Renaissance/FAQ

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Since the announcement of the Renaissance project we noticed that people are interested in general topics which are discussed repeatedly in e.g. discussion forums. This FAQ lists common questions and the corresponding answers - considering the current status of the project. If any common question seems to be missing, then please contact the Renaissance team at the ui@ux.openoffice.org mailing list.


Will the result of Renaissance look like product XYZ? (e.g. Microsoft Fluent "Ribbon")

Not in general, maybe single parts. From experience it is known that UX professionals tend to develop similar solutions if there are similar problems and constraints.

Concerning Microsoft Fluent (known as "Ribbon" in Microsoft Office 2007), Microsoft has started to patent this user interface concept. As far as we know, if anybody uses the concept for office applications, then licence fees have to be paid. Additionally, it has not yet been proven that this concept represents the optimum for our users.


Will the future UI provide theming capabilities?

Maybe. Even the current OpenOffice.org provides theming capabilities to archive a high level of consistency across all the platforms (e.g. the user interface controls, icon themes). Furthermore, the Renaissance team has the impression that the concept of theming is somehow misunderstood. Theming mainly has influence on how software will look - it won't change how software behaves. The scope of Project Renaissance, however, is making the UI behave better, e.g. by better understanding the work flow of users.


Are there any mockups or preliminary designs available? Where can I find them?

No. The project is "In Progress". A lot of different projects and people inside the OpenOffice.org community are working to finding the new design. Please have a look at the Renaissance Roadmap to get an idea of what to expect when.

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