unity-design team mailing list archive

[Frederik Nnaji <frederik.nnaji@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, May 5, 2010 at 00:05, Jonathan Blackhall
<johnny.one.eye@xxxxxxxxx>wrote:

> After reading Mark's post yesterday
> (http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/333) I began to wonder
> whether this was a great opportunity for his Windicators.  For
> example, something like the "eye" button seems like it would be an
> interesting way to "hide" a window, but still have the application
> accessible via its indicator applet.
>

Hi Johnathan,

i think the "eye" thing was suggested elsewhere, or was it you?
The eye you propose exerts an ambiguous semiosis: I can imagine "the eye" to
notify about webcam or video-capture activity also... There are dozens of
ways to associate this particular metaphor in a modern DE, not to speak of
the Orwellian ones ;)  -  Difficult for me to judge if it would make sense
consistently with your proposal..

Much of the problem you are describing would be addressed in interaction
design, not window decoration. There are different interaction types with
windows in our DE to begin with, some are passive, some more active, some
require full attention.. to dismiss windows more intelligently and to bring
them back into focus more intelligently would solve your problem, not yet
another discussion about what window control button would come before what
other window control button in an often totally redundant title bar.

that's of course IMO ;)