Feature requests/bug reports for Rocketeer (was: Re: [ANN] Rocketeer, a Gemini browser for iOS)


> On Sep 29, 2020, at 8:13 PM, Shadowfacts <me at shadowfacts.net> wrote:
> 
> Hey all,
> 
> I?ve been working on a native Gemini browser app for iOS and macOS 
called Rocketeer for a little while now, and I decided to finally release 
a public alpha for the iOS version.
> 
> It?s written entirely from scratch with no dependencies aside from the 
OS, so it?s very lightweight. The feature set is pretty slim right now, 
but I wanted to have something out there while I continue working on it. 
It of course makes Gemini requests and renders text/gemini documents. 
Rocketeer also registers itself as a gemini:// protocol handler, so links 
tapped in other apps will open it.
> 
> There are a few screenshots here:
> https://social.shadowfacts.net/media/28bfba91-b609-4433-ba26-36f40fd793eb/Rocketeer.png
> 
> And you can try the app by joining the beta through TestFlight:
> https://testflight.apple.com/join/LAs1URxM
> 
> If anyone has any issues, suggestions, or other feedback, please let me 
know! You can of course email me at this address, and I?m also on the 
fediverse as @shadowfacts at social.shadowfacts.net.

Oh, wow. This is _great_. Dark mode right out of the gate? Be still, my beating heart.

Requests, in no particular order:

- The link-color/background color contrast is a little low in dark mode. I 
generally don?t have issues with contrast, but link text is a bit dark to 
read easily. Could you make the link text a bit lighter?

- Add titles to the buttons. Right now, when I turn on Voice Control (?hey 
Siri, turn on Voice Control?) and say ?show names? the buttons on the 
bottom have names like ?Arrow.clockwise?. Could these be changed to 
?Back?, ?Forward, ?Reload?, ?Share?, and ?Settings? (what both Overcast and PCalc use)?

(I cannot wait to browse Geminispace when my hands are coated in 
partially-mixed hamburger meat)

- swipe-from-edge behavior to go back and forward

- Consider having a minimum 44-point height for links (this may be ugly 
and/or a lot of work to not be ugly). While almost all links are two rows 
high on my 1st-generation iPhone SE, most links are only one line on my 
10.5? iPad when it?s in landscape mode. It?s kind of tough to aim for a 
single line on, say, CAPCOM when any given link has two close-by 
neighbors. For one way to do this sort of thing, have a look at the 
screenshot associated with ?The Best Comments Experience? on 
https://apolloapp.io/ ? the currently-being-swiped comment is basically 
all one link, but there?s a nice, easy-to-hit button for it. (For Gemini, 
having the link _be_ that minimum-height button would probably be best, 
since we don?t have to worry about a bunch of consecutive words in a 
sentence being separate links.)

- I visited 
<gemini://gemini.circumlunar.space/users/adiabatic/tracker.webp?on=/> and 
the error message got ellipsis-truncated, not wrapped. I had to rotate my 
phone 90? to read the entire message. (I?m not sure _why_ it failed, but 
WebP is the new kid on the block when it comes to WebKit support. I blame its newness.)

- Fix the share-button crash that seems to happen only on my iPad (Apple 
should get those crash reports to you; if not, ping me and I?ll see if I 
can dig them out of my iPad the old-fashioned way).

And in the ?_much_ less important requests? pile?

- Aim assist (that?s what console FPS players call it, at least; Apple 
seems to call it ?Magnetism") doesn?t seem to work for trackpad cursors. 
That is, the proxy fingertip won?t snap to the outline of the bottom-bar 
buttons like it will for Safari?s buttons. You can (kinda) see this effect 
on https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT211008 on the second screenshot, er, screenmovie.

Apparently only a handful of buttons get this feature for free; in 
Overcast?s UI, only the buttons on the left half of the screen 
(pick-a-playlist and pick-an-episode-in-a-playlist) have auto-aim enabled.

=> https://developer.apple.com/videos/play/wwdc2020/10640/ I?m not sure 
I?d even bother for myself, but if you?re bored?


??

Once again, Rocketeer is absolutely wonderful. Thank you again for making it.

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