Re: Applets? [was Re: Planning for GNOME 3.0]

[Dušan Maliarik <dusan maliarik gmail com>]

Hi,

possible solution, the golden one imho, could be to create new API for applets, while redefining term "applet". Applet could be equivalent to widgets in macos x, or plasmoids (horrible naming) in kde. Small self contained applications rendered either with gtk+ or some htmlview with _javascript_ (gecko or webkit), without window decoration, etc. We could either lookup or create specification and API for these.

New API should stay language neutral, C, python, ruby, _javascript_, ...

For existing applets, there will be one written in new API, providing room for these "yet to rewritten" applets. They can decide to transform into icon in notification area, or transform to new applet platform, or do nothing :) (the bad case)

For users, there could be the option to either display these new applets as floating windows, or they can be docked in sidebar.

There also could be an algorithm for laying out applets while in sidebar: wider applets in vertical list, rectangular/portrait in line, drag&drop sorting.

Some examples:

 * Banshee/Rhytmbox/... - they could display small player controls and line with now playing artist/title
 * Deskbar - should be reused and rewritten as primary search field for gnome-shell, no reason to reinvent the wheel here, or use tracker or gnome-do to query for items
 * Volume+DateTime+user session could merge into one applet or move into notification area
 * ...I can imagine many other applets to expand beyond it's current (very restricting) panel-like container

On Mon, Apr 20, 2009 at 09:13, Johannes Schmid <jhs jsschmid de> wrote:

Hi!

> (I'm talking about Empathy, Pidgin, RhythmBox, and Banshee
> here.  And probably quite a lot more.)

Well, these are part of the notification area - they will mostly remain
the way they are (so I think the RhythmBox and Banshee icons are
completely useless). I think the point of applets is that they should be
more than "just an icon", because the icon case is already quite well
covered.

Regards,
Johannes

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Best regards, Dušan Maliarik // cell: +420 722 810 140