Re: Gnome 2 summary 05/06/2002

[Jeff Waugh <jdub@perkypants.org>]

<quote who="Andrew McMillan">

> Why is Mozilla a 'badly behaved application', in that I can't specify
> the workspace that I want all of my Mozilla windows to open on?
> 
> For things that fail to reopen on the previous workspace when you start
> your session then yes we have badly behaved applications.  But lots of
> things get opened after the session starts, and matched windows can
> still apply.

  - Do you need the full, outrageous functionality of matched windows to
    provide this feature?

  - Do you think a simpler, more obvious interface to this problem could be
    created?

When I used Sawfish, I solved similar problems with the matched windows
feature. My favourite was setting GIMP to be click to focus, whilst my
default was sloppy focus. This solved my problems with lots of toolboxes,
and a very active mouse pointer (given how I work with The GIMP). I also
used to set my GnomeICU window to use a different, less-chunky WM theme.

I use metacity now, and I miss these tweaks! (Kind of... I don't use any IM
software at all anymore, and I can always set metacity to use click to focus
when I'm doing lots of GIMPing.)

Anyway, so yeah, I fully agree that the matched windows feature could do a
lot of cool stuff, and was often quite useful. I used it a lot myself.

However, many GNOME hackers are no longer content with hundreds of options
that essentially fix user interface breakage, and certainly no longer
content with overblown features that don't solve user problems in a direct
fashion.

Many of the things we use matched windows for can be fixed better, and for
more people, with some creativity and considered thought about how we work
with our software.

Much like earlier debates about desktop navigation, it comes down to
defending *behaviour*, not *features*. Those are the kinds of bugs and
changes that we're really exicted about right now.

- Jeff

-- 
   "The plural of lego is legouch, from when you tread on those plural on   
                  the floor in bare feet." - Telsa Gwynne                   


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