Re: window-in-window MDI

[Tom Gilbert <gilbertt btinternet com>]

* Mo McKinlay (mmckinlay@labs.interopen.org) wrote:
> 
> # Dude. You think this is a good idea?
> # 
> # http://pluton.ijs.si/~jaka/mdi/mdi-wiw.png
>  
>   [ snip ]
> 
> # I am surprised.
> 
> Plenty of people want it, and nobody's come up with a better
> implementation. Plus, just because the code's not hugely brilliant at the
> moment, doesn't mean it'll never improve.

There are better implementations everywhere. The tabbed notebook MDI
that GNOME *already has*. The kind of mdi used by apps such as borland
builder and the gimp. (One main application window with multiple toplevel
document windows.

These are great solutions, and can of course be coupled with the
window grouping available in current window managers.

Best of all, they don't break everything, like this one does.

> I myself find WiW MDI useful in some situations. Sometimes it's nice to
> have all the windows of an application contained within a parent with no
> distracting wallpaper, icons, or anything else. Microsoft may have moved
> away from WiW MDI for things like Word, Excel, and so on - because each
> document is separate, it makes sense for the user to treat them as such.
> Other applications, like for example, integrated development
> environments, where all the document windows are related and each performs
> a specific task (a toolbox, a form designer, source code window, project
> manager, etc), it's nice to have at least the option to "tie them
> together". If you pay attention to Microsoft's products, you'll notice
> that newer versions of Visual Basic default to MDI instead of "controlled
> SDI" - with this type of application, many people find WiW MDI preferable,
> and /less/ confusing.

You didn't tackle *any* of the points I made. You can't blame "code
which will be improved". The points I made are intractable with this
design.

Just because a few users think they want something doesn't mean it has
to be provided. Especially when it is Wrong.

Tom.
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