I have been hearing a lot about how Windows 7 seems to rip off a lot of ideas from KDE 4. However, this works both ways. So considering the beta is out and people have been playing with it, what features that Windows 7 has do you think are a good idea for KDE to implement? Further, is there a way KDE can improve on the feature in the process?

i think a plasmoid (to put into the panel) that does the same like the new windows "superbar" would be a good idea to copy... since most users will be soon using it on win7 and therefore get used to it.. so i think it would be necessary to bring the same functionality to kde for those who work in both worlds..

What is the difference between the existing plasma panel and the superbar. As best as I can tell there are only two major ones:

1. There is no text next to icons. I would think this would be relatively easy to implement in the form of an option in the taskbar settings (such as "hide labels"). In fact there is a wishlist item asking for this very thing, one that far predates any announcement of features for Windows 7 (not to mention the release of the beta). See Bug 159480. Having the option to hide either the text or the icon or show both (hiding both would be silly) would be a good idea, and I have seen comments from people that feel they really want one of the options but not the other depending on their use of the computer (I actually figure it is more based on how their mind works, I am better a search strategy based on graphics rather than text personally but I suspect others are the opposite).

2. The hover previews of a group shows all the items in the group, and clicking on one allows you to switch it. I am pretty sure Aaron said this was coming, it just hasn't been implemented yet. And this taskbar ruminations thread has a mockup that, if implemented, would blow Windows 7 out of the water.


I have not used Windows 7, but I have seen some information on it and have used Vista, so I have a few things:

1. Dolphin does not, by default, have an easy method to change the sorting of files in icon view or list view. In Vista, they kept the column headings even in icon view and you could click on one to sort. WIndows 7 appears to have what amounts to a combined toolbar and menu bar, except it doesn't have any icons (seems their attempts to do away with the menu bar and toolbar have failed). I think it is important that people be able to sort without having to navigate through the menus, but I think the Vista approach wastes real estate. So I would, by default, have an icon in the toolbar of dolphin that basically pops up the same menu you get when you go to View > Sort By. Having available, but not having visible by default, toolbar buttons for other menu items like view > additional information or view > view mode would be great as well. Having separate icons for each view mode wastes screen space for me since I do not change them often enough that I need separate icons, but often enough that having to go through the menus is a hassle.

2. Having folders show previews of a subset of the items in the folder is a nice effect that, although fairly useless, adds a bit of polish and eye candy that I think goes a long way in the eyes of consumers. Similarly the sort of throbbing glow you get when you hover on the icons on a window title bar are a simple. In fact I think having oxygen glow effects throughout kde get slightly dimmer and then brighter again in a cyclic manner when you hover over something or have something selected by hitting "tab" would make the system seem more alive and more dynamic without being obtrusive or annoying (having an option in the oxygen settings to turn the effect off would be nice). Similarly the animations in the Windows Vista progress bars are nice, I think nice (optional) animations in oxygen progress bars would be great. These are subtle effects that makes the desktop seem more dynamic, more alive, and more polished

3. The "aero shake" and "aero snap" features, although probably not for everyone, shows that we have not really capitalized on interacting with windows themselves. Things like using various mouse buttons on various parts of windows we can do, but treating windows themselves as objects that can have an impact on the desktop environment is an important innovation that I think we should take advantage of. Now KDE has had one such interaction for a while: we can drag windows of the edge of the screen to move it to a new screen. But Windows 7 has shown there a lot of other ways we can interact with a window. So basically what this amounts to is window gesture, moving windows in a certain way can trigger an effect. It is similar to mouse gesture where moving the mouse in a certain way can trigger an effect. This will be even more powerful on KDE than it is on Windows since Linux has the Alt-click to drag a window, while with windows you have to navigate to the title bar of the window.

4. The ability for programmers to add program-specific functions to the right-click menu on the task bar. I am pretty sure I read Aaron say this was planned for KDE 4.3, though.

5. Transparent windows [I found out this feature is already in the works]

I installed windows 7, and have a couple more things:

1. Showing the windows (with the other just outlines) when you hover over its taskbar preview in the taskbar is a nice effect.
2. Allowing taskbar previews to have built-in functions, like media control buttons for windows media player, is a good idea.
3. I don't think the whole "pinning" idea works very well, at least not with a standard taskbar. However, if there was a "favorites" plasmoid that shows your list of favorite applications, as well as an option in the right-click menu on the taskbar to add the programs to your list of favorites, I think that would go a long way. Although I guess a "permanenttly add to taskbar" item on the right-click menu might work.

One thing I wish KDE had was the like Avant Window Manager but better =].

One thing from Vista/Win7 is the aero part. IIRC (correct me if I am wrong) You can sorta make the border transparent and blurred but it also makes the border disappear too. And like make the base main frame be transparent. Like for example through a unresizeable button perce on there everything else is seen through and/or blurred.

I think ARGB visuals will support that. It allows windows to have true transparency, although I am not 100% certain about blurring.

Probably my favorite thing about Vista/7 is the previews, which KDE4 has copied to a large extent. I would like it if Dolphin showed previews of a folder's contents, it makes finding stuff much easier!

I would like Kickoff or whatever the default Start menu is, to include intregration with search services like Beagle/tracker/Strigi. Let's make it better in fact, support plug-ins: for Firefox history, Google, maybe even this forum!

Taking a step back, Kwin should support gradients in title bars, that was my favorite new feature of Windows 98

You already (for quite some time now to be exact) can set only the borders to be transparent, and to blur the background.

@Angel Blue01
Previews? Copied from Vista? IIRC (and I do) file previews existed even in the old KDEs (3.x for sure, don't remember whether the old ones had it) and the old win 9x series.

ivan wrote:@Angel Blue01
Previews? Copied from Vista? IIRC (and I do) file previews existed even in the old KDEs (3.x for sure, don't remember whether the old ones had it) and the old win 9x series.

Oh yes, I know about thumbnails, and enjoyed them since IE4 in Win95 in Windows. KDE4's are the fastest I've seen in any UI. But Vista makes them the default and adds "live" folder previews (displaying thumbnails of contents), which would be great for Dolphin/Konqueror to support.

Oh, here's an idea that was sorta implemented in KDE3: EXIF/ITPC metadata in the file manager, even Windows Explorer in XP can display/sort by it!

Angel Blue01 wrote:I would like it if Dolphin showed previews of a folder's contents, it makes finding stuff much easier!

I like this feature too, it is already on my to-do list for my Dolphin Mockup.

@Angel Blue01
Ok, glad we made that straight.

As for the folder contents previews, although I don't see the point of those*, you can file a wish on bugs.kde.org (or vote for an existing one if it exists). I'm not sure how many Dolphin developers hang out here (esp. with the title Ideas from Win 7 which is always a turn-off )

* Ok, I don't see the point of previews at all (except for images, but for images I use Gvenwiew or Digikam) so it is not that strange that I don't see it for folders neither

ivan wrote:@Angel Blue01
Ok, glad we made that straight.

As for the folder contents previews, although I don't see the point of those*, you can file a wish on bugs.kde.org (or vote for an existing one if it exists). I'm not sure how many Dolphin developers hang out here (esp. with the title Ideas from Win 7 which is always a turn-off )

* Ok, I don't see the point of previews at all (except for images, but for images I use Gvenwiew or Digikam) so it is not that strange that I don't see it for folders neither

It is pointless eye-candy, but it gives a sense of polish to the appearance of the program that I think is useful for selling it to ordinary desktop users.

Actually a lot of the /pointless eye-candy/ turn out to have a point