Re: Regarding application holder...

[Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson <helgihg centrum is>]

On 03 Dec 2001 16:27:30 -0800
"Charles Iliya Krempeaux" <tnt linux ca> wrote:

> Hello,
> 
> On Sat, 2001-12-01 at 06:32, Helgi Hrafn Gunnarsson wrote:
> > Howdy, all.
> > 
> > I'm new on this list, so I apologize if I'm missing the point. ;)
> > 
> > In Ximian GNOME, there is a drop-down for running applications. It's
> > pretty similar to MacOS. I've been looking for this type of application
> > dock for a very long time, and I just don't get why nobody seems to have
> > taken this excellent method from the Mac, while they haven't hesitated
> > to take other good features of GUI as roll model. I find the
> > Windows-type dock pretty silly, although it's fine when the applications
> > are grouped together, like in KDE, GNOME and even Windows XP.
> > 
> > Anyway, two key elements are missing in the MacOS-type application dock.
> > Those are application grouping, and global minimization. The point is
> > that sometimes people want to get to the desktop, and that feature is
> > missing in this dock.
> 
> Well, as a kind of UI-hack, you could always switch to a different
> desktop (that has no Windows open on it) to get to the desktop.
> 
> On Ximian GNOME, in the bottom right corner of the screen, you'll
> see some rectangles.  (There's probably four of them.)  Each of
> those rectangles represents a new desktop.  And clicking on any of
> them will switch you to that new desktop.  Assuming you have the
> same background and icons on each desktop (which you probably do)
> you can get to your desktop that way.
> 
> But this is not the way it `should' be handled.
> 

I am aware of this, and I agree.

>  
> > Furthermore, it has proven handy on MacOS to be able to throw all
> > windows of an application to the front. For example, when I'm using
> > SciTE and have eighteen million windows of it, I'd like to see them all
> > when I select the grouped application SciTE (e.g. if I don't select a
> > specific window from the SciTE submenu). This is not really currently
> > missing because it's ridiculous without the grouping. :)
> 

> On Ximian GNOME you usually get Windows of the same application
> grouped together.  For example, I have 5 Mozilla (web browser)
> windows open right now, and all of them get grouped under one
> rectangular button on the task bar (at the bottom of the screen).
> If I left-click on the button, I get a popup menu letting me choose
> any of the five windows (that I have open) to bring it to the
> front.
> 
> However, if I left-click on its rectangle on the task bar (on the
> bottom of the screen), I get a popup menu.  One of the choices (of
> the popup menu) is "Iconify All"; this can be used to minimize all
> those Windows.  Another choice (on the popup menu) is "Restore All";
> this can be used to bring all the windows back (of that application).
> 

Again, I'm aware of this. It's this way in Ximian GNOME, KDE, and even Windows XP, believe it or not. ;) (My God! A relatively sane GUI decision from Microsoft!)

> 
> > Just wanted to express myself on this one, hoping that some
> > trigger-happy coder agreed and implemented this. I was going to do this
> > myself, but I'm up to my neck in work and other projects, so I don't see
> > me implementing this myself until late next year or something.
> 
> :-)  Someone else (besides me) will have to code it.  I'm busy with
> other stuff right now.
> 

Well, thanks anyway, and thanks for the reply. I was starting to think nobody ever read this list so at least it's nice to clear that up. You seem to be a GNOME developer, so thanks for *that*. :)

I figured the grouping mechanism is already in the taskbar so I'm sure I'm capable of doing this myself without having to know any window manager code from somewhere else. I just can't find the time, and of course that's a common problem for most of us.

> See ya
> 

Peace.

>      Charles Iliya Krempeaux
>      tnt @ linux.ca
>      ckrempea @ alumni.sfu.ca
> 

Rave.