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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Proposal: kde guide systray update
From:       "Aaron J. Seigo" <aseigo () olympusproject ! org>
Date:       2003-02-04 0:26:36
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On Monday 03 February 2003 04:17, Waldo Bastian wrote:
> On Sunday 02 February 2003 01:15, Datschge@gmx.net wrote:
> > Hello =)
> > Attached in this email you can find a first draft of my proposed
> > update for
> >
> > http://developer.kde.org/documentation/standards/kde/style/basics/systray
> >.h tml Corrections and further comments are welcome and wanted. =)
>
> I would stress the purpose of a systray thingy a bit more, something like:
> "The purpose of a systray entry is to have a non-intrusive user interface
> presence that is always available to the user."

agreed....

> This implies that no specific action (e.g. application launch) should be
> required to get it, but that it is autostarting by definition. (You mention
> that already) (Always there, time wise)

autostarting can be accomplished two ways:

 o when the app it's related to starts
 o when KDE starts

for some apps (like kscd and kmail) i tmakes no sense to implement the 
latter..

> And it implies that it by definition has a "on all desktops" behaviour.
> (Always there, spatially) That's pretty much inherent to the current
> implementation but I think that usability wise that is an important factor.

yes...

> [Warning: Freewheeling starts here]

interesting points.. other differences between the systray and the panel is 
that a user has the ability to add or remove buttons from their panel at will 
but the systray is a place set aside for any application to put and remove an 
active icon.

the mac osX dock does what you suggest regarding button icons calling up 
already running processes and thereby gets rid of the need for a seperate 
system tray. i don't think this is a great way to get messages to the user 
however, and that in my mind is the express purpose of the system tray:

allowing an application to provide messages from the user

some apps (such as kscd) use the systray to allow users easy access to simple 
control of the app. i wonder if that's another allowable use of the 
systray... 

- -- 
Aaron J. Seigo
GPG Fingerprint: 8B8B 2209 0C6F 7C47 B1EA  EE75 D6B7 2EB1 A7F1 DB43

"Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler"
    - Albert Einstein
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