Re: Proposal: Add item to Top Menu Bar that opens Application Switcher when pressed instead of the proposed windows list.

[Pablo Marchant <pamarca gmail com>]

Why not use a screen border for this?? instead of having to hover to a precise spot on the panel, it would be much easier (and clickless) to just hover to, let's say, the lower right corner of the screen. You would miss the immediate info that something on the panel gives you, but I think the benefits are better...

After hovering, the alt-tab window selector just appears, and you choose your window by clicking (hovering on an application icon shows the windows for that application in the alt-tab selector, though I think it takes a little to long before showing them), so only a single click is needed. You could also navigate through the alt-tab selector with the arrow keys (just as can be done now) and select your window by pressing enter.

On Fri, Nov 27, 2009 at 1:45 PM, Dean Loros <ubuntu1user gmail com> wrote:

I really like this idea---another idea to "add" to this would be a bubble on hover that suggests to use <ALT><TAB> to get to the App Switcher at any time.....It could have a timed remove (say 10 restarts) and/or a gconf key to turn it on/off

Just my 2 cents worth.....

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Message: 1
Date: Thu, 26 Nov 2009 17:23:55 +0200
From: Janne Liljeblad <janne liljeblad gmail com>
To: gnome-shell-list gnome org
Subject: Proposal: Add item to Top Menu Bar that opens Application
       Switcher        when pressed instead of the proposed windows list
Message-ID:
       <a72bf6480911260723i6edbd2bct8cdaa40e0980cd00 mail gmail com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Hi,

I'm believe getting rid of window list buttons in Gnome Shell and not
providing drop down window list might actually be a good idea. It reduces
visual noise and after 15 years of clicking those buttons I myself am ready
to try something new. There are obviously some problems with this:

- almost all users are completely mentally trained to switch applications by
pressing task bar buttons
- minimized windows just disappear and have no representation outside of the
Activities Overview

These two problems (and others) might be show stoppers for wide acceptance
of gnome shell.

I believe there is a simple solution that solves both of these problems or
at least makes them markedly less drastic:

Let's make Application Switcher first class member of the concept by giving
it representation in the Top Menu Bar

Top left corner of screen would look something like this:

----------------------------------------------- - -
| Activities | @a Firefox | @w 3  |
----------------------------------------------- - -

- @a is application icon
- @w is an icon representing window, a simple rounded square with thickened
top side to represent window decoration would probably be best
- 3 is number of windows in current workspace. This changes when windows are
opened or closed or workspace is switched.

The proposed Application Switcher Item should/might also slightly flash when
apps are opened or closed to signal change:

---------------------------*********----------- - -
| Activities | @a Firefox |* @w 3  *|
---------------------------*********----------- - -

- ZING, change happening

So what happens when user presses this item?

Well... the exact same thing that happens when user presses ALT + TAB:
Application Switcher appears.

The Application Switcher Item should also have the same "selected background
color" when  Application Switcher is displayed either using this new item or
by pressing ALT + TAB.

The pros and cons of this idea are in my view as follows:

The Pros:
- makes Application Switcher more discoverable and important item by giving
it visual top level representation
- provides migration path from the current paradigm. When users try Gnome
Shell they *will* press this and discover Application Switcher. A suggestion
to use ALT + TAB instead would be displayed when item pressed for the first
time
- minimized windows will have representation outside of Activities Overview
- minimizing and closing windows actions differ visually. Closing window
causes the item to flash and the number in the item to change
- gives touch operated interfaces better access to app switching
- replaces the proposed windows list with the preferred solution from the
design point of view

The Cons:
- makes concept slightly less "pure" by making it more window oriented
- many users will use item to initiate task switch thus doing two clicks
instead the currently one. This, however, is a choice that should actually
be represented but not encouraged.
- makes Activities Overview slightly less important whitch might reduce the
novelty/consistency of the concept. This might also be considered a pro.
- displaying the number of windows in a workspace is often redundant

Overall, I believe this would be a big win and should be implemented.

Regards,

Janne Liljeblad

--
Dean Loros
Performance by Design Ltd
autocrosser at ubuntuforums.org

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--
Pablo Marchant Campos
Estudiante Licenciatura en Astronomía PUC
Miembro area TI SinergiaUC