Created attachment 68858 [details]
screenshot mentioned

+me on CC

Meanwhile I found out, that the stronger highlighting of the first button means,
that this button has the focus. The focus can be moved by using the TAB key.
However, this is not clear to average users, and it is even not recognized by UX
experts, as one can read here:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=branding&msgNo=83

In addition, the behaviour of StartCenter is inconsistent: When StartCenter
comes up the first time by starting OOo, it shows the focus on the button "Text
Document". When you open any document and return to StartCenter by closing the
document again, none of the controls in StartCenter has the focus. And it is not
possible anymore to set the focus to any of the controls by pressing the TAB key.

In this state, even the keyboard shortcuts (press the key according to the
underlined letters, e.g. D for Text _D_ocument) do not work anymore.

All in all, there are some severe usability flaws in StartCenter. That´s why
this issue should be a stopper for the release of OOo 3.2.1.

For further investigation, I would suggest:

* Please clarify approval of new StartCenter by the experts of the UX project.

* Please give a link to the specification for the new StartCenter.

I will modify the summary to: "Severe usability flaws in StartCenter"

I've teste it on Win XP and SuSE 11.2
the same behavior appears

Windows XP, Classic theme

Start OOo, press left mouse button on, for ex., "Drawind", move out mouse cursor, 
release mouse button -- "Drawing" stays pressed, moving mouse over it doesn'n 
restore correct state. 
Dragging another window over artifact restores image.

Please, see attachment.

Created attachment 68870 [details]
screenshot

The "focus lost on closing document" problem is fixed in CWS nativea (which is
currently undergoing a first QA cycle).

That leaves the (extremely ugly) paint problem on Windows XP with disabled
theming. Changing title thus.

accepted

As PL mentioned: "The "focus lost on closing document" problem is fixed in CWS
nativea (which is
currently undergoing a first QA cycle)."

http://qa.openoffice.org/issues/show_bug.cgi?id=110817

fixed in CWS fwk140

Reopening.

This issue has been initially filed due to the "always one same button is
highlighted" problem. This has not been fixed, right?

In context of StartCenter, Users obviously do not recognize the highlighting of
the one button as the focus.

Proposal: Change properties of StartCenter controls, so that none of the
controls can have the focus.

Again, please have a look at UX´s judgement:
http://marketing.openoffice.org/servlets/ReadMsg?list=branding&msgNo=83

<quote>The revised StartCenter seems to mainly improve one thing; it now
provides large buttons so that users can simply click on "Text Document"
instead on the icon alone. But, why is this button visible all the time
after the start of OpenOffice.org? It somehow destroys the (intended?)
clean look. It looks more clean if one closes the last window - then the
button isn't shown (at least in one of the earlier versions).</quote>

The meaning of the highlighting is just not understood. Users don´t expect,
don´t need and don´t recognize a focus in this context. So, get rid of it.

cc Andreas Bartel on this issue

I can replace the highlighting in its current form if someone comes up with an
idea. And please no such nonsense like "no button can have the focus", rendering
the StartCenter immediately unusable with the keyboard as well as losing all
accessibility functionality. 

If someone gets a reasonable alternative to highlight the currently focused
control, please file another issue, flagged enhancement. The obvious solution
would have been to use regular buttons (like they were before), but to invent
the new flat buttons was a design decision by UX/Visual Design.

@pl

In our joint project, I am not used to such manners. You may not like my
suggestion, but please don´t call it nonsense.

Of course it would be possible, to have none of the buttons have the focus.
That´s just the way, it is in every toolbar. For using the StartCenter with the
keyboard, it is not necessary, that any of the buttons has the focus. There are
still the shorcuts (underlined characters).

I am not stating, that I know best. But it surely isn´t nonsense.

I am reporting the observation, that average Users and UX experts did not
understand the highlighting of the button as the focus, but were disgusted by
its appearance. And I am suggesting not to release such a flaw at such a
prominent place.

Let's call it "uninformed" then. And I still maintain that because the
StartCenter would then not be usable with the keyboard as well as not accessible.

And of course the initial focus is not in a toolbar, that's because it's in the
document somewhere. Just move the focus to the toolbar (using F6 for example)
and see, the difference is not that much. Toolbar highlighting looks a little
different depending on platform and theme, but essentially that is the same.

please verify (the now working painting in Windows XP "Classic theme") in CWS fwk140

Sorry, just back from work .. 

Just in case, I used another solution in OOo4Kids, and maybe this could be reused into OpenOffice.org. 
Just tell me, and I'll attach the file.

Thanks

@ericb: Would like to see your solution, could you please add a screenshot (or a
link)? Thank you!

@pl: The element is usable at any time.
a) OOo provides an application menu all the time.
b) There are (at the moment) keybindings to nearly all items in the StartCenter.
c1) The solution could be extended to let a button appear when the user strokes
any of the (e.g.) cursor keys (keyboard). Then, it could behave like it does
now. The button showing is kept until the StartCenter is shown again.
c2) Toggling the focus via F6 could be a solution to let a button appear. Then
the StartCenter would react like a usual (sub)window).

@all: I'll attach _old_ mockups I've made nearly two years ago. Please just have
a look at how the "buttons" behave. That time, I wanted to "cure" the problem
that there is only a limited area to click on.

Created attachment 68975 [details]
OLD mockup showing a button with highlighting.

Created attachment 68976 [details]
OLD mockup showing the StartCenter without any highlighted button / action area.

Thanks Christoph for dealing with the problem for which this issue has been
filed for. Unfortunately this issue was hijacked for another problem and has
been set to FIXED/RESOLVED. However, the original problem is NOT solved yet.
After my attempt to reopen the issue, it has been closed again immediately. I
won´t open it for a third time, in order to prevent toggling between REOPENED
and FIXED.

IMO the change of the appearance of StartCenter is such a sensitive thing at
such a prominent place, that everything should be done in order to avoid
confusion and/or disgust of probably the majority of users. That´s why I keep up
my recommendation not to release this with the "always one same button is
highlighted" appearance.

@christophnoack

In OOo4Kids, I removed the buttons, and modified the initial code, to use no button, but the toolbox, 
differently. Plus, to avoid a forest of ifdef, I created backingwindow-OOo4Kids.cxx and just #ifdef'ed 
specific things in the header, depending on what is built.

I'll attach the file ( LGPL v3, fully compatible with OOo) and if ever my change are usefull, I'd be glad to 
see them reused into OOo. If not, that's no problem for me.

Created attachment 68978 [details]
Other possibility for the start center, provided under Licence LGPL v3

To bring further information :

- the original backingwindow.cxx is still in the sources
- depending on $WITH_OOo4Kids value, either backingwindows.cxx or backingwindows-OOo4Kids.cxx is 
built.

Last : I can provide the header on demand (some constants inside, but nothing that important if I 
remember correctly)

checked and verified in cws fwk140 -> OK !