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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: Abstracting the Linux Desktop from the File-system
From:       Kevin Puetz <puetzk () iastate ! edu>
Date:       2002-12-09 8:11:00
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Luke Chatburn wrote:

> Hi all...
> 
> I for one, do use my desktop to store essential documents/images/etc.
> while they are in use in my current project, and then file them away
> later. I also add a few shortcuts, although I have found that with an 80%
> width kicker with my essential program icons and a top taskbar,
> application launching is covered very well.
> 
> My home directory is used as the root of my storage for completed tasks
> and contains principally a number of directories:
> 
> -Documents
> -Downloads
> -Images
> -Music
> 
> I don't currently have mail stored in a Mail directory in there, but it
> seems sensible.
> 
> I also have these as icons in the file selector as shortcuts on the left
> (big thanks to whomever wrote that in... It's great! It's always annoyed
> me that I couldn't do that in Windows...).
> 
> Down to the key point of this message: I wish to pose a question.
> 
> *If the desktop is not to contain user data nor program icons (since
> kicker and the K menu do this), then what is it to be used for?*
> 
> I do find it questionable to suppose that because windows and MacOS/OSX
> are tending toward an empty desktop, this is somehow an ideal objective.
> It is valuable UI space, and should be used for something. I do appreciate

It's valuable space, but only when you don't have saved session
management... otherwise it's almost always covered and inaccessable. Thus,
it's valus is less than it seems.

> a nice background, the same as anyone else, but that is not sufficient
> reason, in my opinion to waste prime space, which is so ideal for adding
> icons or data that gives exceptionally easy access for the user. Most
> especially for new users, who like to use it as they would, the 'top of a
> desk'.
> 
> Has anyone played with PocketPC (Windows CE 3) very much? The front of the
> UI is the 'Today page', which holds mail notifications, appointments,
> tasks, news, system status and other items (depending on installed plugins
> for the last few of those). This is what M$ want's to do with Longhorn and
> look to be about to stuff up.



> Oh... Minor thought... (Huge programming task). In Konqy, a sidebar can be
> collapsed against the side and dragged back out again. Mozilla does the
> same thing with its sidebar. What about having a browsing window that does
> the same for the desktop. You get a small tag on the left hand side or
> something, you click it, and the file manager springs out for half the
> screen, like a tray, therefore adding a little more freedom.

Apple did this for finder windows (ie, filemanagement) and it was great...
it's long been on the things I want to do to kwin but never get the time
to. Basically, you could drag a window's titlebar to the edge of the
screen, and it turned into a tab and stuck to the edge... then when you
clicked it (or, IMO, moused over it when focus-follows-mouse is on) it
would spring out from the edge of the screen and show it's contents, then
pop back (or you could grab it and drag it away and it returned to being an
ordinry window). The obvious extension is to make it a general window
manager feature, then you could stick konqueror windows there or
whatever...

hmm... sidebartng kicker extension maybe? that could be quite handy...

/me ponders a combination of these two ideas and shivers excitedly...
docking swallowed app windows into a super-springloaded-sidebar like
that... could be very cool...

> -Luke Chatburn
> (More thoughts on filesystems tomorrow.... bedtime :) )

Likewise. See y'all in the morning :-)


 
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