ServantSalamander 2.5 b11: Start without splash

jis · Post by **jis** » 17 May 2006, 09:58

Mem wrote:many good applications that use splash screen have also option to disable it (e.g. Adobe Reader, Paint Shop Pro, ...)

I think that for static splash screen it is 100% relevant, but as Omega said - Salamander hasn't static splash. It is informing us what Salamander is doing when it starts. And this information is useful as back feedback, that your lovely application is starting, so you don't try to invoke it twice, when it is a little slow process (e.g. if you have fragmented registry or slow machine).

I doubt that disabling splash will save any precious starting time for Salamander if the reason is quicker startup of Salamander.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 17 May 2006, 10:28

It's just a small request and it's doable! Sometimes cosmetic issues are more visible to end-users than internal errors.

Don't forget that!

I like the new ServantSalamander icon, the about screen and the product itself, since I use it from the very first version!

But, I am personally convinced that a lot of people are annoyed of the splash-screen. To include a switch-button to turn it off, is not much work! I am a programmer myself!

I did not say that I won't use ServantSalamander anymore but I get annoyed of the spash-screen, not less and not more!

Everything else is perfectly fine.

Regards,
Guest Nr. WhatEver

Post by **Jan Rysavy** » 17 May 2006, 10:48

jis wrote:I doubt that disabling splash will save any precious starting time for Salamander if the reason is quicker startup of Salamander.

The startup will be quicker... we are talking (approximately) about 5 ms (overhead for opening/painting/closing popup window).

jis · Post by **jis** » 17 May 2006, 11:34

Jan Rysavy wrote:
jis wrote:I doubt that disabling splash will save any precious starting time for Salamander if the reason is quicker startup of Salamander.
The startup will be quicker... we are talking (approximately) about 5 ms (overhead for opening/painting/closing popup window).

So I want to spare 5ms from my startup time TOO, it really helps improve my usual Salamander workflow productivity

I cannot resist, just joke...

KNUT · Post by **KNUT** » 17 May 2006, 11:38

Jan Rysavy wrote:
jis wrote:I doubt that disabling splash will save any precious starting time for Salamander if the reason is quicker startup of Salamander.
The startup will be quicker... we are talking (approximately) about 5 ms (overhead for opening/painting/closing popup window).

Uuuuuhhh 5ms!

So the result of this poor diskussion is clear: DO NOT OPEN ANY SPLASH SCREEN ANYMORE!!!!!!!

Mem · Post by **Mem** » 17 May 2006, 12:25

jis wrote:I think that for static splash screen it is 100% relevant, but as Omega said - Salamander hasn't static splash. It is informing us what Salamander is doing when it starts.

All examples I mentioned are dynamic (Adobe reader and PSP showing loading libraries, creating palettes etc.) so this is no argument for me

omega · Post by **omega** » 17 May 2006, 17:14

I think it's funny to see that some people complain about the new splash screen. Beta10 and the previous versions of SS also loads a small popup showing us the settings are loading and nobody seem to complain about it.

Maybe the small grey popup is better?
Anyway i don't agree with a small thing like splash screen would be a reason not to buy a good product. Some people don't like the servant salamander name but i bet they still buy it

JohnFredC · Post by **JohnFredC** » 17 May 2006, 18:03

On my system the Salamander splash panel appears and disappears so quickly that I can see the color, but couldn't possibly read any of it.

A non-issue. The splash does not require any interaction from the user.

SvA · Post by **SvA** » 17 May 2006, 18:11

Have you ever thought of what would be the alternative? No window at all and guessing whether Windows recognised your (double) click to start up Salamander?
Or using a temporary main window instead of the splash which will be moved and resized later, after configuration data has been read and processed? Remember: Salamander cannot draw it's window until it has read it's configuration.

Can you name any good reason for disabling it? (I neither count 'I don't like it' nor 'Other apps have such an option' as good reason, I might consider counting '5ms startup speed improvement' though

)

jis wrote:I think that for static splash screen it is 100% relevant, but as Omega said - Salamander hasn't static splash. It is informing us what Salamander is doing when it starts. And this information is useful as back feedback, that your lovely application is starting, so you don't try to invoke it twice, when it is a little slow process (e.g. if you have fragmented registry or slow machine).

I hate splash screens that just stick around long after the app has finished loading doing nothing useful but sitting there and advertising the app and it's vendor. But Salamander's splash is gone, as soon as you can start working. This usually is but a split second anyway, but if it takes longer for Salamander to load, I am glad it is there, telling me what's happening.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 18 May 2006, 12:35

Good, there are users who like the splash-screen and there are users who don't like it, it's that simple!

