monero-ccs-proposals/dsc-2019-q2.md

---
layout: wip
title: GUI UX coding (3 months)
author: dsc
date: 17 April, 2019
amount: 282
milestones:
  - 1st-month:
    funds: 33% (94 XMR)
    done:
    status: unfinished
  - 2nd-month:
    funds: 33% (94 XMR)
    done:
    status: unfinished
  - 3rd-month:
    funds: 33% (94 XMR)
    done:
    status: unfinished
payouts:
  - date:
    amount:
  - date:
    amount:
  - date:
    amount:
---

# What

32 hours a week for 3 months. [My last proposal](https://forum.getmonero.org/9/work-in-progress/90931/full-time-gui-coding) was the first where I was able to dedicate fulltime attention to Monero. Thus, past 3 months has seen substantial improvements to the GUI. For example, all points from [this issue](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/1568) have been resolved or at least improved upon.

# Who

I'm dsc, familiar with Monero GUI internals and contributed to the GUI codebase since fall 2017.

My contributions/experience:

- https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/commits?author=xmrdsc
- https://github.com/xmrdsc/py-levin/commits?author=xmrdsc (autonode.xmr.pm)
- https://github.com/wownero/wownero-funding-system/commits?author=xmrdsc
- https://github.com/wownero/Wownero-Light-Wallet/commits?author=xmrdsc
- https://github.com/monero-ecosystem/qml-xmr/commits?author=xmrdsc
- https://github.com/monero-ecosystem/moneriote-python/commits?author=xmrdsc (moneroworld)
- Free VPS Hosting for XMR i2p workgroup, Noncense Research Lab and a Gitea [backup git](https://git.xmr.pm) instance.
- The fan-favourite & glorious IRC bot `xmr-pr` - making everyones life more managable

# Report on the previous 3 months

- [Introduced white theme](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/2060)
- [New wizards](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/1909), both code and design rewritten from scratch
- [Simple mode](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/1909): automatic remote node finder (autonode.xmr.pm)
- [IPC](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/2029) (`monero://` and `moneroseed://` uri handler)
- Introduced font-awesome + .svg for higher quality icons
- [New transaction history page](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/pull/2025)
- Wrote a 'GUI development guidelines' document (not released yet :-P)

In addition I 'cleaned up' QML components and reviewed/rewrote existing QML/js logic. Good QML components lead to a more stable/clean UX. This is time consuming, as QML is not intuitive or easy to work with (compared to, say, HTML + CSS). These efforts are a balance between "needing to clean up the codebase before we can continue" versus "delivering tangible results the community benefits from".

# Proposal

32 hours per week at 50 USD/hour rate for a total of 282 XMR. XMR/USD rate is roughly based on the average of the past 2 weeks. 

I'd rather not post bi-weekly updates in this PR/Reddit, rather wish to have a weekly meeting on Tuesday in `#monero-gui` on Freenode. This will be an opportunity where the GUI workgroup discusses recent developments, open issues/PRs, and to-do's.

# What I want to focus on

Or rather, what I could choose to focus on. Following list is unordered in terms of prioritization.

### Tor/i2p integration

Due to knaccc/jgrassie's efforts (et al.), Monero now has support for tor/i2p. GUI should implement this. Challenges ahead:

1. Come up with a design that works in terms of UX
  1. How to present tor/i2p options to the user?
  2. Where can the user switch between connection types?
2. tiny-i2p/tor binaries will not be included in the GUI release, how to deal with this?

## Android/Purism

Purism has shown interest in having Monero GUI natively and included by default on their Librem 5 (phone).  This idea has overlap with a long standing wish of having an Android GUI release, as both would require [a new QML application](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/2026). 

Time estimates for both Android/librem support would most likely result in at least 50% of this CCS's time allocation. As such, I'm not commiting to this task before the community prioritizes this goal and/or someone wants to partially fund this mobile adventure :-o)

## Support database pruning

[More info here](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/2087).

## Fix update checker

GUI has functionality to check if a newer version of the GUI is available, via DNS. I believe this was disabled some time ago. We should get this functionality working.

## Rewrite modals and popups

Current GUI popups can be improved. Kneuffeulbund [made new designs](https://i.imgur.com/ERxMW0S.png) I'd like to implement. 

## Monerod as a service on Linux/MacOS

The ability to register/create a `monerod` service from within the GUI, and add it to system startup using systemd (linux), LaunchAgent (MacOS) + system tray. For Windows, such registration should take place in rbrunner's installer. I will not work on a Windows service.

This should also support [Automatic mining](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/2046).

## User testing session GUI feedback

Take user feedback from [an IRL GUI testing session](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/2040) and implement them.

## Integrate the Monero GUI guide

Integrate the Monero GUI guide from the translations workgroup inside the GUI, using a markdown to HTML renderer, inside QML, using QtWebView. 

## Tooltips, context menus

Right-click->copy/paste would be nice to have for input boxes. Also help tooltips.

## moneroseed://

Support for `moneroseed://` URIs. [More info here](https://github.com/monero-project/monero-gui/issues/2023).

## CMake build recipe

A CMake recipe, replacing qmake, will be a requirement to create reproducible builds. Currently I'm experimenting with one, it may be finished soon. Might also not be. Would like to work with TheCharlatan on this.

## Misc. GUI development

- Manage issue tracker
- Bugfixes
- Improving QML components where fit
- Code review PRs