Re: Gnome shell suggestions after a bit of usage

[Florian Max <florian muellner gmail com>]

2011/7/8 Tassilo Horn <tassilo member fsf org>

I tend to agree.  However, there are few ubiquitous apps which one
doesn't want to see but always have quick access to.

The current recommendation to applications is to use notification actions to provide "quick access". For users who don't want to see "background" applications, the recommendation is to move them to another workspace.  I've suggested an alternative to status icons to "hide" applications[0], but so far no one has tried to convince designers that this is a desirable/needed feature - I'm certainly the wrong person to do this, as for me the workspace approach works well ...

I imagine it would be cool if such apps could add small control widgets
into the top bar, for example [>/|| << >>] for a music player.

No. The top bar has been designed as a mostly static, system-owned space, not a place for applications to hook into.  Applications should use notifications, which may contain actions. See the attached screenshot of a rhythmbox notification as an example.

[fn:1] Do I see it correctly that GNOME3 doesn't have one?  Right now, I
      use parcellite which puts itself into the message tray.

As far as I know you are right and there is no real GNOME3 solution at the moment. My take would be that the "clipboard" can be seen as a system component, so it would be OK for an extension to add it to the top bar.


Florian

[0] https://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=651569

Attachment: rhythmbox-notification.png
Description: PNG image