Moving QExtMDI to kdelibs

[Jason Keirstead]

On May 13, 2003 07:05 pm, Neil Stevens wrote:
> Here we go again.  IF that's true, then it should be fixed in the window
> manager, instead of making every app its own window manager.
>
> It sounds to me like you only ever need to do one thing at a time, so you
> don't have a problem of needing different documents on different desktops
> for different tasks. 

MDI isn't just about grouping windows together.. if that was the only benefit
I would be running fluxbox instead of KWin right now and there'd be no discussion.
There are many other benefits of MDI that people get used to

- Only one close button for the app. When you have 8 browsing sesssions open and
you want to stop browsing and get back to work, one click and you're done.

- Only one toolbar / menubar for the settings. When I am using an MDI app and I
change an option, I am assured it takes effect for all the child windows (or at least
if its developed properly it does). With SDI this is all wishy washy, some apps do
this, some dont. The majority don't from my experience.

- Only one window to export via X for remote browsing. Less windows means less
bandwidth.

- Less Kicker clutter. I dont like having more than 3 or 4 windows in my kicker at once,
more than that and theyre overly compressed.

> If you did, then you'd see how this MDI limitation is so bad.

Again, this is a poor "its my way or the highway" attitude. Just because some people
like using 32 desktops and flying windows all over the place, with only one on each desktop,
does not mean we all do. We don't all have photographic memory to remember that the
userfriendly.org window is on desktop 17, and the second KDevelop editor window is on 
desktop 9. Nor do we all have the superhuman vision it would require to read all these window
titles on the kicker. 

Some people like MDI, some hate it. Saying "MDI is evil" is no different from saying "SDI is evil".
It is all a matter of perspective and opinion, and the users should be able to choose which
they use if at all possible.

-- 
Jason Keirstead, BCS
http://www.keirstead.org