Re: Idea for the maximize, minimize and close icons

[Fernando <ferkiwi gmail com>]

On Mon, Jul 6, 2009 at 3:10 PM, Juan Manuel Santos<vicariousdm gmail com> wrote:
> How do you suggest then (if the decorations are gone) that we could handle
> things like restoring the window to the previous non-maximized size?

I was thinking of using the top bar that there already is, merging top
bar and window bar, something like this mockup:
http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/DesignerPlayground/BreadcrumbsEtc?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=shell-mockup-sanderqd-20090413-02.png

> there could be ways that this could be done (like in this, IMHO amazing, mockup:
> http://www.vivalinux.com.ar/desktop/ventanas-inteligentes-en-gnome-3.0 sorry for
> the language but couldn't find another link, anyway that matters is the video,

Thats a really nice video. But I'm not sure about relying so much in
dragging. click-dragging  is quite painful if you are using, for
example, a touchpad. However, I like the behavior when it's maximized.
Still I think that the mockup above is more fitting for gnome-shell.
So that you dont loose sight of the activities button, etc.

I'm not sure about the windows moving automatically to avoid being
hidden. Some similar effect could be used without moving the actual
windows and breaking up the layout and order that the user might want
to keep.

> the fastest way to do this with one hand in a simple way (e.g. not having to
> remember keyboard shortcuts) is through the titlebar.

There should be always a keyboard command for every mouse action and a
mouse action for every keyboard command.

Personally, I can type a lot of keys per second but I loose a bigger
fraction of time when I have to stop using the keyboard just for
moving the mouse and aiming. I can set always-on-top windows and open
new applications much faster by using the keyboard than the mouse.

Moreover, this is not only for convenience but also for accessibility
reasons, not everyone can use the mouse (ie. visual impaired people or
devices with no mouse) and not everyone can use the keyboard (ie.
people with mobility problems in the hands or devices with no
keyboard), so there should be always option to use one or the other.

--
Fernando