Re: [Usability] Idea for HIG: Ctrl+W to close active tab, if no tabs close window

[Steve Frécinaux <nudrema gmail com>]

BJörn Lindqvist wrote:

> > I agree we need to be more consistent, but I think there are /possibly/
> > two distinct cases: those apps where it is useful to leave the window
> > open with no tabs, and those where it is not.  (Although I can't think
> > of any in the latter case off-hand, except maybe a terminal or
> > something.)
>
> I can only speak for me, but there are only three apps that I use
> regularily where Ctrl+W doesn't dismiss the application window: gEdit,
> gnome-terminal and file-roller. gnome-terminal is annoying because it
> leaves open the last tab and thinks it is special and doesn't allow me
> to close it like I can close other tabs. gEdit and file-roller are
> extra annoying because they leave open a, for me, totally useless
> application window with no document in it.

While I must agree on gnome-terminal (having no terminal open would not 
make sense and so shift+ctrl+w should probably close the terminal) and 
file-roller, gedit's case is slightly different from their and 
epiphany's. Let me explain.

First, epiphany closes itself when you close the last tab. But, despite 
having tabs, epiphany, like gnome-terminal, is not really a MDI 
application, while gedit is. Indeed, it would more likely be called a 
"multiple session application": you can change the document by clicking 
on a link, writing a new address, etc. GT is a terminal so it's 
obviously not a document.

gedit *is* a MDI app (while some people complain about it), so having an 
empty application with no document open is perfectly common and makes 
perfectly sense. The typical use case is when you close a bunch of files 
and start working on another project, I can hardly imagine having to 
open my new document before closing the old ones.

> > It's certainly infuriating to close the last tab in a window in
> > preparation for starting a new document, only to realise that you then
> > need to go and launch the application again first.  That forces the user
>
> I can only speak for me, but the interaction you described is not how
> I work with programs. If I want to create a new document I don't close
> all other document tabs in the application first expecting that an
> empty application window will remain. Instead I press Ctrl+N.

But if I was working on some code and then want to do something totally 
unrelated, I'm likely to close all that stuff I won't use anymore... You 
can hardly obligate the user to create/open his new doc before closing 
the old one.

Be sure that if gedit behaves like that, it's because no more satisfying 
solution has been found.