[Bug-gnubg] Suggestions for enhancement/improvement, Windows version

[Billie Patterson]

gnubg developers:

My thanks for a great program.  I've always wanted to learn
to play backgammon well, and now that I've retired, this is
the program to help me do it.  My suggestions are:

1)  The program appears to be written for a display setting
of 1024x768.  But us older folks don't see the screen well
at that setting -- I run at 800x600.  At 800x600, some of
the screens that open off the menu are too long for the
screen, and you can barely get to the OK or the cancel
button on them.  Please either design for the 800x600
setting, or rearrange the long screens so that we can see
all the information.

2)  The screen has a LOT of unused real estate, but if you
resize it smaller, the bg board shrinks as well (vision
problem for us elders again).  I haven't seen anything
appear on those big gray wings yet, but I'm a raw beginner.
 However, I assume that you're displaying all additional
information in separate windows.  How about shrinking the
window horizontally so that it's not much larger than the
board?  Or take some of the info displayed at the bottom
and move it to the side, and then shrink the screen
vertically AND horizontally.  That way we can have
additional windows open without having them overlap.

3)  Three suggestions about hints.  I've been corresponding
with Joern about a bug in the hints program that displays
hints that can't be moved because the checkers aren't where
the hint thinks they are.  It only happens when the hint
window is left open all the time.  But closing and opening
it everytime is a pain.

   3a)  Fix the bug so the window doesn't have to be closed
each time for the hints to calculate correctly.

   3b)  At least in tutor mode, and maybe all the time,
offer an option to let you leave the hint window open and
have hints displayed automatically after every roll.  This
is an enormous help to newbies, and is annoying to have to
do manually.  If that's not too much trouble, consider
adding the same feature for gnubg's moves as well.  It
would be nice to see which options he's considered before
choosing his moves.

   3b)  Put a button on the screen that allows the hint
window to be opened.  The rest of the playing interface
operates with the mouse.  Yes, I know I can get there from
the Analyze menu, but I'll bet none of the other menu
options are used as frequently as Hint, especially by
beginners.

Thanks for your consideration of these suggestions.  And
thanks again for all your work on gnubg.  I'd never have
paid the money for snowie or jellyfish, and this is a great
service to those of us who'd like to learn backgammon.

Billie Patterson
Houston, TX

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