[Usability] Re: Error dialogs (among others?) and focus stealing prevention

[Elijah Newren <newren gmail com>]

On Tue, 26 Oct 2004 22:27:11 -0700, Rob Adams <readams readams net> wrote:
> I don't think it's a good idea to try to prevent an application from
> stealing focus from itself.  Apps should resolve any such usability
> problems by themselves.
> 
> In particular, a new modal child window, such as most error dialogs,
> should always get focus.  It simply doesn't make sense that it wouldn't.

I disagree.  If a new modal child window is unexpected, then the
window can be accidentally dismissed before the user gets a chance to
read it if the user happens to be typing at the time it appears. 
That's bad.

I think Havoc was right that the overall guiding principal is
unexpected windows should not be focused.  Only windows (including
error dialogs) that are launched as a result of user interaction, and
only those those that are mapped before further interaction (since
some do only appear after a delay, such as a web browser trying to
load a web page from a site that is down) should take focus.

Elijah