Re: Thoughts on window sizing - now tiling

[Ross Smith <myxiplx googlemail com>]

I've added a page to the Wiki now, with some brief notes on this, and
a suggestion for the Overlay interface:
http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/DesignerPlayground/WindowTiling

Ross

On Wed, May 13, 2009 at 12:41 PM, Ross Smith <myxiplx googlemail com> wrote:
> Hi guys,
>
> I've been thinking some more on this over the last few days, after
> reading the existing suggestions for window tiling:
> http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3349/3442783741_75c5f67d0d_o.png
>
> I'm now thinking that with a good tiling interface, there's no need
> for any of this window sizing cleverness.  I'm writing this up now,
> but could I ask for your thoughts on this:
>
> Have a dedicated 'tilling' mode:
> - Activated per workspace in the overlay
> - And potentially activated by a command, hot corner, or keypress
> while on the main workspace.
>
> It starts by fitting all windows to fit on screen, like Compiz Scale:
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLVAqQHsu6U
>
> You're then free to drag any window around to stitch them together as
> shown in that picture above.  The window you are dragging moves freely
> around the screen at all times (no snapping), but the part overlaying
> a window goes semi-transparent, and the edge to join is clearly
> highlighted.
>
> One example not shown in those pictures is dragging a window onto two
> already joined windows, which I think is also possible:
> http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/IGgJ7MzqVuwemE7s5JAfRg?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDK77aPmuTOpwE&feat=directlink
>
> Once windows are linked in this way, they act as a coherent group:
>
> - The group is moved and sized as a whole
>
> - A coloured border around the group may help here, llike the compiz
> group background glow effect:
>  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sULZKK7u3So)
>
> - Joins between windows are flexible - you can still resize any
> window, but the others stay stuck to it:
> http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/lh/photo/BGPmqvlCl6A9SYa3KjfmVw?authkey=Gv1sRgCJDK77aPmuTOpwE&feat=directlink
>
> - Minimize & Maximise buttons are removed for all windows apart from
> the top right one, and now maximise or minimize the group as a whole
> (changing the button colours to match the coloured border may be a
> useful visual aid here).
>
> I would suggest that with this behaviour, and the existing
> 'stickiness' of application and screen edges, there is no need to do
> anything more with window sizing.  You can even group a bunch of
> windows and tile them like this, and still have the other windows on
> that workspace free floating.
>
> What do you think?
>
> Ross
>
>
>
> On Tue, May 12, 2009 at 3:09 PM, Mike Bursell <mike hingston demon co uk> wrote:
>> On Tue, 2009-05-12 at 07:59 +0100, Ross Smith wrote:
>>> On Mon, May 11, 2009 at 11:01 PM, Greg K Nicholson <greg gkn me uk> wrote:
>>> > On the subject of resizing: what is the use-case for it?—why do we
>>> > need to be able to resize windows to arbitrary sizes?
>>>
>>> I would say that there are quite a few reasons to keep it around:
>>>
>>> 1. Familiarity - everybody is used to this, anything else would feel alien.
>>>
>>> 2. Freedom - My personal feeling is that enforced sizing would feel
>>> restrictive.  People like to feel that they are in control.  Yes, the
>>> UI could do with helping them tile windows more easily, but I think
>>> this needs to be in a relatively subtle way.
>>>
>>> 3. Unknown reasons - There may be a myriad of other reasons why
>>> somebody wants a window 'just so'.  Flexibility for the user to do
>>> what they want is important.
>>
>> The very idea of not being able to resize windows fills me with dread.
>> Here are some reasons:
>>
>> 1. sizing of documents: some I need to read at particular sizes, and I
>> need to be able to resize the window they're in, and not scroll around
>> all the time
>> 2. sometimes I'm referring to one window, and doing things in another:
>> I'll make the first one the right size so that I can read what's going
>> on, and but have my main focus as the (big) window.
>> 3. video formats: need I say more?
>> 4. looking at images of varying sizes
>> 5. different sized screens, with different resolutions, require
>> different sized windows (and I'll drag them across desktops and then
>> resize as I wish
>> 6. need I go on...?
>>
>> -Mike.
>>
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>