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Link to the mock-up

Why do we have a title bar? Why can't apps have the same pop out
bar as the desktop. You only really need a title bar to pull
the app around and minimise/maximise etc and you can only do that
when you have the mouse cursor on the app

Currently, widgets and programs are two deferent things: Widgets are to provide live info and easy access. Programs to be productive, the need the traditional methods of controlling their windows (window title, task manager) that is why plasma and windows have different themes, to make this clear.

But in a futuristic dream, a program, would have the ability to change from full-featured program, to a status-reporting plasmoid, and to an icon with the joined powers of the system-tray icon and the minimized-task.

I was thinking that since the Window manager draws the title bar why can it not draw it on the side and just hide it the same way the widgets do. I think that people just expect a title bar but only ever use it to pull the window around and to do that a pop out one would work perfectly and save some screen space ( and look really cool ). Chrome has done this in a tiny way but hasn't, I think, taken it to it logical conclusion. Anyway, I believe this is the way forward and I post it here so no one can pinch the idea and for the KDE to use at it feels fit

M

You could always start by designing a window border that is 1px on each side, though the title bar would never pop out when the window is active. Getting the title bar to pop out would be a little more involved.

OTOH, I can see there being some confusion or frustration about the missing titlebars, or the titlebar disappearing when they overshoot the close/minimize/maximize buttons.

As nickkefi mentioned: widgets and windows are expected to be handled differently which is why they use two different "window" managers. Widgets are expected to be resized and put in a specific place and left there for long periods of time. Windows are expected to be opened, closed, minimized, maximized, resized and moved around frequently - that is part of the workflow.

Yes but as soon as you move over the window the pop out would appear, you ( obviously ) can't use a title bar to move or minimise or whatever unless that window has the focus anyway. As it is the pop out in widgets doesn't disappear if you overshoot, it stays displayed for a moment giving you a chance to see what is happening. Chrome doesn't have a title bar as such. It just has the buttons on the right and somewhere to grab the window to move it etc. This is all you need, and using all that screen real estate for 4 or 5 tiny buttons seems a waste, pop the bar out when the window has the focus - doing it on the side would just look nice and work the same way as the widgets. I am not convinced users actually differentiate between widgets and apps in the way you suggest. If I look around my workplace the population splits between staff who tend to have one or two apps open all day and don't move them much and students who ( during our linux/kde tests ) view widgets and apps pretty much interchangably. In fact widgets fit their mind set somewhat better.

I think this would be really easy to use, look fantastic and save screen space. Anyway ... since we have had this discussion it's now 'prior art' so no one else can say they thought of it

First: I couldn't fix your image. So I just change it into a link.

Then maybe you should check Bespin and set it (in window decoration settings) to netbook setting. It moves the title bar to the side. So it's a move in the right direction.

Also approved.

Did you try the plasma netbook interface? It combines the titlebar with the panel, placed in the top.

Personally, I have no titlebar on maximized windows, so i do window management with the taskbar, or with krunner. The missin part is ability to assign windows to activities, which is currently only in window title context menu, and i would love to view only my active window (without having to use the netbook interface, which I do not fancy too much.

You're not gonna get a majority for this idea, but to relieve your distress: use the Nitrogen minimal mod window decoration.
I've been using it for quite some time now and I LOVE it.
It hides that stupid ugly title bar and gives you a small square inside the window (if you choose it to be shown) that offers windows handling capabilities like moving or closing a window.
See: http://kde-look.org/content/show.php/KD ... ent=109355
Especially since the Oxygen style allows you to move a window by clicking somewhere inside the window, a title bar has lost its little remaining value.

I don't miss anything, it is one of the nicest features on my desktop and I'm happy to have it everytime I see how it used to be.
Together with Oxygen's option to hide those ugly arrows inside the scroll bar and many KDE's programs' feature to hide the menu bar, you're able to get a nice and clean, modern desktop.