RE: Zooming dock

["Gerry Chu" <gerrychu bigfoot com>]

> I think agree that this would be of value, but it is hard to say
> what the best
> solution would be.   Maybe  a better way, rather than organizing
> them on the
> outset, is to allow the user to define how they are organized:
> by application, by
> size, by name, whatever (maybe even give several criteria...
> first sort by app,
> then by name, then by last used).
>
> THat way, it allows even newbies to clue in to the feature
> because it would have a
> decent default... then as the needs of the user changes, so can
> the behaviour of
> the taskbar.

When there are no groups defined, I think the best way to go is group by
time, as is currently done, because the user knows intutively where the
program/document he just opened went.

> However, point number 3 below sounds a lot like what Tog
> (www.akstog.com, i
> belive) says would be good interface design:  GROUPS of
> dissimilar thing put into
> categories.

Yeah, I should have credited Tog for this idea's inspiration.

> point 3b, etc. has already been done in sawfish, using LISP
> scripts.

I know, but I'm just saying you could open the matched window dialog (which
is a bit complicated at this time) with settings already filled in so that
the specified program group is "matched."

> > I think items should also be draggable on the taskbar (start menu or
> > whatever the heck it is called) itself with the option of
> re-alphabetizing
> > the list very easily.  I mean novice friendly, because knowing some
> > conservative Linux users (I don't mean to offend anyone here), they'd
> > consider the Windows procedure to re-alphabetize the Start Menu very
> > user-friendly.

Oh, I just love how you can organize favorites/start menu in windows and ie.

Gerry

> > ----------
> > From:  Gerry Chu
> > Sent:  Wednesday, December 13, 2000 2:10 AM
> > To:  GNOME-Gui
> > Subject:  RE: Zooming dock
> >
> > Speaking of taskbars (maybe this could be applied to docks, too)...
> >
> > I had an idea dealing with grouping programs in the taskbar:
> >
> > 1.      Let open programs be draggable within the taskbar (how
> many times do you
> > switch between 2 apps and they are on opposite sides of the taskbar?)
> >
> > 2.      Dividers.  There is a "divider source" on a side of the
> taskbar.  Users
> > group their programs by dragging the taskbar entries, then drag
> a divider
> > from the "divider source" between the groups of taskbar entries (like
> > checkout stand dividers).
> >
> > 3.      Right-clicking on a space (which contains taskbar
> entries) between the
> > dividers will show a menu that:
> >
> > a. Allows the user to save the program group for group-execution later.
> >  For
> > example, when writing papers, user finds he always does
> Internet research
> > with mozilla and writes the paper with Abiword.  Wouldn't it be more
> > intutive to have a "write report" launcher entry that
> automatically starts
> > mozilla and abiword?
> >
> > b. Opens simplified sawfish "matched window" dialog that could
> allow user
> > to
> > say if minimize one program in group, minimize all others, for example.
> >
> > c. Allows user to move the group to a different workspace.
> >
> > Best of all, this feature doesn't add complexity.  If newbies
> don't want to
> > bother with it, they'll never find it.  Advanced users can hunt
> it down and
> > use it to their advantage, though.
> >
> > Problem: 2-rowed menus.  If there are multiple dividers, then
> it might look
> > as if programs are grouped vertically, when in fact they're
> not.  <thinking
> > out loud> maybe ditch the dividers and use rubber-band selection?
> > </thinking
> > out loud>  Then again, I never liked 2-rowed menus.  Although they save
> > space, when there's a lot of programs open, and the programs
> are constantly
> > opened and closed, it's hard to find things because of its
> non-linearity.
> >
> > Gerry
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > gnome-gui-list mailing list
> > gnome-gui-list gnome org
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-gui-list
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > gnome-gui-list mailing list
> > gnome-gui-list gnome org
> > http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/gnome-gui-list
>