Re: A Violent Realisation [Was: Preferences]

[Jeff Waugh <jdub perkypants org>]

<quote who="James Henstridge">

> By removing one of the options, you are going to piss some people off.

Perhaps they can happily live together...

Consider three layouts: vertical, horizontal and grid. For both vertical and
horizontal, Next and Previous seem appropriate. For grid, N-S-E-W seems more
appropriate. But they can be combined.

North, South, East (as Next), West (as Previous) navigation results in
left-to-right and top-to-bottom cyclical navigation for horizontal and
vertical layouts, and up-down-left-right navigation for grid layouts.

Only four key bindings to provide both navigation mechanisms.

  [ This doesn't even approach the topic of windows sitting across
  boundaries or things like that, though. I'm not sure what the arguments
  against that are. ]

So,
  _
 |_| next goes down
 |_| prev goes up
 |_| next/prev at the top and bottom cycle
  _____
 |_|_|_| next goes right, prev goes left, next/prev at each end cycles
  _____
 |_|_|_| next goes right, prev goes left
 |_|_|_| up goes up, down goes down
 |_|_|_| next at the end goes up to the left of the next row, down goes
         to the top of the next row (and vice versa)

> People who prefer workspaces are obviously on crack.

[ Ahem. I agree, but prefer to use the following phrasing: "The people who
prefer having only the functionality provided by what we used to call
'workspaces' are obviously on crack." :-) ]

- Jeff

-- 
   "I came for the quality, but I stayed for the freedom." - Sean Neakums