Hi Guys, I am a KDE user and was having a look at the mockups and plans for Plasma. I was very impressed with what I saw.
In particular, a big and revolutionary change for me would be: "In Plasma, the desktop is not a single static sheet. One may flip between any number of individual layouts on the desktop, and those changes will be driven by the context of what you are currently doing. If you are working on that new novel, you probably need and want a different set of items and services on the desktop than you do when you are indulging in your hobby of fly fishing lures." I have a suggestion. It is based on Fitts's Law - "The time to acquire a target is a function of the distance to and size of the target." Fitt's law indicates that the most quickly accessed targets on any computer display are the four corners of the screen, because of their pinning action, and yet they seem to be avoided at all costs by designers. One distro which has tried to use it is : http://www.symphonyos.com/screenshots.html I dont think they packaged the project as a desktop properly, and I am not sure if any stable release came out, but it was an interesting idea. My suggestion is as follows: Allow a "corner applet" for desktops. This could be left very configurable, just as a way to switch "desktop contexts". We just have 4 "visual instances" of this applet occupying top_left, top_right, bottom_left and bottom_right corners of the screen. These could have configurable "targets" which would change the current desktop. Example use cases: 1. Logical and graphical separation of applications: Newbie end user's desktop is too clutterred with all the apps and documents he frequently needs, and navigating through menus is proving difficult. He just creates 4 different desktops (say 1. "Amusement and multimedia" 2 "Office" 3. Internet. 4 "All apps" or "System" or "Documents and places". Each of these has (very few, and hence easily accessible, icons for the respective context, and of the applications he frequently uses). The classification could be any 4 things a user finds intuitive starting points to do things- e.g. an experienced user may prefer a combination of Programs, Settings, Files, Documentation Benefit. Any (and a large number of) frequently used applications/actions/files CAN ALWAYS be started with Just 2 mouse movements. 2. Save on kicker panel real-estate A power user is most likely to use the 4 desktops. These take valuable amount of space on the kicker panel. Perhaps such corner launchers can be used as switchers between multiple desktops too. Thanks and regards, Vivek This message and any attachments are confidential, proprietary, and may be privileged. If this message was misdirected, Barclays Global Investors (BGI) does not waive any confidentiality or privilege. If you are not the intended recipient, please notify us immediately and destroy the message without disclosing its contents to anyone. Any distribution, use or copying of this e-mail or the information it contains by other than an intended recipient is unauthorised. The views and opinions expressed in this e-mail message are the author's own and may not reflect the views and opinions of BGI, unless the author is authorised by BGI to express such views or opinions on its behalf. All email sent to or from this address is subject to electronic storage and review by BGI. Although BGI operates anti-virus programs, it does not accept responsibility for any damage whatsoever caused by viruses being passed. Barclays Global Investors Limited is authorised and regulated by The Financial Services Authority. Registered in England. Registered No:796793. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. _______________________________________________ Appeal mailing list [email protected] https://mail.kde.org/mailman/listinfo/appeal
