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List:       kde-usability
Subject:    Allocating a virtual desktop automatically [was: thoughts on
From:       Maurizio Colucci <seguso.forever () tin ! it>
Date:       2004-08-31 21:53:28
Message-ID: 200408312353.28827.seguso.forever () tin ! it
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This is an idea which came to me during the previous conversation.

First I noted that the k-menu is a list of applications, but the taskbar is a 
list of windows.

Idea # 1
-----------

"Let's modify the taskbar to make it a list of applications (not windows)"

Now Lubos lucidly notes this is impossible: some app can have more than one 
instance running, and the user must be able to refer to a particular 
instance. 

Idea # 2
-----------

"Ok, but at least let's make the taskbar a list of application instances."

You may think this is already possible, with taskbar grouping. This fooled me 
for a while, but it isn't correct: taskbar grouping groups all the instances 
of konqueror into one button. Instead, we want a button per instance.

Example:

Suppose you have two konqueror instances (each one on a different URL), and 
one gimp instance (with three windows). So we have three instances but five 
windows.

Currently the taskbar (with grouping turned off) shows 5 buttons:

 konqueror - www.osnews.com
 konqueror - http://slashdot.org
 gimp - file.png
 gimp - layer, channels and paths
 gimp - Brushed, patterns, gradients

With the new behavior, the taskbar would only show three buttons:

 konqueror - www.osnews.com
 konqueror - http://slashdot.org
 gimp 

Now, the obvious questions are:

1. Why the hell would you want to do such a change to the taskbar?

2. Suppose we do the change. How would the user specify a window for gimp? 
Because ultimately, a window MUST be specified.

Answers:

1. There is a very good reason. While the taskbar is a good place to switch 
between different instances (e.g. two konq windows), it is not a good place 
to switch between child windows of a single instance. 

Why? Because different instances are usually meant to be visible one at a 
time, whereas child windows of a single instance are meant to be all visible 
at once.

Take gimp for example: gimp has a single instance with many windows. The 
windows are meant to be visible at the same time, so you would never use the 
taskbar to switch between them. On the other hand, two konqueror windows are 
not mean to be visible together (except in rare cases where dragging must 
happen), so the taskbar is useful to switch between them.

2. KDE shall automatically allocate a virtual desktop for gimp. When the user 
clicks the gimp button on the taskbar, the view will change to that virtual 
desktop, which REMEMBERS the active window. Voila'.

What about it?


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