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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    RE: Tabbed browsing vs taskbar grouping; a proposal.
From:       "Jamethiel Knorth" <jamethknorth () hotmail ! com>
Date:       2004-02-29 18:34:24
Message-ID: BAY7-F125kJtXZe90ST000239a0 () hotmail ! com
[Download RAW message or body]

>From: Maurizio Colucci <seguso.forever@tin.it>
>Reply-To: KDE Usability Project <kde-usability@kde.org>
>
>It is common for me to have many konqueror instances open at once, each one 
>in
>a different directory. I find this is useful because I have some dirs I use
>very often: it is quicker to leave them always open than to find them each
>time. The same goes for konsoles instances.
>
>Currently there are two ways to do that:
>
>1. keep only one konqueror window, and open each directory in a different 
>tab;
>
>2. open one window for each directory, relying on taskbar grouping.
>
>I am going to argue that both techniques have problems, and give a 
>solution.
>
>1) BAD ASPECT OF OPENING DIRECTORIES IN TABS
>=========================================
>
>The problem of opening directories in tabs instead of new windows is 
>obvious:
>the full pathname doesn't fit in the tab. So, when you want to find a
>particular dir, you end up pressing all tabs sequentially, until you find 
>it.
>No sane person would do that. :-) So, as far as I understand, nobody would
>ever choose to open a new directory in a new tab (unless his panel does not
>offer taskbar grouping).
>
>Notice this problem is not so dramatic when browsing the web: the page 
>titles
>are rarely very long, and they often have a different icon. The problem is
>only serious when browsing the disk.

This would be fairly well solved if tabs displayed the last portion of the 
path, rather than the first, as that is usually what you need to know 
anyway.

Also, tabs should show the entire path, as a tooltip over the normal 
wording, when hovering over them, although that's only a little help.

>
>2) BAD ASPECT OF OPENING DIRECTORIES IN A NEW WINDOW
>=================================================
>
>So what? Why don't I simply open the directory in a new window, and use
>taskbar grouping?
>
>This would solve problem 1: when you click on the taskbar you see the list 
>of
>all directories, with the full name. But there is another problem: every 
>time
>you click on the taskbar you are forced to choose which of the 5 konqueror
>windows you want. But I almost always need one!
>
>(For example, when I am managing downloads I only need 
>/usr/local/downloads,
>when I am programming XXX I only need ~/src/XXX, etc. It is bad I need to
>choose every time.)
>
>Therefore, I would like a click on the taskbar to send me to the MOST 
>RECENT
>konqueror window, not prompt me with a choice each time.

This would drive me nuts, as I usually do NOT want the most recent window. 
Most of the times I have many windows open, I just minimized one and want to 
open a different one. I am not sure if I can think of a time when I have 
ever wanted the most recent window re-opened, although I'm sure it has 
happened once or twice.

>Tabbed browsing does not have this problem. because we have a two phases
>choice: the first click, on the taskbar, sends you to to the most recent
>konqueror directory; then, IF you don't like it, you can change the dir 
>with
>a second click (this time on the tab).

The current method has a two-phase system, unlike what you are suggesting. 
Currently, you click, it shows you a list, and you pick what you want. Your 
solution is that if you click, it gives you the most recent directory, and 
if that isn't what you wanted, you need to minimize, that window, go back to 
the menu-bar, click and hold, and then get what you wanted. So, rather than 
a solid two-stage operation, you are proposing a one-or-four stage 
operation.

[snip]

>THE PROPOSED SOLUTION
>=====================
>
>We could enhance the kicker like this:
>
>* single click: go to the most recently used konq window
>
>* click and hold: popup the list of all open konq windows (the current
>behaviour)
>
>Even better, we could do like the back button in mozilla: we could split 
>each
>taskbar button in two: one big, with the app icon, one small, with the 
>arrow
>pointing downwards. If you click the big one, you go to the most recent 
>konq
>window. If you click the small one, the list of all open konq windows pops
>up.

I think this is better than the previous, and I do usually like the 
little-arrow buttons, but I still do not think it is actually better than 
the current situation.

>
>This way we would provide the two-phase choice that is needed, and all 
>would
>be solved.
>
>What about it?

I think it's a bad idea. Your idea seems mostly focused on the way you use 
Konqueror, but this would apply to every application, and I don't think it 
would work so well for the other ones.

>
>Maurizio

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