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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    KWin usability enhancement feature proposal further explained
From:       Krisztian Mark Szentes <mark () szentes ! org>
Date:       2003-09-12 18:59:45
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>> [first] What these users need is something similar to Kasbar, but the
>> minimized icons do not get arranged but left where the users dragged 
>> them.

>*CHEERS*  YES!  Taskbars in general seem to miss this.  Users should be 
>able 
>to rearrange the icons as they please.  How hard could it be for me to be 
>able to drag about taskbar buttons much like column headers?  But that's 
>not related to kwin.

I do not mean that taskbar buttons should be able to get rearranged by the 
user but I like this idea. The standard taskbar annoys me with 
unpredictable sequence of the tasks - but that's a whole different story.

>> So if the user drags the window to the upper left edge 150 pixels away
>> from the corner, the rolled-up title bar stays on the upper left edge 
>> 150
>> pixels away from the corner. If the user drags the window to the bottom
>> edge of the screen, the window title text remains on exactly the same
>> position as it was before the roll-up (the title text gets cut off as it
>> happens in the taskbar just as well).

>It sounds to me like you're looking for a dragging alternative to 
>minimizing/restoring.  That sounds intuitive, actually, but not on all 
>four 
>sides of the screen.  I think it would be a good concept if you could 
>choose with some checkboxes which sides of the screen you wanted to 
>enable this on.

Definitely one needs to enable or disable this option. Moreover, this 
"roll-up at the edge" feature cannot be switched on when one wishes to 
automatically flip workspaces by dragging to the edge, of course. But 
those who use several workspaces know how to cope with many windows open.

>> [second] there are no icons but the window title bar remains essentially
>> unmodified (it just loses the buttons and the title words get shortened
>> like in the taskbar if they are too long to fit).

>Have you tried an external taskbar to kicker located on the side of your 
>screen?  It is at least similar in appearence.  Taskbars make more sense 
>on 
>the side than the bottom, to me, and they're actually readable.

The basic rationale for my proposal is the "memorize by placement" concept. 
If all minimized titlebars/icons/squares/whatsoever are located on one 
side, close to each other, the user won't be able to recall which one was 
which one. If they can leave the rolled-up titlebars at arbitrary 
positions, they might well group them as well - and yes, on all four sides 
of the screen.

>> Perhaps minimized preview-like icons of the window content should be
>> displayed instead of the title bar (like in Enlightenment's workspace
>> switcher) because these unexperienced users do not think in terms of
>> window title bar but rather in terms of windows which they drag around 
>> by
>> pulling on the "blue edge"... ;-) But I guess it is a lot of programming
>> work to scan the window content and generate an (iconized) preview.

>Yes, and it would be vomit-inducing for a lot of people, including me.  
>There 
>are good reasons I don't use enlightenment.  That's not only a lot of 
>programming work, but a lot of CPU work.  I'd rather use my CPU for other 
>things.  I know what a titlebar and the name of a program is.

Yes, so do I - but for people who do not even know how the program is 
called they currently work with, it is hard to keep track of program and 
document names - especially as long as it's called something like 
Document1.

>> [third] it is essential that users do not have to klick any mouse button 
>> or
>> window title bar button because simply by dragging the window close 
>> enough
>> to the edge signifies to KWin that the rolled-up edge position is 
>> desired.

>This is the big difference I see.  Dragging instead of clicking.
>Another interesting point is that you seem to want the "taskbars" on the 
>various sides of the screen to be independent from each other.

I do not see the point what (in)dependence would mean with rolled-up 
windows resting on the edge of the desktop.

>I'm kinda envisioning this I think.  If you used kasbar-style icons 
>(squarish 
>rectangles instead of titlebars), then I can imagine dragging any window 
>to 
>the edge of the screen, having it turn into one of the icons, and then 
>being 
>able to drop it into any spot along any side of the screen and having it 
>stay 
>there.  If I drag it back away, or pick up the icon later and drag it back 
>to 
>the center area, it would again become a window, and I'd be dragging the 
>titlebar of the full-size window (unless I went over the edge again).

>Sounds like a cool idea, but I think most of it has very little to do with 
>kwin.  You might try broadcasting this idea to the kdestkop/kicker sorts 
>of 
>people as well.

I do not know why you stick with taskbars. With taskbars, the amount of 
programming necessary for this dragging functionality would be enormous. 
But in KWin, the code is almost completely there.

In KWin, there is code to roll up windows. (double-klick on the title bar)
In KWin, there is code to detect dragging a window close to the edge (to 
flip workplaces)
In KWin, there is code to detect a mouse-over of rolled-up windows (it can 
automatically expand rolled-up windows)
In KWin, there is code to remember the dimensions of a window (when it gets 
rolled down)
In KWin, there is code to cut off parts of the titlebar text (when the 
title is too long)

So all I suggest is to enable  a new combination of the actions performed 
on other events:

In kcontrol, have a radio checkbox next to "Flip workspace edge" called: 
"Automatic roll-up on edge". Have an input field for length of a rolled-up 
window.
Within code that detects drags close enough to the screen edge to flip to 
another workspace, roll-up the window and resize the titlebar to the 
predefined size.
Within code that detects klick&drag of rolled-up windows, extend titlebar 
to original size and roll down window when distance to the edge is greater 
than the user-defined flip-activation 

That's all.


>Anyways, these are just my thoughts.  I'm no kde developer :).

Neither am I. But I do not understand why you talk about taskbars when it 
has to do with the window manager. Although the functionality is related, 
the workings are quite different.

I understand that a regular kde developer does not need the proposed 
feature (I wouldn't use it either). But from the usability perspective, it 
would greatly enhance unexperienced users' abilities to cope with several 
windows open.


Mark


-- 
"No matter how fast light travels it finds the darkness has always got 
there first, and is waiting for it"
(Terry Pratchett: "Reaper Man")

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