unity-design team mailing list archive

[anthropornis <anthropornis@xxxxxxxxx>]

1) to the immediate right of the existing window maximize button, add 
one more round button that contains an ampersand, for additional window 
control functions (resize, move to workspace, etc) *

2) to the immediate right of #1, add a lozenge-shaped button (perhaps 
blue, to offset the red close window button) that contains the 
application menu in dropdown form **

3) to the immediate right of #2, add a new item to the panel that 
contains only the ~application~ title, still in bolded text, limited to 
n characters (e.g., "Firefox", not "Mozilla Firefox"); this item does 
~not~ expand or contract ***

4) to the immediate right of #3, separate out the actual ~window~ title 
into another panel item, no longer in bolded text; this item expands or 
contracts based on factors such as screen resolution, number of app 
indicators in the panel, etc, or even just user setting of n characters; 
like Chromium tabs, long window titles can be shown as a tooltip on 
hover ****

  ... going to the other end of the panel ...

5) give the app indicator area one drawer for things that don't need to 
always be visible (as determined by the user, e.g., clipboard indicator, 
ejecter indicator, caffeine indicator, battery indicator, any future 
"windicators," etc)

6) in the app indicator area, make it ~optional~ to enable a second 
lozenge-shaped menu that contains the old Gnome 2 unified apps / places 
/ system menu; this does not have to be an "indicator" (and thus 
restricted by any limitations on the indicator paradigm), just a 
hard-coded item like the BFB, which can be enabled or disabled by the 
user *****

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footnotes:
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* this ampersand button replaces right-click functionality on 
[unrestored] window title bars [which is not even present on maximized 
windows]

** the application menu would no longer appear by hovering elsewhere in 
the panel; the application menu ~could~ still appear as a separate menu 
bar in un-maximized windows, if the user so chose, or continue to remain 
as a lozenge button in the window title bar; as an aside, even though 
Unity now forces a Chromium menu in the panel, I am still so trained to 
use the menu icon inside Chromium that I forget about the panel menu, 
and never use it

*** optionally, clicking this application title area could also show 
thumbnails of all open windows for that application (which would ~not~ 
replace thumb-nailing in any future version of the dock, or any future 
"switching" lenses in the Dash); the shortened application title may be 
an additional metadata field the user can set in Alacarte or elsewhere, 
shipping with sane defaults (e.g., Totem instead of Movie Player) and 
corresponding sane defaults for the n character width of the application 
title area

**** this application title and window title separation would remain in 
un-maximized windows; optionally, for long window titles, this panel 
area could begin with an expander arrow, which when clicked pops out an 
expanded window title below the panel, if such a visual cue would draw 
more attention that a tooltip

***** likewise, the Dash could be enabled or disabled; people who like 
the Dash will use the Dash, people who don't will use this; some people 
like me may use both; if people want it, this could be further 
subdivided into the traditional Gnome 2 menu "bar" but with icons rather 
than text for applications, places and system; it should still be a 
lozenge shaped single item with three inner buttons to make it distinct 
from "indicators", echoing the window control areas