Tristan Buckmaster com wrote:
So......this solution elimates the need for the user to understand panel applets and tabbed applications and builds on something users understand pretty well, the window list. The solution has all the advantages of tabbed applications and panel applets (from programs like Gaim) and the additional advantages that the second panel(or applet) brings.
Hello,Although I know that the tabbed applications absolutely suck for consistency, I still would prefer them over separate windows. The reason is that having more windows still clutters my desktop, regardless of how my panels are layed out and what information they show me.
I much prefer to use Alt-Tab to switch to the application I'm interested in and then Ctrl-Tab or the mouse to switch to the correct tab.
What you described is exactly what Microsoft tried to push with Office 2000 and greater. Since that release, they have broken their MDI model. Now, every Word document is in a separate window, every spreadsheet is in a separate window, etcetera. I find Office painful to work in with multiple documents.
While your solution would do wonders for something like Office, it is my opinion that tabs are superior.
A major complaint against the default Gnome layout is "why are there two bars?". Adding a third wouldn't help that, and people with lower-resolution displays would get cranky.
--Pat