Re: Multiple Document Interfaces

[MJ Ray]

despam2004@yahoo.ca (Java  script  Dude) wrote:
> Firstly, maybe MDI is not the correct name for what I am asking. [...]
> how to allow for several windows of information [...]
> within one application window. If there were a better name
> for this I would gladly drop the TLA MDI.

Yes, I have seen this usually called "window-in-window MDI" or WiwMDI.
It is horrible horrible evil bad and wrong.

On the few occasions that I use a program with this broken UI, I
frequently get a bit confused and quit the entire application when I
only wanted to close a document. This is particularly common when the
interior window is "maximised" to the application window. The closes
are next to each other and the least-used one is easier to locate!

Sadly, some applications on GNU/Linux are repeating this mistake.
Mozilla tabs come to mind. On GNUstep, Talksoup is probably one. I've
stopped using it, because the UI is broken and I don't have to tolerate
that pain.  I'd really like to fix this at the window manager level,
but I've other things I need to do first. (If someone offers enough
money, my priorities can be changed ;-) )

I admit, for a program editor/IDE, I'm a bit unusual, using wily. That
has something you could call MDI, but it's closer to something like a
tiling system than your tabs. It does make resizing etc very easy,
though, warping the mouse pointer to where you usually want it next.

Most of your applications I've not used. Possibly you have explained
why I haven't used spreadsheets much since text mode DOS days, if they
all commonly use tab-books of sheets now. I hadn't really thought about
why spreadsheets seem so painful to me. Most of my maths is in a stats
package or custom programs now.

To summarise, I don't think wiwMDI would be an improvement in GNUstep,
but I agree that we should find ways of making windows easier to
manage for heavy users.

-- 
MJR/slef
My Opinion Only and possibly not of any group I know.
http://www.ttllp.co.uk/ for creative copyleft computing
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