Re: suggestion for managing clutter on the desktop

[Pat Suwalski <pat suwalski net>]

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