Re: [Usability] Reasoning behind default panel setup?

[Thorsten Wilms <t_w_ freenet de>]

On Wed, Jan 11, 2006 at 11:08:32AM +0100, David Tenser wrote:
 
> I specifically didn't want this discussion to turn into a discussions
> about the specific details like the workspace switcher. Yet this seems
> to be the only thing poeple respond to. :)

Every detail is important. The big picture consists of all the small 
things in the end. Also, things that sound good in principal, often 
fail becuase of details.

For me, this single aspect kills your proposal.

 
> > [...] keep email and irc one workspace 1.
> > Browser on another one. When I'm working with the Gimp, it's on a workspace
> > of it's own. Other workspaces used for reference images in several EOGs
> > or perhaps Gthumb. For making music separate workspaces for running jack
> > in a terminal and a patchbay, a modula synth, a sequencer [...]
> 
> And you seriously think you're not a super-poweruser? Sorry, but you
> don't represent the typical Gnome target user by a long shot.

So I might be a poweruser. You ignored what I said about visibility.
Offering a way to learn about a feature. Different from understanding 
file permissions, using bash, customizing all and everything, using 
workspaces is very straightforward. It's a very plain concept, a simple 
extension to the whole window business.


> > I don't see workspaces as a pure 'poweruser' feature
> 
> Yet. without even intending to do so, you just made it perfectly clear
> it is a poweruser feature. :)

I didn't. The goal of my example was to illustrate the usefullness and 
importance of workspaces. Chatting, browsing and even image manipulation 
are common tasks for many users.
There's no clear distinction anyway and there has to be somthing  
between noobs and so called powerusers.


> Again, this should be a discussion about merging two small, mostly
> empty panels into a single one. I'd like to hear opinions primarily
> about that, and secondarily about the specific details in _my_
> particular suggestion. Thanks!


I tolerated the default 2 panel setup for less than an hour. Because 
I perceived it as waste of space, something I can't have enough of,  
especialy for working on images. So I switched to just 1 top panel:
Apps/Places/Desk, window list, notification area, workplace switcher 
(6, single row), Clock.
Entries in the window list can become quite narrow, but I usualy  
don't have many windows on a single workspace. I use alt+tab, 
but do like the window list for having an overview.


---
Thorsten Wilms