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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Fast Application switching
From:       "Friedrich W. H.  Kossebau" <Friedrich.W.H () Kossebau ! de>
Date:       2003-10-19 20:04:06
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Am Sonntag, 19. Oktober 2003 01:10 schrieb Andreas Bayer:
> Hi,
>
> there are several applications which can use/display/edit the same
> document-type. No App has all needed features.
> Think of a function to switch between Applications without saving and
> closing the document in old prog and opening the file in the new
> Application by hand. All changes and the current position were
> transfered without saving it to current file. So the user see only
> change the menu/iconbar.

I am not an expert but (here's what I think):
What you propose is a workaround. In my eyes it would be much better to put 
the needed work in a new design and according programmed applications/code.

Rethink you problem. You have some file/document/structured data that is 
stored somewhere, e.g. a hard disk, in a suited package format. Suited here 
means usually small size, but can also mean fast access to subparts of the 
data if the data is large in size.
When you are about to handle this data you call an app that is able to parse 
that format and to put this data in another format into the working memory. 
Suited here almost always means fast access to subparts of the data and in 
case of editing apps the ability to change parts. 

That app has some code that can operate on the data, like "use", "display", 
and "edit". As mentioned the last sometimes needs another format. But the 
loading (reading, parsing, and structuring in memory) of the data might need 
around the same time. 

I would guess you think also of a solution to switch from a viewing app to an 
editing app. Now why do we have viewing apps? They have less code and 
therefore can be loaded/started faster. 
A possible solution might be to strip the editing apps and move all editing 
code into plugins. So if you view some document and would like to edit it you 
simply load the plugins. Using a plugin concept perhaps might easen the 
addition or substitution of new editing possibilities, too.

Anyone a real expert?

Friedrich
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