KDE Developer
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Here's an idea I've had since the KDE 1.0 days. I got it from NeXT/Windowmaker dock, and pondered how it could be updated and modernized. I've thought about coding it myself, but I just don't have the time. So I'm throwing it out for community to mull over.
Imagine your typical NeXT style dock, with square blocks making up the dock. Each block can be a menu, app launcher, applet, plasmoid, etc. They can also be pop-out containers for other blocks. So far this is familiar to anyone who has used WindowMaker, Afterstep, etc. Now imagine the blocks are movable, can snap together "magnetically", and you could put them anywhere on the desktop. Reconfigure them how you want. A NeXT dock on the side or a stack/jumble in the lower corner, or scattered about the desktop. Windows would also minimize to a block (which could be in a container in a collapsed state).
Don't look back! (Or you might see the giants whose shoulders we stand on)
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KDE Developer
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Taking it one step further, imagine the blocks don't have to be of uniform size. Imagine being able to snap arbitrary plasmoids together. There would be a "magnet" container that's invisible but which allows plasmoids to snap together.
Don't look back! (Or you might see the giants whose shoulders we stand on)
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Moderator
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I like the second idea better. Maybe just because I never used NeXT or anything like it NeXTStep...
But I do like your magnet containment idea. I'm still hoping for a mock-up or at least a explanation with this screenshot: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/e ... esktop.jpg I already voted this up. I might add that iconyfying windows and then "docking" them would be another part of this idea, if I get it correctly.
Primoz, proud to be a member of KDE forums since 2008-Nov.
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