Re: panel notification area -- not many apps

[Alan <alan ufies org>]

On Mon, Mar 03, 2003 at 07:32:30PM -0500, Sean Middleditch wrote:
> On Mon, 2003-03-03 at 19:15, Alan wrote:
> Well, after a long and informative debate with jdub about it, apparantly
> the separation is that the notification area is for, well,
> notification.  Things that aren't notifying the user of anything don't
> belong there.  For example, teh GAIM icon should only be fore notifying
> you of a buddy logging on or somethign (which it doesn't, last I
> checked, and would be nice...).

Yes, or if it updated the icon for other events, like licq does/did :)  

> I'm still not sure tho on whether icon are supposed to *stay* there even
> when not notifying you of anything - after all, they are just interface
> bloat when they are, from the notification standpoint.  I still
> personally rather like being able to "control" apps from them tho (like
> send a new IM from GAIM, or skip a song in gnome-cd).

Based on what I know of human interface guides, the icon should stay
where it is, and not dissapear, so that a user knows where it is.  This
applies more to launchers than notification icons though.  However, if
you have the ability to control something (ie: gaim) they it does apply.  

If the notification area is for notifications only, and not interaction
they it would be a transiant area, with a message popping to it saying
"foo logged in" and then dissapearing.  Pesonally this doesn't make
sense to me.

What should be avoided of course is the syndrom of windows, where every
program has it's own tray icon, and eventually your tray gets to be half
the width of the screen :)
-- 
Alan <alan ufies org> - http://arcterex.net
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