RE: VERY cool UI fix (long but hopefully interesting)

["Tom Musgrove" <TomM pentstar com>]

Instead of using the screen edges, why not have the center mouse down
generate a smaller box that you hit the edge of.  No need to go ALL the way
to the edge of the screen.  My mouse is generally near the middle top of the
screen (generally so I can hit application buttons quicker, or click on the
top of a windowpane to switch apps.)  Going to a screen edge and then
returning to center takes a lot of time and doesn't give any advantage over
my proposal...

Tom M.
TomM Pentstar com

-----Original Message-----
From: gnome-gui-list-admin gnome org
[mailto:gnome-gui-list-admin gnome org]On Behalf Of delmar watkins
Sent: Friday, January 05, 2001 4:02 PM
Cc: gnome-gui-list gnome org
Subject: Re: VERY cool UI fix (long but hopefully interesting)


These are very valid points, let me address them:

LARGE SCREEN:
Maybe it is just the interface that I am using now, but having tried the
forward/back on a 19" monitor, 1280x1024 resolution, and moderate (not high)
mouse acceleration, i still found it MUCH easier to do than hit the button.
There is this FELL that you get by doing it, like turning a page.  Instead
of
the experience being static (hitting one button is just like another) it has
a
certain mnemonic enhancement to it, your muscles start instinctively doing X
or Y based on what you want, instead of having to search for the answer.

So yes, I think that this would NOT be a good option for very large monitors
with extreme resolutions and incredibly slow mouse acceleration/speed.  But
I
think that this situation is more rare than common;  to get rid of an option
because of it (and I think it SHOULD be just an option) would be kinda
weird.
I mean, the gnome bar looks crappy on a 640x480 monitor with 16 colors...
should we get rid of it as an option??

EDGE FLIPPING:
I agree that linux/UNIX generally uses the edges for flipping.  That is my
point;  use the same code for flipping and instead of flipping, let it be a
user-defined thing.  Some people don't use edge flipping, some (like me)
have
grown to dislike it because all-too-often I end up doing something I didn't
want to do.... which in itself is an argument against my own theory :-) **

However, I think that there are a lot of people that could benefit from
using
edges as commands instead of flipping.  Right now, I am using WindowMaker,
and
have my virtual screens all keyed to Alt-x, where x is the window number.  I
don't use edge flipping.  But if the OPTION of using it as forward/back or
copy/paste were to be open, I would love to use it becuase I am not
currently
using it.

In other words, I think it is a neat option that could benefit the UI of
gnome
without requiring a great deal of code rewrite... at least theoretically.

** This leads me to believe the best ways to use edges would be things that
would not destroy data:  copying, saving, or something like that.  Things
that
could be destrructive (closing apps, pasting) would prolly not be good
ideas.... this is not to say that they should not be OPTIONS, just that they
may not be wise to do....

Mike Newman wrote:

> On 05 Jan 2001 11:15:59 -0800, delmar watkins wrote:
>
> > Essentially, it is a really cool little fix that makes windows more
> > compliant with Fitt's Law.  Fitt's Law (in a nutshell) says that the
> > easiest thing to hit is something that is big and close.  What is the
> > closest thing on a screen?  The edge, because you don't have to slow
down
> > or navigate to hit it;  you just throw your mouse to the edge, and you
> > have hit it.  This little program uses the edge as a forward and back
> > button (more below).
>
> This is less than trivial on a large screen!
>
> > One of the problems that Windows (and Gnome) has is that it does NOT use
> > the edge for any useful purpose.  Helix menu items (favourites,
programs,
> > etc) are just a few pixels away from the edge, essentially ruining, by
> > just a few pixels, a great interface design.  Items on the Gnome Taskbar
> > are similar:  they are just a few pixels away from the edge.
>
> Whilst GNOME may not use the edge as anything significant, its worth
> remembering that the Window Manager may well do - edge-flipping desktops
> or whatever.
>
> Mike
>
> --
> Mike Newman, Weston-super-Mare, UK | http://www.gtnorthern.demon.co.uk
> "I think the internet is the greatest waste of time since masturbation
>  was discovered.", Norman Mailer
>
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