After getting used to tabs in Internet browsers, the next wave IMHO will be tabbed file managers. Total Commander for Windows (previously known as Windows Commander) already has this feature and it works very well, but its user interface is such a disaster otherwise that tabs can’t really save the day.
Having tabs in NewFS will bring one huge time saver - the ability to get from one folder to the other using a single mouse click. This should scale well to at least 10 open folders, more for those who configure really high resolutions.
It’s worth noting that the Deskbar Application Expander is an interesting idea, but it’s generally quite awkward and doesn’t work at all when the Deskbar is located at the bottom of the screen. Tabs are better.
Gotta see how much helpful this will be spatially…
In a web browser; if you open a page from a parent page; both the pages are generally on equal hierarchy leve thus the pages being run parallel is an acceptable behaviour
but in case of a file manager; if you open a file/folder from a parent folder; the file/folder BELONGS to the parent and is on a different level of hierarchy so it feels weird for me atleast…
Gotta see how much helpful this will be spatially...
That is true if you care for the spatial file management model. I don’t. I find the browser model much better for file management, and incidentally, most operating systems are now designed to favor this model too:
Windows - somewhat spatial Explorer in Win95 -> browser in Win98 and on
Mac - spatial Finder in OS9 and earlier -> browser (as default) in OS X
BeOS - spatial Tracker up to R5 -> browser as default in newer versions of OpenTracker and Tracker.NewFS
KDE - browser all the way
GNOME - browser up to v2.4.x -> spatial by default in v2.6.x (morons! they ruined Nautilus with this and other dubious changes).
I like the browser model, and having a tabbed Tracker will make the ultimate file-management UI. However, for those who prefer the spatial model, there should be a way to turn the tab-bar off.
I have to chime in, I’ve always found the spatial model…a needless chore. Cue people all saying how great it is, to which I say, why do the majority of OS designers drop it like a hot potato?
Atleast for me; i prefer spring folders and stuff like that… i guess it more depends on how much you will use the file manager as well
I’m not a complete of spatial systems either; but i dont find tabs entertaining nuff to replace the spatial manager… instead of just tabs i want a better alternative for the file manager which can help me to reduce time and no. of steps taken to complete a task. I feel tabs have a chance of complexing it; cuz you dont generally open a new tab for everything - the user should be free to do whatever he wants; and he should be able to finish his task fast… i would like to see some examples so that i can understand how effective it really would be… can it replace spring folder functionality of older macs :?: (im not trying to be cynical)
>Lez say I have two folders on the desktop; one named “men” and the other named “animals” which has nother folder called “dogs”. I have a picture of a dog in the “men” folder. Finish the task of shifting the picture from men folder to dogs folder with least amount of clicks and low time consumed.
with spring folders; i open the men folder; drag-and-hold the picture over the animals folder. the folder will pop up; i drag-and-drop it over the dogs folder. All done with a double click and a delayed click. Spatial systems are limited; but if an alternative is adopted it SHOULD be superior and time saving
@expensivelesbian: cuz a spatial system is tough to implement for all tasks; but had been implemented extremely well for mac
Something that has been brought up before is the fact that BeOS already has movable title-bar tabs. What if there was a system-wide option to open new windows of the same application with the same dimensions of the previous window and move the tab over $x pixels from the right side of the preceding window.
What i’d like as an optional feature is; if two windows overlap with the titlebar of one not visible; then the tab (but not the window) should locate itself beside the other tab; like a tabbed interface. If the tab is clicked; the tab will disappear from there and “re attach” to teh window. Though it can be kinda counter-intuitive
I have to chime in, I've always found the spatial model...a needless chore. Cue people all saying how great it is, to which I say, why do the majority of OS designers drop it like a hot potato?
My feature request would be to use the spatial model, but close parent windows behind the current (without holding down a key)
You could then hold down a key to reverse the behaviour.
The spatial model would be much better if it didn’t needlessly spawn lots of windows.
I think there was a discussion on GE about ‘docking’ windows together for R2? That’d be real clever. They’d like click on to each other and you could like move them together. Like. Dunno where I saw this (I’m not on GE so it was probably here)
You mean the way a few X11 window managers do? Like the idea originally introduced by PWM?
This can effectively make all apps "tabbed", especially if coupled with an easy way to set up rules for how windows should be combined in frames (the rules should also be capable of opening windows on specific workspaces, start apps maximized or minimized, and so on).
I think there was a discussion on GE about 'docking' windows together for R2? That'd be real clever. They'd like click on to each other and you could like move them together. Like. Dunno where I saw this (I'm not on GE so it was probably here)
I think there was a discussion on GE about 'docking' windows together for R2? That'd be real clever. They'd like click on to each other and you could like move them together. Like. Dunno where I saw this (I'm not on GE so it was probably here)
I’m not generally one to passionately disagree with a UI concept, but fused tabs are definitely not the way to go if you want to make window management easier. It’s a novelty that makes window management harder, not easier, because there isn’t a consistent place for tabs to be. Imagine the mother-in-law kind of user trying to figure out what to do with the windows presented in http://ge.blubinc.com/images/9/97/Fusingtabs-example.gif . I can easily see that person saying 'What did I do? Why can’t I get them apart?!" Also, it is also not immediately obvious as to how you would resize the window that sticks out the furthest to the left or even if you could do so without unfusing them, resizing it, and then fusing them back together again. yuck.
Tab sliding was originally introduced into BeOS because there needed to be a way to quickly switch between windows when they overlapped. What is needed is a way to better manage large groups of windows. Mezzo has some very nice ideas and I intend to play around with Symphony OS when I get an opportunity.
Fusing windows together is probably a way to group associated windows together, such as all the windows in an app, in a way to make moving them easier. Is it possible that the real problem is that the app developer went overboard with using windows? Wonderbrush does a phenomenal job in eliminating the need for window management while offering the same kind of power that you’d expect in something like Photoshop, where floating windows abound.
