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NNB edited this page Feb 24, 2021 · 19 revisions

Window's title

And it's position on the desktop

About

Contents

Information bar:

Workspaces Titles Clock
taskbarWorkspace taskbarTitle taskbarClock

Method

Legacy

This is the method that being used in Windows OS and most Linux's DE, it's display window's title both attach to the window itself and then show a list of windows on the information bar.

Busy workspace Tabs workspace
bothBusy bothTab

Pro:

  • This is a legacy design that most people get used to

Con:

  • The design is too old, it's look outdated:
    • Display windows title in two place is redundant
    • And make the desktop cramped

Fix:

  • Just used other method...

Detach

Only show a list of windows on the information bar.

Busy workspace Tabs workspace
taskBusy taskTab

Pro:

  • This method give you the biggest screen real estate
  • And still shows you all the information, this is better than the Attach method in tabs workspace because it can even show additional information (workspaces and clock)

Con:

  • The problem is the way the information is presented, a list of title can show you how many windows and their name but not their location, so you end up confusing not knowing which title is correspond to which window... This defeat the whole purpose of display title for each window
  • you can't even tell if the container have tabs or not
  • It's hard for mouse user to interact with a window (drag and move window around)
  • Those titles can take a lot of space in the information bar, space that can be used to display CPU, MEM, DISK, TEMP...

Fix:

  • "you can't even tell if the container have tabs or not": You can make a container show title bar if it's has tabs but this is redundant to show title in two place

Attach

Show window's title attach to the window itself.

Busy workspace Tabs workspace
titleBusy titleTab

Pro:

  • Everything is simple and clear, you know exactly which title is correspond to which window :)
  • It's easy for mouse user to interact with a window (drag and move window around)
  • If you have an information bar, this method leave more space to the information bar than Detach method

Con:

  • This method take a bit more screen real estate than Detach method in specific conditions (in the busy workspace, you can see most window's title bar just sit on the top of the screen but win4's title bar take space in the middle of the screen unlike Detach method, a list of all windows just sit on the information bar)
  • If you have an information bar, this method will take as much screen real estate as legacy method although that space is used more efficiently

Fix:

  • About the screen real estate issue:
    • You can hide the information bar and only show it when holding the Super key like this workflow
    • Or only show it when user switch workspace
    • Make a hot corner for mouse user...
  • Auto hide the information bar can give user a clean and focus desktop but for some this is inconvenient. All of these problems can be solved through the fourth method

Dynamic

Show window's title attach to the window itself but with a twist:

  • In a tabs workspace, the tab show additional information on the left and right side of the tabs bar make the tabs workspace look like one in the Detach method
  • In a busy workspace, additional information will keep being display on the same position on a bar
    • The bar can automatically be transparent like how Elementary OS's bar work
    • If the desktop have gaps equal or bigger than the bar, information bar can be blended into the gap-part
Busy workspace Tabs workspace
loveBusy loveTab

Pro:

  • This solved the information bar problem, additional information (workspaces and clock) will always be visible and still make the tabs workspace compact like the Detach method
  • In a busy workspace, "if the desktop have gaps equal or bigger than the bar, information bar can be blended into the gap-part" which make the busy workspace as compact as in the Attach method

Con:

Busy workspace Tabs workspace
hateBusy hateTab
  • The title bar and information bar must be in the same direction to the window, if not (e.g: title bar attach to the top of the window but the information bar is on the bottom of the screen) the title will jump around when transition between busy workspace and tabs workspace. This will break the consistency of the desktop
  • If the desktop doesn't have gaps equal or bigger than the bar, the bar will be render fully in a busy workspace, and other than workspaces and clock, it display nothing... This bar took space on the desktop and used it inefficiency

Fix:

Conclusion

Method Busy workspace Tabs workspace Information bar
Both Cramped Cramped Show
Detach Confuse Good Show
Attach Good Okay Auto hide
Dynamic Okay Good Show
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