Re: [Usability] Tab implementation review

[Philip Ganchev <phil ganchev gmail com>]

On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 10:00 AM, Steve Fosdick
<lists pelvoux nildram co uk> wrote:
> On Thu, 2009-02-12 at 12:54 +0000, Allan Day wrote:
>
>> I agree that, in an ideal world, we wouldn't have tabs and we'd just
>> have really awesome window management instead. I'd also agree that
>> improving window management is important, and I would hope that, in the
>> future, window management gets so good that we don't need tabs any more.
>>
>> Whether we like it or not though, tabs are going to be around for a
>> while, if for no other reason than them being something that users
>> expect nowadays.
>
[...]
> If you mean that application designers are going to include tabs anyway
> because it is the latest fashion and, if they are so determined, then it
> is better that they are done consistently then that is a valid point.  I
> would still rather that any policy on tabs was qualified by saying that
> the best option would be to avoid them completely.
>
> Why avoid them?  With SDI applications the "icon bar" or "window list"
> which displays the documents you have open and also gives the option to
> restore/maximise/close serves the same purpose.
[...]

I agree that tabs should be avoided, for the same reasons as Steve
explains. But should the official advice about tabs start with "avoid
tabs unless absolutely necessary"? I'm OK with that, but I guess that
most people on the list would say no.

"What if you want three levels" of organization (tabs, windows,
workspaces)? Well, I tend to think that having more levels complicates
the mental model and also requires more time for habituation.