Window titles



What is the current correct behaviour for window titles?

I'm working in something right now that manipulates documents; I could
do:

blah.xml
blah.xml - Program
Chapter Title
Chapter Title - Program

When I researched the HIG on this (some years ago, admittedly), the
advice boiled down to what I wrote in our API documentation for Window's
setTitle(),
http://java-gnome.sourceforge.net/4.0/doc/api/org/gnome/gtk/Window.html#setTitle(java.lang.String)

However,

Judging by this screenshot I took of the window selector applet's popup
list, we're all over the map at the moment (which is to say people are
still doing their own thing, and whatever GNOME's policy is, it's not
being enforced very well),
http://research.operationaldynamics.com/files/andrew/WindowTitles_Screenshot.png

It's also obvious that we're still getting dealing with the hangover
from when someone thought it would be cool to have programs called "Web
Browser" instead of Epiphany, etc — so we see some programs calling
themselves "Sound Reorder", some saying a document title / email subject
(only), some saying  "path/to/filename.ext - Application", "Inbox (1849
total) - Evolution", and permutations thereon.

I must admit I'm worryingly tempted to do "Document Title -
Application". But I also know there was once a push to have only the
shorter form along with the icons to identify application. But given the
kill-the-icons meme that's suddenly turned up around here, it no longer
seems a good idea to be de-emphasizing one's application's name.

So anyone care to put a stake in the ground about what is correct?

[be that "now" or in the "post 3.0 world", but in either case feel free
to speculate about what we're going to do to make the Entire Desktop
Experience actually consistent in this regard, because if we don't, then
what's the point of having a policy?]

Cheers,

AfC
Sydney


-- 
Andrew Frederick Cowie

Operational Dynamics is an operations and engineering consultancy
focusing on IT strategy, organizational architecture, systems
review, and effective procedures for change management: enabling
successful deployment of mission critical information technology in
enterprises, worldwide.

http://www.operationaldynamics.com/

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