Filtering:
after thinking about the current state for a while i wouldn't want to suggest to alter the present gui in a too dramatic way, but make it more flexible and streamlined in general. so far you have two ways to filter and group your torrents. first there is the filter bar with default filter groups and there is the group feature. basically groups are mainly for separating torrents by their source, the tracker/trackers. on the other hand the filter feature is a bit inflexible. my basic idea behind is make the filtering more flexible and the grouping more automatic and intuitive.
the filters could upgraded to more or less "smart groups" known from osx in general and editable by the user. means the default groups presist but the user gets the chance to alter the settings for each of them but also is able to add more groups to the filter bar. as a consequence i would suggest to make the filterbar always visible. in the smart group properties you might seperate two main groups of criteria, first the properties for the smart group, second the way the list is sorted. so you would be able to receive the same results like the suggested column view but the general view would remain the same.
on the other hand the group feature might be a little bit automated. since the grouping normally covers the distinction in between torrent sources. why not create a "source" list. if you add a torrent from a tracker then a group entry is created with the name of it included. if you have a torrent from multiple trackers the source list might use the name of the "main" tracker pulled from the filename. the names of those autogroups might be editable. and the settings for each group might be upgraded by bandwidth settings mentioned here: http://forum.transmissionbt.com/viewtop ... f=5&t=8506
and in smartgroups you might add a check box "group torrent list by source list".
Listview:
and a general word about the visual presentation of torrents in the "simple torrent view". it's a two line layout. first line the torrent name, then the ratio and finally the ul/dl rate. second line the progress bar. if you are downloading that approach ist "ok". but already in plain seeding mode that prominent progress bar is waaaaay too space consuming. either remove the bar in that mode completely or switch to a one line layout and place it inbetween torrentname and ratio with a smaller width for example. which would be also an option for the plain download too already.
additionally it might be worth a thought to think about the progressbar presentation when the seeding stage is reached. there is already a way of a visual feedback if the user has set a limit until transmission seeds. achieved with two different types of the colour green. but hows about a visual feedback if you haven't set a seeding limit but just seed away. so that you are able to get a rough idea if your ratio on that specific file is either below 1.0 or over or far superior?
Interface elements:
would it be possible and reasonable to place the bulb from the port preferences also in the main interface to show a direct feedback for the user to see if there are any port troubles imminent.
that's it for now. a loose collections of thought about the interface. i like and got used to the clean and simple approach transmission utilizes at the moment and just try to spin off some brainstorming to add some spice and flexibility into it
any thoughts? best regards