to go into more detail on touch UI in another thread a little later on, but...

I didn't intend my critiques in my previous post as specifically for touch devices. I would have made the same suggestions if I had never seen or used a touch device. Modern UI design seems to favor more space and Logos moved toward this with the release of Logos 5... in some places. Look at the Tools menu, for example. Look at the changes to the website, on the accounts pages. If you go through the various pages there you will notice a lot of space around various elements. Lots of whitespace. It looks good. It looks clean. My suggestion is that Logos follow through with that design, which they've already started to implement.

Note: The image below is NOT my suggested implementation for the Settings. Much of it is, but I do not like the blue. I left it in to try to illustrate a point I'll cover below.

Excel works pretty good for prototyping list/grid views. I played around for about an hour trying different things. Again, this is not my ideal design, but I thought it useful to illustrate a few points.

• It has more in common with the Tools menu than the Settings panel.
• I've used the same or pretty close to the same font size (incl the downsized YES/NOs). However, I didn't use semibold because it does not have a distinguishable bold, and I believe the bolding of the YES/NO selection makes it much much more visible. Try it in the spreadsheet below and see.
• Notice it's not hugely different when compared to the Settings with regard to size and spacing if you compare it side by side. A slight increase in vertical spacing. Cleaner. More open. It also makes it possible to increase the block around the YES/NO selection slightly.
• The bullets, especially a right arrow, makes the structure much clearer.
• The thing I mentioned in my first post, that I couldn't quite put my finger on has to do with the alternating shaded lines. I tried, but it does not work for the Settings. It makes things feel much more cramped. It reduces contrast, hiding the selections. It adds more chaos than clarity. That technique works great for long lists or wide list, but it is unnecessary here and obscures too much.
• The blue. I don't like the blue. It doesn't fit. Logos UI is mostly monochromatic. The Settings and the Resource Menus introduce random splotches of blue. When I look at the Settings, I look at the splotches of blue and think why are they blue? What is the significance of the blue? The part of the illustration above that I don't like (because it doesn't mesh with Logos UI) is the blue, but I think it shows the NEED to give context to the blue swatches. Given context, an anchor, the blue swatches can look good, but without that anchor it seems out of place and random.

Here's the spreadsheet for anyone else who wants to try their hand at amateur UI design.

5850.Settings.xlsx

Anyone have a problem with their Inline Interlinear info in the Bibles disappearing? I've restarted Logos, the computer, changed Bible versions, etc. Haven't had this problem before and thought it may be the new Beta that's doing it. Anyone else come across this?

I'm using 5.1.1.0568 for Mac

Thanks! [Y]

I LOVE:

• The new style
• The new localizations
• The new bar

Good job!