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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Something similar for message boxes? (was Download manager)
From:       Jason Wood <jasonwood () blueyonder ! co ! uk>
Date:       2002-05-06 16:58:35
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On Monday 06 May 2002 4:25 pm, Pupeno wrote:
> On Monday 06 May 2002 11:24, Rolf Magnus wrote:
> > On Monday 06 May 2002 16:52, David Faure wrote:
> > > This is already available - apart from the stop/resume functionality.
> > > Check "Show all network operations in a single window" somewhere in
> > > KControl, and you'll see all transfers in the same window.
> >
> > That's what I think where all the download manager features should go.
> > It'd be IMHO a good place for it, maybe with the possibility to also
> > start it as stand-alone app.
> >
> > > I don't think
> > > this should go into Konqueror's sidebar.
> >
> > Me neither, it just feels like the wrong place to me.
>
> I agree, and should be able to dock in the tray bar, don't you think so ?

I was so about to suggest this :-)

I like these ideas of making the progress dialog into a download manager, but 
my main annoyance with the progress dialog at the moment is how it pops up, 
for example, when I press <alt>F2 gg:my search goes here. I like the fact 
that it does say "contacting google..." in the dialog, but I would prefer it 
could be docked on the taskbar so that it doesn't get in my way.

					*	*	*

As a sort-of related aside, I'd like to mention an idea that I had for message 
boxes - unfortunately I think it is the kind of thing that would be ignored 
if I put it on the wishlist as it's not obvious as to why it would be a nice 
feature.

The problem with message boxes is that they are an annoying necessity : They 
occur when an application has to notify the user of something, and thus need 
to exist and be prominent, but they are really annoying because they usually 
pop up when you least want them to (i.e., when they don't belong to the 
program that you are currently using).

The solution that konqueror now supplies is, whilst less annoying in some 
ways, more annoying in others. By removing the message box and making it "in 
window", you no longer get annoyed when your focus is suddenl.y shifted from 
your email and you realise that you typed half a paragraph into a message 
box. On the other hand though, you no longer get notified that, for example, 
half of the browser windows that you have open have timed out.

The solution that I am thinking of would be similar to the progress dialog, 
but a "message box dialog". You would collect all of the messages that are 
sent from various applications, giving you a single point of focus to look at 
and solve the messages. The dialog would be dockable, and would flash/make a 
sound/whatever whenever a new message was caught by an application.

Obviously there are exception to messages being caught - if the message comes 
from the app which currently has focus then the message would still be 
directed to the screen.

The advantages of this solution :

1) All messages from various desktops can be managed from the current one. 
There is no need to "focus" on the app to click on ok, yes/no, skip/continue, 
etc.
2) This would work for all KDE applications  - the solution is not 
"application specific", as the konqueror in-window solution is.
3) You recieve notification from various programs without annoying focus 
switches.

Wha do people think?

Unfortunately, all this is at the moment is an idea - I don't expect to have 
any spare time anytime soon to try and implement it :-(

-- 
Jason Wood
I knew I needed a break when I tried to close konqueror by typing <Esc>:q!
 
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