GNOME Bugzilla – Bug 115699
Make window menu open automatically on moving mouse to upper right corner
Last modified: 2004-12-22 21:47:04 UTC
It would really be great if the window menu was to open automatically when I yank my mouse to the upper right of the screen. This can already be done with the workspace switcher (I've put it on an auto-hiding corner panel) but this can not yet be done for the window menu. Obvious advantages are: - reduced click strain - quicker access to the window menu; which speeds up the task switching process. Possible disadvantage: - inconsistent behaviour compared to other panel menus. (Perhaps they could auto-open as well?!)
Usability people : I feel this would be too inconsistent with everything else, so I'd say WONTFIX. What are your thoughts ?
In a way, the window menu is already inconsistent with everything else, simply because the toplevel menu is an icon instead of text. Whether this justifies *more* "inconsistent" behaviour depends on how you view the window menu applet: a) as an applet, with the main task of displaying opened windows, which happens to have some menu characteristics; or b) as just another panel menu with a small deviation (icon instead of text). I am inclined to view the window menu as a). I prefer the window menu above the window list because it doesn't continuously show the open windows, but does so only when I request it. When needed, that request should be as easy as possible, and having to click adds a barrier. Come to think of it, if the window list applet could be modified to act like the window menu, only auto hiding, that would probably solve my problem as well. (What about merging the window list and window menu??) Another point to consider is that an auto-opening window menu is much more discoverable than it is now. So, even if this bug is marked WONTFIX, I hope it will stir a discussion about the relationship between the window menu and the window list applet, and whether both are really needed as separate things.
I think this behaviour would be very confusing - for example, say you have a maximised window ... the close button would be very close to the window menu applet and you could easily end up hovering over the window menu while aiming for the close button. So, I agree with vincent ... I'll mark this as a WONTFIX. (You're right that the window list and window menu are very similar and perhaps they should just be merged)
Of course, a close button in the upper right corner of a window is the wrong position in the first place... ;-) In seriousness, I believe Marks argument is not the right reason to WONTFIX this bug. There may be better reasons, based on the merits of my proposal itself but not on possible circumstances. My points about discoverability and easy access still stand.