[Usability] Proposal for notification area

[Magnus Bergman <magnusbe algonet se>]

I have never really liked the idea of a notification area to begin with.
In windows (where it all started) it has been more abused than used in a
useful way. It's behaviour is also inconsistence and gives me the
creeps. Still I must admit that it has one (and only one) usage and that
it solves one (and only one) problem. So I tough a lot about it and came
up with this proposal which will magically make it useful, consistent
and foremost make all the abuse go once and for all. =)

I though it would be a better idea to post it here than at bugzilla so
more people get the opportunity to criticise it.

Purpose
=======

The problem this feature is useful for solving is to let applications
call for the users attention. If an application has an icon on displays
an icon in the notification area it is saying "hey user, i have
something I just have to let  you know". And that is *as long as the
icon is on display*. When the user responds to this and says "yes, Mr
Application, that is it that you want" and then icon goes away. If the
notification is no longer valid the icon should also go away. If an
application displays an icon, it is screaming for the users attention.
If the application don't intend to scream for the users attention it
shouldn't have an icon in the notification area.

Misuse
======

The following things are misuse and must be forbidden:

o Minimising to notification area

  I suggest death penalty for this.

o Displaying an icon if there is nothing new to tell

  This will just take the users attention away from things that she
  really needs to pay attention to. There is no need to let the user
  know that things are still as they used to be.

o Displaying status

  This is a *different problem* and needs a *different solution*.
  It's up to the user to decide what she wants to monitor. If she
  wants to monitor a variable such as the battery status or the new
  mail count, she should  explicitly add such a monitor (as an applet
  or as a gkrellm plug-in). This problem is already solved.

  The current solution doesn't work between different GUI:s. Well,
  then *that* is the real problem. And the solution is to come up with
  a standard for monitor applets between GUI:s. Then Gnome panel can
  support this standard and integrate it with the native applets in
  a nice way.

  If the status changes, that can justify the need to get the users
  attention and the placement of an icon in the notification area.
  Because that is something new and needs the users attention (and if it
  doesn't, the application shuts up of course).

How it works
============

That I called icons earlier is really a button. It works like any
other  button does, nothing special. For simplicity I suggest that
only icons may be supplied by the application (and put on a button by
the notification area), not labels or something else.

A single click sends a callback to the application and the icon is
automatically removed. Then the application takes adequate
action,typically showing a dialog.

It doesn't have a context menu since one isn't needed.

A tool-tip might be handy and that could contain the applications name
and  a brief summary.

The application could have a possibility include information about how
to make extra noise, like animating/flashing the icon or playing sound.
But it's up to notification area (and ultimately the user) decide
whatever to do this or not, and also exactly how to do it. All in a
uniform way. For example the notification area could choose to only
cycle the background colour when it contains icons.

And yes, you heard me right; *everything* in the notification area
flashes and screams *all the time* as long as long as the notification
area isn't empty. Just like fire alarms, telephones and children does
then they consider your attention to be required. But the normal 
condition is that your attention isn't required and then everything is
peaceful and quiet and the notification area is empty.

If they user doesn't want to be notified of certain things there
should be an option in the application to turn it off. Having a filter
that ignore certain  events in the notification area is to work around a
problem, and the need for it would be a failure.

Perhaps there should also be a well defined severity for
notifications.