[Usability] tasks, sessions, workspaces

[Sinzui Kobalt <sinzui cox rr com>]

With window managers in topic again, I'd like to outline my use case for
how I think workspaces should be used with sessions to manage tasks.

We current configure the number of workspaces we want in the WM, but
that doesn't really reflect how how we work.  We have discussed saving a
workspace as a separate session, but not how users will create, open,
close, or delete them.  The 'matched windows' feature can be used to to
place apps and documents on particular workspaces, but it is poorly
defined, and awkward to use.  While most of what I outline can be done,
I don't think the purpose of workspaces is well defined.

I believe workspaces are used to collect a group of related documents
and tools together because they represent a task.  I do this to manage
my tasks, for instance I almost always have workspace with my IDE,
debugger, and help docs for programming, and another with my PIM,
instant messenger, and a browser for communicating.  I sometimes have a
workspace that represents reports, proposals, and plans, and another
workspace for where I do system administration tasks.  

When I logon, I will have a least one workspace which represents my
current activity (task).  If I have no saved task information, then this
workspace/session is anonymous--unnamed.  If I have set any saved
workspaces/sessions that to be opened when I logon, they, and their
documents and apps, will be restored from the last time I used them.

Either from the desktop/WM or from the Desk Guide, I can create new
workspace/sessions as I need it.  I could also open a previously saved
workspace/session (named), or close the one I'm working with.  I can
open documents and app in the workspace.  I can move tool and documents
between them.  At any time, I can save (and name) a workspace.

I switch between open workspaces using Desk Guide, key commands, or the
running app list.  At this time, only the Desk Guide indicates what
workspace you are on, but doesn't name it.  Labels are needed to
indicate what workspace I'm on, possibly by putting text or images on
the desktop.  Just as I use alt-tab to switch between apps (and I see
their name), I need to see the workspace names when I key through the
open tasks.  When my cursor is over a workspace in the Desk Guide, I
should see a tool tip naming it.  I'd like to see the workspace name in
my bottom panel using the empty space between my tasks and Desk Guide.

If logout, I am given the option of saving my sessions, and prompted as
to whether I would like them restored when I logon again.  From the
desktop/WM or Desk Guide, I can open a dialog to manage my session.  It
will let me create or delete names sessions/workspaces.  I can set a
workspace to start when I logon.  I could add or remove documents or
tools to the workspaces.

Since many tasks or projects contain multiple documents, I'd like to
manage them as if they were in a directory (virtual?) on my file
system.  I would like to archive them, package them for delivery, share
them (samba for instance) with my co-workers.  Likewise, I'd like to
open a packaged/shared workspace from my co-workers.


-- 

__S i n z u i___________________________________
sinzui cox rr com
Guilty of stealing everything I am.