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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Default kicker postion
From:       Sébastien_Laoût <sebastien.laout () tuxfamily ! org>
Date:       2004-06-06 13:34:13
Message-ID: 1086525561.3999.59.camel () localhost ! localdomain
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Hello Tina,

I'm personnaly against your proposal (and for keeping kicker wher it is
actually), for the following reasons :

[ Note : By saying "the article", I refer to the link you've given :
         http://www.asktog.com/columns/022DesignedToGiveFitts.html   ]

* Have all screen edges filled is better for accessibility because more
objects are reachable by just moving cursor to screen edges : it's a lot
faster !
For the current proposal, have kicker on the bottom of the screen is
better because KMenu AND taskbar buttons are easily are quickly
reachable.

The first time I've read your post, I've thinked to those who have MAC
OS X bar enabled : it would become very hard to reach each kicker items.
Then, I've seen your screenshot and YOU have it enabled !
I don't understand why you are for the position change because it's
especially chalangable in this configuration : we must slow down the
mouse to be sure to reach taskbar buttons, as well as KMenu.

Even for peoples who not use MAC OS bar, have kicker on bottom is better
because we can close window by just moving cursor to top-right edge of
the screen (if kicker is on top, we should move mouse a little ).
It's similary the same problem as the MAC OS bar Bug #78950 to include
window operation buttons into the MAC bar. When it will be resolved I
could begin to use MAC OS bar ! Because now, we should make a choice :
disable mac os menu to be able to very fastly reach window titlebar
(almost close button) OR active mac os menu and quickly reach menus BUT
reach close/minimize/restore buttons are no longer reachable quickly.
Your proposal will add another dilema, which isn't present in the
current configuration (kicker is just at bottom of the screen : easily
reachable) !!

To summarize, move your cursor to :
1 Top edge     : access Window menu bar
2 Top-right    : window operation buttons (when Bug #78950 resolved)
3 Bottom       : activate tasks in taskbar
4 Bottom-left  : KMenu
5 Bottom-right : kicker hide button (or clock)
6 Left         : Activate universal sidebar (but actually it resize
                 screen, so it's a lot annoying and slow)
7 Right        : I haven't anything !!!! KSmoothDock ? ;-)
Your proposal would remove 2,3,4,5 !

* Have everythings on top can look uggly :
- MAC bar
- kicker
- Window title bar
- Window toolbar
All those bars would be too close together.
And by reading the article, it's clearly cunter-productive.

At the opposite side, we would have... a window statusbar !!!!
And usualy, a statusbar isn't clickable at all !
So it's a waste of screen edge, in more of the cluttering !

* In western culture, we read left to right : 
So the most important thing should be on left, and then following the
reading sense, left to right.
And then, yes perhapse top to bottom but for me the two first arguments
are a lot more important than this.

As far as I read the article (very interesting ! ) you certainly have
misunderstood this article.
It's clear that have everything reachable without be concentrated or
slowing a lot the mouse is far better than "subjective points looked
more often than others".

And the author say it himself : "These differences are relatively small
compared to the power of the "magic pixels." All four corners should be
used and used well." (end of answer 3)

It's how I read the article.

Sebastien.


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