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List:       kde-look
Subject:    Re: On desktops
From:       "Friedrich W. H. Kossebau" <Friedrich.W.H () Kossebau ! de>
Date:       2000-03-30 15:09:23
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Waldo Bastian wrote:
> On Tue, 08 Feb 2000, Ben Last wrote:
> > I think desktops are a bad idea as the general repository of icons.
> > The desktop is usually behind one (or all) windows.  To get to it you
> > have to drag stuff out of the way or minimise it (Windows 98 has the
> > Win-D trick to try and make this easier).  So *why* is the trash on
> > there?  Why is the cd-rom mount icon on there?  I think this is a bit
> > of a legacy from the first Mac GUIs, where the system was either
> > running an application or the Finder, one or the other.  There was no
> > application switching, so getting back to the desktop wasn't really
> > an issue.
> >
> > What are the alternatives?  I've got some ideas, but I thought that
> > the various extremely talented people on this list can (hopefully)
> > top them :-) ben
> 
> I personally don't consider the "desktop" usefull at all. I almost
> never use it. For KDE 2.0 I will try to make the "desktop" optinal. If
> you don't want these icons there, just disable it.
> 
> Another idea I had was that applications should be able to get a
> "desktop" of their own. I am convinced that large packets like kdevelop
> or corel draw could make much better use of the desktop.
> 
> (That is, instead of the icons, the application can put its own stuff
> on the desktop. )

A desktop is a desktop. Look at yours. The real one. What do you see?
Mostly things that belong to the task you are on at the moment. Where
are your everyday tools and files? At least should they be ;-) ?
Somewhere in containers at the edge of the desktop or in drawers under
the table or in boards at the wall. So this is what KDE Desktop should
be like. The desktop to place the things you work on/with, the panel to
store your tools and files.

I would like to propose to use the desktop as a place for cutted text,
images, any other object that is used in the actual work. A place to put
things that are not used by now but little time later.

This assumes another proposal of mine: all editing or displaying widgets
should be able to DnD. When clicking and holding in a selected area this
should start a DnD-process, not new selection. And moving dragged stuff
over a droptaking area should result in a cursor that shows where the
stuff would be inserted. Couldn't this be standard for especially the
text widgets (klineedit, kmultilineedit, ...)? So many apps could do so.

Why does KDE offer different desktops? I think because people do
different tasks at the same time. I guess it is intended to use an extra
desktop for each task. For each task at least I open different programs
that fill my desktop. Or only one if it offers all I need. Like
KDevelop. Sometimes I still start some extra apps at the same desktop
but not that much.

My proposal for this: Each desktop is a program itself that is capable
of handling desktop stuff like described above. It accepts normal apps
that are started and keeps them as its own. And there are application
that have a desktop of their own. 

Each desktop has its own stuff and apps. Only apps that are sticked are
shown on all desktops. (Could it be still called "sticked" then? What
are they sticked to? The screen? Isn't it vice versa related to the
desktop?)

Perhaps we could add then the functionality that enlightment has/had
where you could move one desktop over the other and look at both at the
same time what I liked much because it was closer to reality and easier.
One move up with the mouse, click and hold, tear down, look, tear up
again. Not much aiming at little buttons. 

The last refers to being in "mouse mode" of course, I know there are
short cuts. Because I don't like jumpig between keyboard and mouse so
often. I think KDE should offer everything to both mouse users and
keyboard users. 

For example the clipboard to rest in this mails topic. If we don't want
to place cutted or copied things on the desktop because there is no room
or we don't like it we agree in storing it in the clipboard. Ever tried
to use the clipboard with the mouse? Small icon on the panel it is. I
think it belongs on the data access panel. 

This should be a panel where storing devices, the trash, the clipboard,
the printer and perhaps some other devices (virtual and real) are
located. Apart from the apps starting buttons.

Again much text. Sorry. A thought a long time about this. Must get rid
of it ;-)

Please comment.

Friedrich

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