On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 1:19 PM, Jarlath Reidy
<jarlathreidy@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
A better functioning taskbar would eliminate the need for yet another desktop metaphor. There are too many on the desktop at the moment (double click icons, oh-no, that's a toolbar shortcut, single click that one, single click menu entries and web-links - oh, sorry forgot to mention, that feature is in the right click menu - got all that?!)
I think the main reason developers feel they need a tray icon for their applications, and implement a 'minimize to tray' feature, is because they don't have control over what information or widgets the taskbar item displays when its application is minimized.
Windows 7 is moving in the right direction for this with their "jump lists" feature and the new taskbar. The programs can add their own content to the list and 'customize' the way the contextual menu works. This is a neat system.
I think it would be amazing if Linux could do a similar thing. Firstly it would require building a new window list program (but honestly it's about time one that supported compositing came around anyway). This window list program would support grouping by application and work in essence like the windows 7 taskbar does (it's a good method to group by application). It would treat the thumbnail/window chooser display and the contextual menu as standard widgets that could be customized by the application through a library rather than the window lister (but of course there would be default menus similar to the current system, with close, minimize, etc, if the application didn't use the library).
With this sort of system, a media player could add its own widgets like album artwork, play/pause etc directly to the taskbar item. Allow altering the application icon in the list and you remove all need for 'minimize to tray'. Windows Media Player, for example, already has play/pause in its taskbar item.
This could also prove useful for other apps such as the Update Manager/App Store (after minimizing, it could show progress/information directly in its icon display), Firefox/Transmision (download progress, bookmarks), Gwibber/Empathy (latest chats, online users!). The list goes on--it's overall a much more centralized way to do things.
Finally, it would increase the utility of standard window minimizing. Rather than removing the application completely from the user's grasp when they minimize it, it is simply taking up less space. The user does not need to unminimize the media player in order to change songs--it 'sets up shop' in the taskbar instead of hiding there.
One last thing: if support was added to tear off these taskbar menus, things could get even more interesting. Most media players have a 'compact mode' in which they take up about 200x100 pixels at the most. If it was allowed to tear off the taskbar menus, any application could be usable in 'mini mode'. The most obvious example is for the media player, but think beyond that and you see opportunities for downloaders, chat programs, and more.
In fact, the whole paradigm of small applets that take up little space has already been implemented--Gadgets/Widgets! Their issue is they're hidden away, not integrated well, and are separate from larger apps so must be managed separately. If the window previews and contextual menus supported being torn off the taskbar, these would serve perfectly as widgets.
So to summarize: The best taskbar system would be one similar to Windows 7 that allowed application-customizable window selectors, which normally lived inside the taskbar but could be torn off and used as desktop gadgets for easy access to information!
Sorry for this rant but it seems like a very exciting way to do it.