[RFC] New (QML) Desktop Containment

[Sebastian Kügler]

Hi all,

Marco and I did a design session on the new desktop containment based on the 
feedback we have collected here (thanks for that!). 
Underlying design goals are:
0. Little to no modality
1. using the system should be done through direct manipulation and require few 
steps
2. should look pretty and have as little visual noise as possible
3. the system should be trustworthy and predictable

The main issues that stood out after discussing the proposed proof of concept 
in detail were 
- high modality
- confusion with windows by mixing up metaphores
- applet handle's visual noise (when unlocked, which should be default 
  following 0.)

We've come up with a few ideas how to tackle these issues, here's a quick 
update of what we would like to try next. (I'll work on these changes this 
week, so we'll have something to test quickly.)

The applet handle gets moved to the applet's side. The handle is always shown 
on the right side (not close to the mousepointer anymore, as that broke 
predictability more than it served its initial purpose, reducing 
mousemovement). The handle itself is only shown for hovered applets.
When possible the handle controls are shown inside the applet background 
frame: For larger applets, the buttons are integrated in the side of the frame 
(the frame grows a little to make space, the applet itself stays exactly where 
it is).
For smaller and frameless applets (handle doesn't fit), the idea is to do it 
much like it's now, but adjusted visually and interactively to the other 
applets, of course.
The moving halo becomes less intrusive and following the movement more 
closely.

There are some "tunables" I would like to give you to try with, so it's easier 
to values that "feel right". Those are grid size, delay, visibility and 
opacity of movement halo. I'll have a look at making these configurable for a 
test version so we have good defaults later. The idea tough is to just find 
defaults, those values won't be configurable in the final size.

Cheers,
-- 
sebas

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