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Re: [Ayatana] Making workspaces great (branched from "Farewell to the notification area")

I think we need to focus a bit more on the fundamental reasons why we use workspaces. I for one often switch to a new workspace because i don't want to see any of what i was working on before. I don't want tabs from before, apps from before, any single thing, just a clean, open, new desktop. The only other way i use it is to have a second reference, so that I can have two docs side by side and a third on the next workspace.

So, if my goal is to have a brand new clean open space, why clutter it up with the tabs and such? i don't want to see/think about what i had open before. Often I will mentally designate one as personal, one as school, one as work, rather then application specific.

And if these tabs in the mockups (which do look nice, by the way) operate in the way describe, what possible benefit is there to not just minimizing apps? If every open app on every open workspace is on something that is basically the taskbar to begin with (just with workspace grouping added) then its actually more cluttered, more duplicated feature, and quite frankly, not helpful yet.

I'd like to re-bring up my idea for a set of tabs along the top that are not workspace with open apps contained, but rather app layers for assignable programs. we have one widget layer which many use for widgets or tomboy, but what if we design a stackable layer system? have the first tab be for standard desktop/workspace environment. the workspace switcher can remain as is until a more suitable option is worked out. then, instead of rolling over to a new desktop, we click to activate the tab on top for messenging apps, and up pops of 'widget' type layer. This would de-saturate or fade the original workspace, and would bring up whatever you have open in this layer, like email, IM, gwibber, which would be interacted with in the standard way. both panels would remain as-is, but the taskbar would show what is open and active on the 'widget' messenger layer. A second layer can have a file browser, or whatever. The user can open anything he or she feels on these different layers, but they are not restricted. If i want to pin an IM conversation to my primary workspace instead of the IM layer, thats fine, I can open it the standard way, or perhaps click and drag it to the top of the screen, to the original workspace tab.

This, i think, would better situate the app specific use of workspaces, much better then a series of full workspaces. I for one keep one down and to the left with email always open. But this would work better for keeping things from getting cluttered. Email would be in the second tab, available on every single workspace, just the same as music or any other custom stuff. This would add a whole new dimension of workspace use, so rather then just a series of never ending desktops, we could get some always quickly available, task specific (but specific to the user, not assigned) workspace layers.

On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 9:02 AM, Jeremy Nickurak <jeremy@xxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On Thu, Apr 22, 2010 at 02:55, Conscious User <conscioususer@xxxxxxx> wrote:
> Can you please elaborate more on how vertical setups help your
> organization? I use a 2x2 setup too, but mainly for keyboard
> navigation purposes, something that would not be forbidden by
> the tab concept.

Multi-dimensional organization. X = spread of different simultaneous tasks, Y = sub-tasks.

So, I've got a column for generic communication, chat.

I have a column for development tools.

I have a column for system monitors, or other utilities.

It's not as strictly adhered as that, but that's the general idea I go to. I keep things very very fluid by making it really easy to switch workspaces, and to move windows between workspaces:

  1. Mouse wheel on desktop (or with Ctrl+Alt if the desktop's not visible) switches workspaces. Horizontal scrolling moves between columns.
  2. Mouse wheel on titlebars (or with Alt, if I want to be fast) moves windows between workspaces. The analogy here is that mouse events move a window: Dragging on the title bar moves it within the workspace, scrolling moves it between workspaces. Again, horizontal scroll -> columns

--
Jeremy Nickurak -= Email/XMPP: jeremy@xxxxxxxxxxx =-



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