some thoughts on virtual desktops

[Chani]

this email meandered from plasma to kwin, so I'm crossposting. remember to 
keep both lists in replies please :)

so I was thinking a bit about virtual desktops and wallpaper n'stuff.
it seems to me that the majority of people using the per-virtual-desktop 
feature are really only interested in the per-desktop wallpaper part of it.
(do correct me if I'm wrong about that :)

now, ignoring for a moment the people who do want activities tied to virtual 
desktops... the ones who want different walpaper, I only really see two reasons 
they want it:

1) to easily identify which desktop they're on or which desktop they want to 
be on (a big colourful picture requires *much* less thought than text. heck, 
just removing the colours from window icons in alt-tab has made me have to 
think a lot more)
2) pretty shiny desktop-cube effect

I'm sure there's a few people who just want it because they got used to it in 
kde3, too, but let's ignore them for now :)

now, me, being composite-less... if I still wanted this, I'd be happy with a 
wallpaper plugin that let me set per-desktop wallpaper. but most people seem 
to have composite, and given how much of a fuss there was about the taskbar 
showing the wrong tasks, having the desktop show the 'wrong' wallpaper would 
annoy them much more. and actually break the second part of (1) - a grid or 
cube of desktops all showing the same background does not help you to quickly 
identify the one you want.

so, wah. :( my clever idea to write a magical wallpaper plugin would only help 
the non-composite users.

but is there anything we can do about this? put aside thoughts of wallpaper 
for a moment. just think: what can remind me of what desktop I'm on, without 
making me think? what can distinguish my virtual desktops in an effect so that 
I don't have to think?

hmm. guess what, I just had an idea of sorts. :) let's say the config page for 
virtual desktops lets you set a colour for that desktop. then have desktop 
effects that show >1 desktop highlight each desktop with its colour, draw a 
border around them, something... just give each desktop its own colour in some 
way. and the pager could use the colours too, so it looks less like a pile of 
tiny boxes all alike. :)
and someday I might write a little plasmoid that just sits in my panel and 
reminds me of which desktop I'm on, because right now I see the panel more 
than the desktop, and the pager doesn't give me that information...

I hope nuno won't hate this idea... I know letting the user define arbitrary 
colours makes it hard for things to be pretty, but using colour as a label is 
so *useful*.

anyone else got other ideas? :)

-- 
This message brought to you by eevil bananas and the number 3.
www.chani3.com
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