Re: Notification icons hell (was Re: [gpm] Re: Gnome 2.16 Module Proposal: GNOME Power Manager)

[Joe Shaw <joeshaw novell com>]

Hi,

On Mon, 2006-04-10 at 14:31 +0100, Iain * wrote:
> > You missed my second point. If the icon is the application, then we
> > should provide an easy way for the application to use an applet
> > instead of the notification area.
> 
> Except they want it so that they work in KDE as well. That was the
> original reason for the first offender (the redhat updater icon) to
> use the notification area instead of an applet.

I feel like the importance of this is understated.

Developers writing software for the "Linux desktop" will ignore
desktop-specific interface guidelines if they have to to reach both
desktops or achieve missing functionality.  All the panel-dockable
dealies I write (which have included Netapplet and now Beagle) are
notification area icons and not panel applets for this reason.

It's fine to debate the finer points of our UI guidelines with respect
to the notification area, but no one outside of GNOME is going to follow
them if it's the only means to put them on both desktops.

Joe