Re: The State Of The Art

[Ben Frantzdale <frantzdb admin arhs net>]

I think this is not very different from the E pager (with screenshots
miniaturized) combined with virtual desktops. I'd suggjest looking to
e-devel@rasterman.com.  It sounds like it could be a good idea and
<ignorance> I think it wouldn't be all that hard to impliment</ignorance>

--Ben

On Mon, 24 May 1999, Dr Geek wrote:

> The intention of this message is to spark a little debate on alternative 
> directions for Linux (and other *nix) GUI environments.  My contention is 
> that while I believe Gnome and KDE are both excellent implementations of the 
> state-of-the-art, the opportunity exists to go one better; to leapfrog the 
> art and improve on the desktop metaphor that has dominated GUIs since 1984 
> while remaining within the realms of the possible.
> 
> (My background in doing this is that I'm an engineer who specialises in 
> (amongst other things), interface design and human-computer interaction 
> (HCI).  The proposal below is a starting point and builds on ideas coming 
> from research in many places, including MIT and Xerox (without, as far as I 
> can see, any patent infringments).  I'm also a hacker (C, C++, Java, Perl) 
> of *many* years, so I entirely appreciate how annoying it can be when 
> someone looks at a work in progress and says "why doesn't it do X; it would 
> be easy?".)
> 
> Gnome and KDE are rebuilding the GUI environment for Linux.  Why then are we 
> following Windows/Mac/whatver in using the same old flat desktop metaphor?  
> Yes, we have multiple desktops (so does Windows, so does the Mac), but how 
> about this:
> Consider that your monitor is just a rectangular window ("viewing area") 
> onto a wrap-around surface on which your windows are placed.  Conceptually, 
> your viewing area moves around on that larger surface.  You can consider 
> that the usual X "virtual desktop" or "multiple desktop" idea is an example 
> of this.  Now, consider that the surface could be spherical, so that you can 
> spin around in any direction, or maybe cylindrical (like an oil drum several 
> "screens" high and wrapping around behind you).  Alt-tabbing from window to 
> window slides the viewing area around the screen so that the window selected 
> is always nicely centered.  Replace the "sticky" attribute with one that 
> glues a window to the viewing area (often called "sticking the window to the 
> glass") so that it follows the viewing area around.
> Now you can use "areas" of the surface for related windows, but have a 
> better notion of where these windows are *spatially*.
> In order to aid navigation, a minaturized version of the *whole* surface 
> would be displayed in a corner of the monitor (technically this is known as 
> a "world in minature") which gives a reduced view of where windows are 
> placed on the surface.  Clicking in this minature view will slide the 
> viewing area over to the place clicked on.
> 
> Let's leapfrog where MS and Apple are at and put Linux *ahead* of the art, 
> not playing catch-up.
> Dr_geek
> 
> 
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