kwin default window button order.

[Lubos Lunak]

On Friday 16 of November 2007, Aaron J. Seigo wrote:
> On Thursday 15 November 2007, Sebastian Kügler wrote:
> > On Thursday 15 November 2007 22:37:57 Dmitry Suzdalev wrote:
> > > 1. For maximizing/restoring I used to using double-click on window
> > > title, so it doesn't really matter for me where the maximize button is
> > > (Lubos->make_this_default++ ;))
> >
> > If we decide to make this the default, then the maximize button should be
> > second left, the minimize button should be left corner.
>
> well, the point of being in the corner is to make it easy to reach when
> maximized (which is when well behaving window decorations push the buttons
> to the edge of the screen). so the question becomes: which is the most
> commonly used button when maximized? the choices are: restore/un-maximize,
> minimize, sticky, help or menu.

 Actually, in this case, the likely scenario is that it will trigger the 
PresentWindows (Expose-like) effect from KWin (Plasma took the right corner, 
so we moved to the left). And then you probably cannot win this part - close 
should have higher priority and the other corner is taken by the effect, 
which I'd say is also higher priority. Which weakens this reason.

 And, of course, as can be see, nobody here seems to agree on what the best 
layout is - neither on which side the close button should be on, nor which 
button should be the other prominent one.

 Ok, let me try to summarize:
A) it stays as it is
B) A + spacers next to close
C) close on the right, PresentWindows on the left, other buttons on the left
D) C, sides swapped  (which means also moving the Plasma toolbox)
E) C, no PresentWindows, "some" button on the edge
F) E, sides swapped

 A is simple to throw out, as B is obviously better, even if some decos don't 
support spacers. E and F should be also worse than C and D, since the effect 
should be more useful than quick access to another decoration button, even if 
not all users can use it.

 That leaves as with B, C, D, where C and D are more or less the same (one 
could say that we usually have cancel-like functionality on the right, so the 
close button should be there, but on the other hand IIRC it's common to have 
Expose-like functionality on the right, since that corner is faster to 
access).

 And, comparing C (or D) to B, then we have:
+ close is much further from other buttons
+ action buttons are all on the left (with C)
- people are used to B, and others have B  (well, A actually, but anyway)
- we'll have to argue about the exact layout (although in a different way than 
now, since the corner is taken)

 Hmm ... can we have a poll somewhere :) ?

-- 
Lubos Lunak
KDE developer
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