Re: [Usability] Re: Reasoning behind default panel setup?

[Simon Howard <fraggle gmail com>]

On 1/13/06, Reinout van Schouwen <reinouts gnome org> wrote:
> A crazy idea perhaps, but the 'Show desktop' button could be redefined to
> open a new workspace on demand. If pressed on an empty desktop, remove the
> current workspace and move back to the previously visible one.
>
> That way, we could start out with one workspace but dynamically add more
> when requested. The workspace switcher could then be dynamically
> added/removed from the panel.

It sounds a nice concept in theory, but I have to wonder if this is a
good idea from a spatial awareness point of view.  It's pretty simple
for users to grasp the concept of workspaces as they are at the
moment, as they're just "other places".  If you start dynamically
adding and removing workspaces, you complicate that concept, as
workspaces aren't always there.  They aren't a "fixed place" that the
user can always go to.

Making the workspace button add or remove workspaces depending on the
context makes it behave in an inconsistent manner.

Also, I'll bet nobody will ever click the button to remove empty
workspaces, leading to users having loads of empty unused workspaces.

--
Simon Howard
http://www.soulsphere.org/