Re: window-in-window MDI

[Mo McKinlay <mmckinlay labs interopen org>]

# Look. It's not about what I think about WIW MDI. I never actually
# mentioned my own feelings on the matter.

Neither did I, well, until I said I didn't like it ;)

# Like I say, why add an "Ugly interface" option to the settings dialog.
# If a number of users wanted bright pink text on bright green
# backgrounds, would you write the patch?

I'd more likely make sure they could choose whatever colours they wanted.
Bad example :)

# Why should we:
# o write the code

 - Already done

# o *maintain* the code into the future (this would have to be supported
#   for the lifetime of GNOME

 No, it doesn't. A few releases down the line, it's easy enough to say
"okay, nobody's using it, we're taking it out". It's unlikely that it'd
cause a great deal of hassle-- anybody writing applications which relied
on it failed to write their application properly in the first place.

# when all are agreed it is a fundamentally flawed concept?

It may be fundamentally flawed in many people's opinions, but in others it
isn't. And consider the number of people who work with multiple desktops;
many people will put, say, web browsers on one desktop, terminals on
another, development tools on another, and so on - this isn't a whole lot
different, except that instead of desktops, we're talking windows. It's
not *that* flawed (just to make the argument more complex :).

# For me, just a wasted week or so. For GNOME, it would have to be
# supported and maintained, not to mention defended when people
# criticise our inclusion of a flawed interface design.

The work's already been done. The argument is whether extra effort is
taken to *remove* it. And, to be honest, the response to anybody who
criticise the inclusion of the *option* to turn it on is: don't turn it
on.

-- 
Mo McKinlay                                T: +44 (0) 709 22 55 05  x1
Chief Software Architect                   F: +44 (0) 709 22 55 05  x3
inter/open                                 E: mmckinlay@labs.interopen.org
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