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This would be ideal for a plasmoid like Xeyes. Xeyes could always be visable in the corner of the screen and the use could still click on any open application window throuhgt the Xeyes plasmoid. With Xeyes transparentcy set appropriotly the user could still see and use the application with out interference from Xeyes while still always having Xeyes visable.

Would also be usefull for many other widgets the users wants to always be visable CPU usage for example.

This could also be useful for example with the CPU / Memory / Temperature monitors as well. Also gets my vote.

This should easily be possible by creating a panel that can cover windows, making its background transparent and then adding widgets. The only thing missing right now is the ability to have panels not only "always visible" but also allow them to cover windows. Thus, there should be no need to introduce a new class of widgets.

I think it would be complicate to create non-rectangular windows.
We would need more than just Qt's default-features.

mutlu wrote:This should easily be possible by creating a panel that can cover windows, making its background transparent and then adding widgets. The only thing missing right now is the ability to have panels not only "always visible" but also allow them to cover windows. Thus, there should be no need to introduce a new class of widgets.

Actually (KDE 4.3.2), you can create such a panel, and put there anything you want, like a clock. You only need to tinker a little to get the right size, but it's not too difficult. You can also make it always on top.

The transparency of the panel that contains the widgets obviously would depend on the current plasma theme, and since you are using a panel for the widgets, you wont' be able to click "through" it, but I'd prefer this behaviour, anyway (so I could interact with the widgets).

This would be needed. The panel function does not cover this functionality (heh).

The panel does few things badly. a) it use only the same style as the other panels. b) it ties the widget to work on the side of the desktop, not anywhere middle of it (there is cases when this is wanted/needed). c) it does not allow clickin trough the widget. d) the widget size is tied to panel size what is hard to set correctly.

This would add a new "keep top" button to widget control bar next to configure, rotation and resize ones.

definately got my vote
I want this especially for the clock and the temperature monitors, and also for the tray.

Marco started on a new plasma 'shell' that does exactly this; it runs the widgets separately from the plasma-desktop (or plasma-netbook, or whatever) main shell, though it runs all the widgets loaded in one process to keep resource usage sane. making the windows shaped would be trivial, if they aren't already. the code is in playground/base/plasma/, hack away.

Probably the #1 absent feature for me. A set of clocks in the upper-right and a system multi-monitor in the upper-left. Clicks falling through to beneath unless a specific modifier key is held down. Possibly just an always-on-top-and-click-transparent version of the plasma desktop.

The stuff I interact with regularly is in a panel at the bottom of my screen and I like a panel for this stuff, but for often-viewed but seldom-interacted with stuff, floating widgets in the top corners are perfect for me.

Better idea is providing hide panel buttons.