To offer an option to disable the splash-screen is just as simple!

What is the problem to integrate a disable-option for the splash-screen?

Everybody would be happy and we wouldn't discuss this topic here, as those who don't like, would have disabled it, before posting such a thread!

If you want to risk that some people get annoyed about the splash-screen, than I would say ALTAP is ignorant to those request, it's that simple for me!

I would be happy to see such an option! If some of you find it ridiculous or not, but it's something I am concerned about, not more!

Please ALTAP think about it, before releasing the final build v2.5 of Servant Salamander and I am sure a lot more guys/girls would be happy with this wonderful application!

Maybe you risk to not earn the fruit of this long work you have put into this program and lose users to an older beta-build, which is not time-bombed!

Best and kind regards,
Guest Nr. WhatEver

Post by **zarevak** » 18 May 2006, 15:18

Guest wrote:... than I would say ALTAP is ignorant to those request, it's that simple for me!

Aren't you a little ignorant too? As been already pointed out, the splash screen is now just a nicer loading window. If you remember older version, you surely remember there was small longing window on each SS start. If SS needs some time to load settings from registry (Windows problem; in the future settings won't be stored in the registry anymore) For now, I'd like to see some progress report.

So your option is not about "Don't show splash screen on start", but:
[x] Show load progress window as nice splashscreen
[ ] Show old ugly small loading window
[ ] Don't show any progress of program loading (if Windows are busy, serving SS data from the registry will be slow; SS will be not responding for a while)
-> each of this settings would not speed up starting SS any more than about 10ms

Guest wrote: Guest Nr. WhatEver

Nice name

Mem · Post by **Mem** » 18 May 2006, 16:06

zarevak wrote:If SS needs some time to load settings from registry ... For now, I'd like to see some progress report.

And that's the problem with splashcreens - they are on top blocking your current view. When I work in some program (read a text etc.) and start another prorgam, I don't want to look on splashscreen and interrupt my working process. Without splash I can continue and when the application is ready, I instantly switch to it (or it get focus).

In SS the problem of waiting and blocking is indeed small (but as you mentioned, it may take some time to read from registry, and it can be even seconds if the computer is slow and registry fragmented), but it still exists as in other splash-screened apps and their creators know why they put option for disable it there.

Why don't you just accept it can be problem for some users and stop to argue like "YOU want to know it's loading" (ME not), "it can save max 10ms starting time" (who cares? even if SS starts in 5ms it's BLOCKING my view, flashing over screen, whatever).

Got the point?

Guest · Post by **Guest** » 18 May 2006, 16:09

Show old ugly loading window or first open Servant Salamander with old ugly loading window or new logo window is also an option!

Best regards,
Guest Nr. WhatEver

Tomcat · Post by **Tomcat** » 18 May 2006, 22:42

<watch out, at least partially off-topic>

Some general thoughts around this issue:

Guest has stated that he does not like the splash screen. He used this forum to make Altap aware of his opinion. Perfect, that is one of the main purposes of this tool. Nothing to debate about.
He stated that people might not buy SS because of it. I would call this an unproven hypothesis but regardless of that it might be true.
For long term SS addicts, like most of us are, this may be hard to believe, but try to think like a newbie. There are dozens of file managers out there, some even for free. So how and why do users pick a tool to buy? ...

There is the AIDA marketing principle saying that there are four steps for any successful sale:

A=Attention: Make users aware that servant salamander is there. I tried 'windows file manager' in Google and Altap came up on the second page. Not too bad but could be better. I very rarely read in magazines about SS so the planned yearly release cycle is a good thing (if at all, releases make it into the news, not new betas)

I=Interest: Make users read on and try the test download.

D=Desire: THIS is the complicated step, and now I am on-topic again (or at least closer

) If I speak for myself, I like software if it is intuitive, feature rich and if it does not annoy me. Being annoyed is nothing rational, its a feeling. I am annoyed by flaws in software that have simple and easy work-arounds just because I think that it should be a quick job for the progammer to fix it (or to add a switch to disable). Something like a strange name plus a splash screen plus whatever may cause an interested tester to go on with the next file manager.

A=Action: Buying it. (Just to complete AIDA)

To make a long story short: I would like to see SS become THE shareware file manager in the world. Because then Altap can hire more programmers to make the tool even better in shorter time. To achieve this I would say that any opinion about a potential annoyance is useful to consider.

Post by **Jan Rysavy** » 18 May 2006, 23:45

It is probably not a problem to provide this option, I will look into it.

Thank you for your time spent on this!

Edit: Options > Configuration > Appearance > [ ] Show splash screen at startup. Available from 2.5 RC2.