unity-design team mailing list archive

[Greg K Nicholson <greg@xxxxxxxxx>]

> Why not integrate (and hide) the menu bar in the title bar instead for
> ummaximized windows?

This makes sense logically.

For maximised windows, the panel takes over the function of a title
bar. So it seems sensible that if the active window is unmaximised,
the title bar should behave in the same way as the panel.

This means that normally the window title is displayed, and the menu
only appears on hover.

Dragging the window is achieved by dragging a blank space on the title
bar. (This is already how it's done for a maximised window.)

When the active window isn't maximised, the section of the panel its
window controls and menu usually occupy should either be kept blank or
show controls for the topmost maximised window.

This central part of the panel could even become completely
transparent if there are no maximised windows at all, leaving only the
indicator menus and the launcher and an otherwise-clear desktop. Any
attempt to drag a window into the transparent area would maximise it.
(This is already implemented by Compiz Grid)

The massive downside to all of this is Fitts's law: the effective
target area of a menu bar is vastly reduced when it isn't at the
screen's edge. For that reason alone, and despite its logical and
aesthetic elegance, I think we have to reject this idea.