Re: [Usability]Notification Area guidelines

[Rodney Dawes <dobey free fr>]

On Wed, 2003-03-12 at 00:35, Mark McLoughlin wrote:
> > > Do you have any example use cases in which this approach would make sense?
> > > Many Windows programs do this (as does acme), reducing the value of the
> > > notification area as a useful tool for the user -> overloaded with icons =
> > > too much information.
> > 
> > VirtuaGirl, an RandR docklet if we had one (similar thing in windows
> > exists).
> 
> 	It may be obvious to some people what either of would be, but its not
> to me. So you might want to ellaborate.

VirtuaGirl is a little stripper that pops on the screen every N seconds,
and starts stripping in the lower corner of the screen. The application
is a tray icon to control the behaviour. Clicking once on the icon,
makes a stripper come on-screen immediately. Double-clicking opens the
preferences (the default menu action). Single-clicking while a stripper
is already on-screen, makes her go away. There is a "Disabled" checkitem
in the menu, so that you can quickly stop them from automatically coming
on-screen, though you can still manually summon them.

The RandR docklet (QuickRes in windows, I think), is just an icon in the
tray to allow you to quickly change to a different resolution/color
depth. Double-clicking opens the Display Properties. I don't remember
what single-clicking does. The menu consists of available resolutions
and color depths, and the option to open Display Properties.

> > > I agree. I have a proposal to post later on about how to implement the
> > > notification area in a different way, which would hopefully solve some of
> > > its problems due to being an applet.
> > 
> > I had a proposal, but it seems foobar is no more, so that one is down
> > the drain. The issue now remains that the panel should handle gravity
> > inside of it correctly for applets instead. Personally, I only use the
> > foobar, so now I'm left with no choice but to salvage that code for my
> > use. The normal panel just can't provide the same interface that the
> > foobar does, no matter how many menu applets you write and embed on it.
> 
> 	Now that's a helpful comment. Why *can't* an edge panel with a menu bar
> and window menu applet provide the same interface as the foobar? (apart
> from bugs which you should log to bugzilla). That's the assumption on
> which the decision to remove the foobar was based.

There is not tasklist menu applet. The edge panel does not have rounded
edges. The edge panel is GTK_SHADOW_OUT. Applets are *moveable*. I don't
like the text in the panel anyway, and typically patch it out
immediately. The idea I had for the notification area, clock, and the
tasklist menu that is in the foobar, was to combine them into a widget,
which would be a part of the foobar.

> 	Random moaning with no explanations will not get your problems fixed.

It wasn't random moaning. I was simply stating that my proposal was no
longer valid due to the removal of the foobar.

-- dobey

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