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List:       kde-core-devel
Subject:    Re: Moving QExtMDI to kdelibs
From:       Jason Keirstead <jason () keirstead ! org>
Date:       2003-05-13 21:39:39
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On May 13, 2003 11:12 am, Cornelius Schumacher wrote:
> On Dienstag, 13. Mai 2003 15:57, Christoph Cullmann wrote:
> > > We already have these guidelines. From the KDE User Interface
> > > Guidelines
> > > (http://developer.kde.org/documentation/standards/kde/style/basics/wind
> > >  ow s. html):
> > > 
> > > "KDE does not use MDI"
> > 
> > Which doesn't reflect the current situation in kde, lets name \
> > konqueror, konsole, kate, quanta, kdevelop, .....
> 
> But nevertheless is a good guideline...

That is a matter of opinion. Let me quote the justification for no MDI from \
the guideline...

  "But times and technology move on, and today MDI is widely considered to \
impose unnecessary restrictions  on the way users work. Users with multiple \
desktops or large, high-resolution monitors don't want to be  constrained \
by one mother window. Users expect the freedom to move windows where they \
want, and spread  them out over as many desktops as suits them. The MDI \
mother window offers the programmer a simple way to  control what is being \
displayed by the application, but it offers no benefits to the user."

This whole paragraph is wrought with problems IMO. "Users with multiple \
desktops or large, high-resolution monitors" When was the last time you saw \
an average user (read - non-developer, probably Windows users ) have \
multiple monitors or multiple desktops? *I* have multiple monitors, but the \
average user does not. Also i'd be surprised if the average user even had \
the slightest idea what you meant by multiple desktops, let alone have the \
desire to have some of his web browsing windows on one desktop, and some on \
another. Users have a hard enough time keeping track of the open windows on \
one desktop, nevermind keeping track of whats on 4 or 8.

And the idea that MDI offers no benefits to the user is insane.  It lets \
you avoid having tons of windows everywhere you have to manage, you know \
where  everything for that app is, and I can close them all with one click. \
You have only one menu / toolbar / interface to have to work with.. if you \
enable / disable settings in it you are assured they will take effect for \
all the child windows. 

Whether or not MDI is horrible in theory is not the issue.. it is if the \
user should be forced ot use SDI when they don't want to. I can tell you \
right now that if the MDI was removed from Konq, Kate, and Konsole we would \
suddenly see the usage of those apps drop like a rock, and I would probably \
be forced to ditch KDE altogether for (ugh) GNOME, because I *like* MDI \
(tab style), always have. I still turn it on whenever I fire up MS Office \
under Windows, and many many other people feel the same way, proven by the \
huge number of MDI apps already in KDE. 

I think this QExtMdi would be excellent in kdelibs because finally all \
these MDI apps can have a consistant interface and features. Right now they \
all behave differently. But the ability to switch from tab mode to to level \
mode on the fly in apps like Konq and Kate and KOffice would be a dream \
come true for me.

-- 
Jason Keirstead, BCS
http://www.keirstead.org


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