thoughts on the systray

[Jason Keirstead]

On Sunday 13 February 2005 8:30 pm, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> no, i don't want to eliminate "minimize/restore on click", but i would like
> to eliminate systray icons that are ONLY (or at least primarily) used for
> that and nothing more. kmail/kontact uses the icon for status as well and
> therefore belongs in the systray =)

I definitly don't think this shuld be eliminated... this is pretty much the 
only thing I use the system tray for at all, and I am pretty sure lots of 
others are in the same boat.

The system tray is a pretty crappy place for notifications.. it is very small, 
and in the farthest possible corner from thwere your eyes tend to be while 
using the computer(top left to middle center for LTR people, top right to 
middle center for RTL people). Unless the notifications are large, 
blinking-type boxes ( or have sounds), you hardly notice them at all. I sure 
don't notice my KMail message count increase unless I look directly at it.

However, it is ideal for getting things "out of the way' so to speak. In fact 
I am pretty sure that is why the thing was created at all... to be able run 
apps that you want access to once in awhile, but don't like to be in the way. 
It was not until very recently (in the history of the "tray" concept) that it 
started being used for notifiations.


-- 
If you wait by the river long enough, eventually
you will see the bodies of all your enemies float by.
    - Sun Tzu