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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Re: Thoughts on applications and windows
From:       Maurizio Colucci <seguso.forever () tin ! it>
Date:       2004-08-31 13:20:15
Message-ID: 200408311520.15698.seguso.forever () tin ! it
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On Tuesday 31 August 2004 14:50, Lubos Lunak wrote:
> Dne po 30. srpna 2004 18:52 Maurizio Colucci napsal(a):
> > There are some issues we take for granted, but when you think of it you
> > don't remember why they are the way they are.
> >
> > 1.
> >
> > We all know the K-menu is a list of "applications" (actually two lists:
> > "recently used applications" and "all applications").
> > If the application you need to use is closed, the K-menu is the place to
> > look for it.
> >
> > On the other hand, if the application is open, the _taskbar_ is the place
> > to look for it. But the taskbar is not a list of applications: it is a
> > list of _windows_. Is this not a logical error?
>
>  I think Aaron already explained this one well.
>
> > Why must the user scan a list of _applications_ when the app is closed,
> > but a list of _windows_ when it's open? Wouldn't it be better to have a
> > list of open _applications_ instead of the taskbar?
> >
> > The problem is apparent with applications that span more than one window
> > (e.g. gimp).
>
>  The taskbar actually currently doesn't show all windows, there's some
> twisted logic that tries to make it a bit closer to the taskbar
> item==application idea (e.g. some dialogs don't get separate taskbar
> entries). This should probably get cleaned up.
>
>  But I don't think having one entry per application is that good idea. If
> you have e.g. a media player with a separate playlist window, do you really
> want to always switch first to the application and then have to click on
> the playlist window to work with it?

I don't think either. It was just a thought :-)
Furthermore, it is already implemented, and I had forgotten (taskbar 
grouping). :-)


> > 2.
> >
> > Suppose we do the change, i.e. implement a "list of open apps".
> > So, the user has a list of closed apps (the k-menu) and a list of open
> > apps.
> >
> > This paradigm forces the user to be aware of which apps are open and
> > which ones are closed. Could the user be spared this? Why can't we give a
> > single list of apps (i.e. only the k-menu)?
>
>  Because you usually have only one Kolourpaint installed, but you may have
> several instances of it running.

Yes. That's it. :-) A program can have multiple instances, each of which can 
have multiple windows. The lowest level is the window. 

So it seems things cannot be simplified? The concept of "open application" 
cannot be abstracted away? 

-- 
Maurizio Colucci
http://logicaldesktop.sourceforge.net
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