Re: Design of MDI aplication

[Andreas Volz <lists brachttal net>]

Am Tue, 14 Dec 2004 03:11:33 +1100 schrieb Russell Shaw:

> MDI:
>    Apps that have many windows of equal priority result in them
>    scattered all over the desktop, so need to be contained and
>    managed in a global app window. An example is an instant
>    messaging or IRC client where you can easily have windows
>    open for a dozen people. A friend only uses M$ windows for his
>    IM client because it does wiw MDI so all the contained windows
>    are neatly panelled. This management removes all dependencies
>    and vagaries of whatever window manager is being used.
>
>    If many top level windows can be made to "stick" or dock
>    together with the main menubar and all be iconized as a
>    unit independent of the window manager, then this would
>    go a long way to removing the need for wiw MDI.

Did you ever try Gaim? In Gaim you've all chats in tabs and if a new
message is there the tab changes color. Ok, if you chat with two people
it's some stressful to change tabs.

But I think Windows and Unix view is here so different because of the
lack of multible desktops in windows. If I use for example Gimp in
windows I get mad, because it opens a lot of windows in the taskbar
(Yes, I know how to disable this). But on Unix I put this app simply on
a new empty destop. So there's no difference to a MDI app. But I could
move one single Gimp window to another desktop, with MDI I couldn't do
this.

regards
Andreas