[Usability] A virtual terminal inside GNOME session

["Pedro de Medeiros" <pedrovmm+usability-list gmail com>]

Hello, usability team.

I believe better integration with traditional Unix Tools is a good
path for GNOME in general. A simple way of achieving this would
be, I guess, to allow Unix tools that interact through terminals
like write, talk and shutdown to interface directly with GNOME.

So what about "hiding" a virtual terminal inside GNOME session
to listen to users and system requests that are sent directly to
terminals?

Some mock-ups to make my point, then. The result of a write(1)
message sent to another user:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11587496 N02/3102018652/

A shutdown(8) request:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/11587496 N02/3102018648/

That means that when GNOME Session's virtual terminal
receives a message, it displays something, say, a virtual
terminal icon in the notification area with the message.

Has anything like that ever been considered for GNOME? I
couldn't find anything like this in the mailing list.

Comments are welcomed.


Pedro