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List:       kde-devel
Subject:    Re: the MDI thing
From:       Charles <charles () altair ! dhs ! org>
Date:       1999-12-26 20:16:07
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On Sun, 26 Dec 1999, Herwin Jan Steehouwer wrote:
> On Sat, 25 Dec 1999, Charles wrote:
> 
> > 
> > I've prepared a little concept art regarding the MDI issue.
> > http://altair.dhs.org/~charles/njord_mdi.png
> > It looks silly, I know, but it does get my point accross. :)
> > 
> > In this case, I'm running KDevelop. (lets just imagine that it's KDevelop 2.0 :)
> > KDevelop registers itself with KDesktop, and KDesktop makes the KDevelop the
> > master window.  So now, you get something like that.
> > 
> > The advantage of this is that you're still running an SDI, and your still
> > running an MDI, and you can take advantage of your Virtual Desktops.
> > 
> > When Any KDevelop window is active, the menu is visible (in the style of MacOS).
> > The menus are draggable, hideable, etc (in the style of KDE).  Same with the
> > toolbar.  It's registered, so middle clicking on the desktop (in the style of
> > RISC OS) gives you the menu bar.  Just in case you don't like the menu bar
> > stuck to the top of the desktop.
> > 
> > On the taskbar (which is empty, because I was lazy to draw it all :), all the
> > KDevelop windows are visible.  If you click on another window that's not part
> > of KDevelop (say, a Konqy window) then the taskbar just shows "KDevelop", and
> > not its children.  (As to avoid confusion over what app you're working with).
> > 
> > A child window can also have a toolbar, itself, it just depends on what you
> > need for this particlular app.  KDevelop would probably need to have it's
> > children with toolbars, rather than a global.
> > 
> > What are our opinions on this?  I know that I would certainly like to use my
> > desktop if it ran in this way.  And this means only for apps that need it like
> > KDesktop.
> 
> This is the same KDE Studio tries to do, imho much better then real MDI !

Herwin and Waldo,

IMO, the entire desktop should support this. All applikations that would need
it (like KDevelop, KDE Studio, KOffice, etc) should be written with this
framework.

o The API should support it built-in.  KApplication::betterMDI() for example,
all handled automagically from there.
o There can by a checkbox in the Kontrol Panel to choose between one of the
three styles.

I would love to see this as the "style" for KDE since neither MDI or SDI
provide the intuitiveness or power of this.

What I'de like most right now is a little more conversation on it.

Also, You might have used the beta Opera (written in QT, by the way!), and it's
in a quite obnoxious MDI.

-Charles


> 
> tanx
> 
> HJ
> > 
> > -Charles
> > 
> > 
> 
> Herwin Jan Steehouwer
>   herwinjs@palet.nl                  KXicq: http://www.kxicq.org
>   steehouwer@kde.org              KDE developer: http://www.kde.org

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