Re: Designing a Modern Window System

"Peter D." <psd@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

on Sunday 17 February 2008 07:20
in the Usenet newsgroup comp.windows.x
Måns Rullgård wrote:

George Peter Staplin <georgepsSPAMMENOT@xxxxxxxxxxxx> writes:

Peter D. wrote:
on Thursday 14 February 2008 10:27
in the Usenet newsgroup comp.os.linux.x
George Peter Staplin wrote:

Ahoy!

I have started writing a document today about my thoughts on window
system design. Any constructive comments would be appreciated on this
document. Ideally I would like to join forces with some people to
create a great window system design. I'm currently at an impass as the
OpenGL/3D requirement has hit, and before I do more coding I need more
design work completed.
[snip]

This is probably not what you expected, but a subtle security
problem exists with pop-up windows. It would be desirable if
there were a lock out mechanism such that one pop up check box
can not cover another.

Imagine that you have positioned the pointer over the "OK" of
"send mail now OK" and during the half second between deciding
to OK it and actually clicking the button a second window pops
up over it that asks to confirm formatting your hard drive or
transferring your bank account to me. ;-) It doesn't happen
very often but it is a design problem. Don't try to solve it
by trapping the pointer in the first box, that does not work
in a multitasking environment.

Good point. I have experienced that annoying problem with popup
dialogs. It can be damaging if you don't know what the dialog was, and
it pops up, asking an important question, just as you were trying to
click something else. I suppose a specific area for popups on the
screen might be better, or a warning of some type with a delay before a
popup could display.

The simple solution is to have them appear beside the pointer, rather
than under the pointer or centred.

Do you mean that even a lone pop up should not appear under the
pointer?

Of course. You might be just about to click something else when the
popup appears.

Forbidding buttons from appearing under the pointer might be the
simplest.

Placing the entire window away from the pointer can be easily
implemented in the window manager. Figuring where there are buttons
is not so simple. Besides, a window

Then in the pathological case where the screen is filled
with buttons, they should all be opened except the one under the
pointer which will open when the pointer is moved.

What is already on the screen is irrelevant. Only new windows are at
risk of accidental click interception.

Anyone who creates a single button that covers the entire screen
should be shot.

Certainly.

Anything at all except for opening "OK" under the pointer
should be good.

A button with potentially disastrous effects if clicked could have any
label.

--
Måns Rullgård
mans@xxxxxxxxx
.

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