Re: [Usability]Notification Area guidelines

[Robert McMeekin <viper mcmeekin info>]

textshell neutronstar dyndns org wrote:
> On Wed, Mar 12, 2003 at 01:20:00PM +1100, Jeff Waugh wrote:
>
> > <quote who="Rodney Dawes">
> >
> > > the Notification Area is an applet, as the alignment on the panel doesn't
> > > affect the resizing when icons are added/removed. The notification area is
> > > also something that should really just *always* be on the panel.
> >
> > I agree. I have a proposal to post later on about how to implement the
> > notification area in a different way, which would hopefully solve some of
> > its problems due to being an applet.
> >
> > I don't believe that applets are 'evil' and should be crushed at all costs,
> > however. They certainly have their place. We just need to define it better.
>
>
> I think we have a Problem with mixing applets and notify-icons. I think 
> the main difference of these two is the life cycle and the associated 
> technical details. (applet if it is running all the time, notify-icon if 
> it appears while running an application either always or to notify of 
> events in or detected by that application). These are technical details so 
> we shouldn't bother the users to much with them.
>
> So what I propose is: Remove to UI differences between these two (execpt 
> creation) and use the technically right thing. Of course a nice UI 
> guideline how the different types of "things in the panel" should behave 
> (and typical look that shows the user what type a "thing" is) should be 
> discussed.
>
> That way we get good positioning with changing situation for applets and 
> notify-icons. This would IMHO mean move the features of the Notification 
> Area into the panel and make notify-icon panel citizens like panels 
> (without restore on next panel start, that's task of the application they 
> are associated with).
>
> Then we can debate the question of notify-icon vs applet on technical 
> merits, and the question of behviour and look on usability merits.
>
> I think much of the work on panel applets is needed anyway so we might as 
> well try to unify these two.

Thank you so much. I'm sorry, I've never posted to the list before but I 
just had to commend you for making this point. I was getting really 
worried. I thought I'd add that probably the simplest solution is just 
not to use the notification area... unless you have to. But keep in mind 
that the more shit that clutters my desktop the more pissed off I'm 
going to be. I don't want shit on my desktop. Get it off. In just about 
every scenario mentioned in this thread, the notification area is not a 
useful `feature' in that it's use overlaps with what applets are already 
doing.

So for your official policy--which I have *no* merit to suggest but will 
anyway--I would not rush to adopt more clutter. I am so impressed by the 
amount of clutter that's been gotten rid of since 1.4 and it really 
breaks my heart to see people talking about putting it back in (though I 
guess there's not really a choice, it still breaks my heart).

Thanks for listening to my humble opinion (and thank in advance for not 
chewing me out about being ignorant).

Robert McMeekin <viper mcmeekin info>