[openbox] wishlist: tabbed windows

[muzzle]

My question came from my personal experience, I have to work daily
with a data analysis software that does not provide any form of
grouping for its graphical output, that's why I found tabs to be so
very useful to _me_.

I understand the point many of you stated during the discussion, ob is
a minimalistic app and  will not try to cure poorly designed
applications (this probably means that I'll switch to flux, at least
while working with the tool I mentioned).

Well, I never intended to dive into ob source code and write a patch,
even if the rest of you had found tabbed windows to be a good idea. I
do not feel I have the time right now, that's why the subject of my
first email was "wishlist:..." in the first place.

Finally, IMHO tabs are no substitute for multiple desktop or
applications that implements tabs.

Multiple desktops are different environments, ideally each one is used
for a single indipendent task only, and, on that virtual desktop, you
have everything you need to work on that task.

Applications with tabs let you work with a single tool (application)
at more than one thing at once, providing you with fast context
switching.

On the other hand I use tabbed windows for mutually exclusive
applications. I usually have many windows but I only need one of them
plus a console at a time. The normal solution would be to minimize all
the unneeded windows to maximize the screen estate. In this way each
window switching involves looking for the new window on the taskbar,
minimize the old one and open the new one. This is much slower than
just switching tabs.

I do not want to push any further for a tabbed window implementation
in ob, these are just my .02 cents, and I am no human interface
designer anyway :)

Regards,

Emme

On 5/8/06, Dave Foster <daf at minuslab.net> wrote:
>  Clay Barnes wrote:
> *max snip*
>
>  2) They are functionally equivilant stacks of applications, which is
> already easily modeled by the current commands (move to top/bottom,
> switch to next window, etc.
>  I agree with nearly everything you said (and am happy someone with some
> proper usability training could speak up, I know a bit but not enough),
> except for this point here.  With tabs you treat one window as the window
> for all of them, meaning moving/resizing one will change them all.
>
>  Small point, and in no way is it an argument FOR tabs, just wanted to make
> sure that was known.
>
>  dave
>
>


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