Re: window-in-window MDI

[Tom Gilbert <gilbertt btinternet com>]

* Chris Jones (chris@black-sun.co.uk) wrote:
> Hi
> 
> Tom Gilbert <gilbertt@btinternet.com> wrote:
> > 
> > I still haven't heard *one* good reason *for* it, except 
> 
> I haven't noticed a good, solid reason *not* to use it. Lots of people have
> been talking about how all UI experts dislike it - Why?

ARGH. Still no reason *for* it.

> Specifically, what is actually so wrong with it?

http://www.iarchitect.com

Start there, follow the links too. Go read.

That is what's wrong with the concept. I am not only arguing this, but
the implementation.

My point is this. Until you can get cooperation from X and from window
managers, adding this will be a crude hack. (The screenshots and code
in cvs prove it).

In the mean time, look at the screenshot and think about what is
wrong. What you are looking at is one top-level windowmanager running
within another. The MDI app is being a windowmanager, just like the
main one, except not nearly as capable. That is what I mean by
breaking basic app/wm/X interfaces. Suddenly we're running one wm per
app. Great.

I am very strongly against purposefully putting a crude hack in 
gnome-libs because a couple of people say "I don't use it but it might
be useful in some situations", or think they know more about UI than
HCI experts.

Can someone for goodness sake remove this awful hack from cvs?

Tom.
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