Re: app wrappers and gworkspace

[Rogelio Serrano]

On 2004-08-06 17:37:29 +0800 Riccardo <multix@ngi.it> wrote:

[snipped...]
> well you could put your applications in the tabbed shelf, 
> often accessed 
> items in the shelf that every single gworkspace window has. Or 
> you should be 
> able to dock them around.
>
> I don't want more things from gworkspace. You are always free 
> to make a new, 
> external application as a launcher.
>
> I myself on os-x don't have anything external. I have 2, 3 
> apps in the dock 
> (I think about monster-docks people sometimes have) just mail, 
> console and 
> maybe a browser, depending on the computer.
>
> then, since all apps are ordered in the Application folder, 
> they are quick 
> accessible with a single click on an Finder window. More 
> sparse applications, 
> utilities can always be grouped in the "favourites" folder.
>
> We can also think about what other desktop environments do, 
> those that were 
> born before windows or in any case thought independenlty of it 
> (i.e. I am not 
> speaking here of GNOME or KDE)
[snipped...]
> This is a short survey, it shouldn't be thought of exhaustive. 
> I wanted only 
> to show how different environments which may be lesser known 
> handle this 
> point.
>
> - most have a split between "file manager" and "program 
> manager" to sai it a' 
> la windows 3.0. The realizations are however quite different.
> How the items in the "program manager" are created is however 
> varying. 
> SOmetimes it is only a link, but this is limited, other have 
> some sort of 
> "wrapper".
> "Wrappers" (in an extended term, I would consider old .PIF 
> files wrapper in 
> this context) extend the functionality of actions and file 
> types and can help 
> to cope with applications not designed explicitly with one or 
> the other 
> desktop environment. SO I would not abolish them, just find a 
> fast way to 
> make a "standard one". CDE has an "action editor" to refine 
> the settings.
>
> - most have a quick-way to access useful files, either a 
> pop-up menu or some 
> sort of ever-resident, small area, that pops up in a menu or a 
> window.
>
> How should we cope this in GNUstep without breaking the 
> OpenStep tradition 
> but considering heterogeneous applications (standard X11 for 
> example) I don't 
> know. This wanted only to be a quick survey of stuff I use 
> (not necessarily 
> endorse) since I saw this discussion was flowing as often into 
> nothing, a 
> flame without data and respect to other solutions.
>
> -Riccardo

I hate the start menu. I hate menus so i dock my favorite apps. 
everything i cant put on the dock i remove from my system. So 
all i got is whats on the dock. I would like to see the desktop 
become a single click document based interface. so i can 
navigate the folders and click on any document and the proper 
app can automagically run. And of course make the finder the 
primary filesystem interface. And no links please. A finder 
window that searches for all apps might be a good idea of a 
"program manager".

Im doing something about it but im taking the long route. Im 
starting with reinventing the window system. (I can imagine 
everybody gasp and curse.)