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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: Pooling task bar buttons.
From:       henryst () mit ! edu
Date:       2002-02-13 0:20:50
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I haven't kept up with this discussion, but I did
see the first image, which may have changed. But,
something like that first idea would be neat if
you could click on the group icon(that was next
to the appropriate tasks), and it would hide them
drawer style(the way XP and KDE currently do it)
for that particular group.

However, on a more conservative issue, I like the
way Gnome has it setup.  It'll leave taskbars regular
until you have more than say 4 windows open of the
same application....THEN it will group them.  I
don't like the current KDE way because if you have
two windows open grouping just makes it more difficult.

Regards,
Henry Stanaland

Quoting Eric E <whalesuit@yahoo.com>:

> I like the idea a lot, Sean.
> 
> I do have one request:
> 
> I think it's important to be able to see the taskbar items independently of
> 
> the group.  This is the main flaw with the current way the KDE and XP 
> taskbars collect items.  If I want to go a particular messages window in 
> KMail, I have to click on KMail, then up the email.
> 
> So, could the group include a way to "undock" some or all items from the 
> group, so I could Right  Click and get -> Show These Items Separately?
> 
> Perhaps it'd even (getting fancy) allow me to specify not to put that window
> 
> back into the group?
> 
> Second, let's think some more about the limited real estate in the taskbar. 
> 
> I think i'd like to be able to "put away" taskbar elements into some kind of
> 
> "drawer", like a tabbed dock, leaving room to see the remaining groups/ 
> items.  We could use the little task list up arrow (which ought to have an 
> accelerator key, IMHO) to hold commands for groups....  If you had a good set
> 
> of tooltips, you could probably explain that the application group was "put
> 
> away" in the docking area.
> 
> Overall, it sounds like a pretty cool idea, though.
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> Eric
> 
> 
> On Friday 08 February 2002 08:50 am, Sean Pecor wrote:
> > > Well, I hope it helps.
> >
> > I have problems when I can't see all task buttons in a single view. For
> > example, having only one button will force me to make two clicks to go
> from
> > Gimp (which has focus) to Konqueror, and then to the Konqueror view that
> I
> > want to use. Sometimes I would only have to make one click, but even then
> I
> > have to glance at the Konqueror title bar to make sure I'm in the
> Konqueror
> > window that I want to be in.
> >
> > Tabs are only useful on a desktop if there is a fixed and small number of
> > them. Tabs inside applications to separate documents ensures that the
> > number of tabs will always be variable and therefore they become
> > problematic. I invariably open more documents then the tabbed bar can
> > handle and I have to "scroll" the damn tab bar around to find stuff.
> >
> > Also, I'm not a big fan of tabs to separate tasks. I feel they are useful
> > for grouping topics within a single task (like in kcontrol, how you can
> > group Keyboard, Bell and Mouse options separately under the Accessibility
> > task).
> >
> > I think we should keep in mind that the Tab metaphor was borrowed from
> > filing cabinets. Filing cabinets are used to store documents that are not
> > often referred to. They make documents easier to find by grouping them,
> but
> > an office worker in the year 1890 opened file cabinets how many times a
> > day? Maybe once or twice in eight hours? We're talking about a visual
> > metaphor that would get accessed about once every couple of minutes. Do
> you
> > know what people do with paperwork they reference often? I do. It's piled
> > together in one or two stacks on their desk! ;). They glance once at the
> > pile, see what they need, and pull it out. This requires a very simple
> > thought process and is quite similar to the task bar. It's less
> disruptive
> > to most work processes.
> >
> > Another example is with tools. A construction worker that is "framing up"
> a
> > house carries all of the tools he/she will use for the work session. They
> > can look down and instantly see and access the tool needed in one glance.
> > They don't have to think "where did I put that tool?" which is a pretty
> > complex and disrupting thought process. Tools that are rarely used are
> kept
> > in tool cabinets which have drawers and compartments that can be compared
> > to tabs in their purpose.
> >
> > Hey, is there anything else I can over-intellectuallize? ;)
> >
> > Sean.
> 
> 




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