Re: Fwd: Application Switcher



Samuel Arthur Wright Illingworth wrote:
> I agree with that - the current workspace is generally going to contain
> the apps you're using for your current task, the workspace switching
> mechanism should be used to switch to other workspaces.

Actually, that is supposed to be one of the main points of the Shell:
each activity gets its own workspace. Alt-Tab should not break this idea.

> As for window switching, why not just let the window list stay up for a
> second after the user releases alt?  If the user then presses tab (on
> it's own) the window switcher can stay letting them switch window with
> tab, if they don't, then it goes away.

What is the problem that this would fix? Is it a real problem (i.e. can
it be identified in user testing?).

> As for the window selector - how about

:-)


Felipe

> 2009/12/29 Felipe Erias Morandeira <femorandeira igalia com
> <mailto:femorandeira igalia com>>
> 
>     What do you think about Alt-Tab only showing the windows in the current
>     workspace? That would lower the complexity of the required interface by
>     reducing the number of choices; it would also make it possible to do
>     some helpful effect like Compiz does already (i.e. every press of Tab
>     causes the selected window to be moved forward). Some optimization could
>     be done for applications with multiple windows in the same workspace
>     (i.e. Gimp). I don't see the need to have Alt-Tab do complex things that
>     would in effect just replicate the functionality that should already be
>     in the Activity view.
> 
> 
>     Cheers,
> 
>     Felipe
> 
>     Rovanion Luckey wrote:
>     > ---------- Forwarded message ----------
>     > From: Rovanion Luckey <rovanion luckey gmail com
>     <mailto:rovanion luckey gmail com>>
>     > Date: 2009/12/29
>     > Subject: Re: Application Switcher
>     > To: Carlos Martín Nieto <carlos cmartin tk <mailto:carlos cmartin tk>>
>     >
>     >
>     > Yes I'm talking about countries in asia and all over the world. If you
>     > wish only to look at the western world there are many countries in
>     > eastern europe who do not use qwerty. And along that there are english
>     > speaking persons who do use Dvorak. But it sounds like the wasd
>     > feuture isn't going to be going mainstream anyways. The result being
>     > that there is no onehand way to orient trough the alt-tab application
>     > switcher.
>     >
>     > Anyhow, this idea can be broken down into two separate ideas, one much
>     > easier to implement than the other:
>     >
>     > The first idea being that currently marked application should be
>     > chosen when alt is released rather than the application switcher being
>     > shut down. Pressing and releseing alt again in the window chooser will
>     > then activate the marked window.
>     >
>     > The second idea being clutterifying the application switcher so to
>     > make the windows easier recognize. Maybe have all the windows
>     > belonging to an application halfhidden underneath the icon for the
>     > application and then when the application is hovered/chosen the
>     > windows are shown side-by-side.
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     > 2009/12/29 Carlos Martín Nieto <carlos cmartin tk
>     <mailto:carlos cmartin tk>>:
>     >> On lun, 2009-12-28 at 23:40 +0100, Rovanion Luckey wrote:
>     >>> I was using the application switcher in Gnome-shell thinking
>     about how
>     >>> much it made sense to have the application switcher to actually
>     switch
>     >>> inbetween applications, not windows. That's really besides the point
>     >>> which is usability. The great thing about it is that it
>     reinovates the
>     >>> application switcher that was designed at a point in time when users
>     >>> did not have that many windows running at the same time. The general
>     >>  This type of at-tab has been done by Mac OSX for quite a while
>     already,
>     >> it's not new, just a good idea :)
>     >>
>     >>> application switcher is a cluttered interface and is therefor
>     scarcely
>     >>> used. Grouping the windows by application is the same innovation
>     that
>     >>> Microsoft did with their new taskbar, but lets not speak about the
>     >>> devil.
>     >>  :)
>     >>
>     >>> The problem with the application switcher in its current state
>     is that
>     >>> the transition between applications and windows is not as smooth
>     as it
>     >>> can be. You do at the moment have to use weird and odd
>     >>> key-combinations to go from the application-row to the
>     window-row. The
>     >>> wasd way of orientation is ruled out by the fact that large parts of
>     >>> the linux-using population does not use qwerty. That leaves the user
>     >>  What large parts? Do you mean the Asian countries (or the French?).
>     >> There's not that many people using Dvorak, are there?
>     >>
>     >>  At any rate, WASD is only there because Xephyr (an embedded X server
>     >> you can use to test the shell without affecting your real one)
>     doesn't
>     >> set up the keys properly, so it's actually a debug feature (says the
>     >> code, anyway).
>     >>
>     >>> without qwerty having to use his right hand either by the arrow keys
>     >>> or the mouse. This is not optimal for fast application-switching.
>     >>  You can use (and it's probably the fastest way) the mouse and
>     >> hover/click on the icon.
>     >>
>     >>> The idea would be that you when pushing alt-tab choose an
>     application
>     >>> to switch to just as the application switcher works in it's current
>     >>> state. But only application-icons should be shown. And rather than
>     >>> than having the user to either push the applications icon with the
>     >>> mouse or press down-key on the keyboard the application/group of
>     >>> windows should be chosen when alt is released. If there is only one
>     >>> window belonging to the application there is nothing more to do than
>     >>> to switch to the appropriate desktop and show the window. If
>     there on
>     >>> the other hand are multiple windows belonging to the same
>     application
>     >>> these windows should be shown now just as windows are shown on each
>     >>> desktop in the activities view. So other windows on the current
>     >>> desktop should be pushed aside as the windows belonging to the
>     >>> application chosen quickly appear/slides in on the desktop. One may
>     >>> then use the tab key, the arrow keys or the mouse to select which
>     >>> window you want to go to. Keys to activate the window chosen
>     could be
>     >>> the alt and enter keys, or why not space?
>     >>  It could be useful, though it looks like a bit of a pain to
>     implement,
>     >> but the developers should comment on that. Personally, I can see if
>     >> becoming more of a hassle than a help, but we can't know that until
>     >> someone implements it.
>     >>
>     >>   cmn
>     >>
>     >>
>     >> _______________________________________________
>     >> gnome-shell-list mailing list
>     >> gnome-shell-list gnome org <mailto:gnome-shell-list gnome org>
>     >> http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-shell-list
>     >>
>     >
>     >
>     >
>     > --
>     > www.twitter.com/Rovanion <http://www.twitter.com/Rovanion>
>     > Steam: Rovanion
>     > MSN: rovanion luckey gmail com <mailto:rovanion luckey gmail com>
>     >
>     >
>     >
> 
> 
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