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- From: mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca (Michel Forget)
- Subject: Re: Gem List (fwd)
- Date: Sun, 17 Jul 1994 07:15:02 -0600
- Precedence: bulk
-
- Ken/Dan: (I have no clue who is posting from that account anymore.)
-
- >My philosophy is that there should be *NO DISTINCTION ON BUTTON
- >FUNCTIONALITY* whether a window is in the 'background' or 'foreground'. The
- >*SAME BUTTONS* should work on the *SAME WINDOW* whether it's topped or not.
-
- Get used to it; it is not going to change to match your philosophy. The
- "top window" is an integral part of GEM. It has been improved, so that
- you can operate window gadgets in the background, but the philosophy (if
- anything) has become more deeply ingrained. The application receiving
- keystrokes is the one with the top window, the application that is
- active is the one with the top window, and so on.
-
- >There is a PD patch program called (interestingly enough) 'WinX' (no, this
- >is not the same WinX as on the Atari, it is by a different person) for
- >Microsoft Windows, and it allows you to activate background window gadgets
- >without having to top them first. This is very very useful, i.e. you've got
- >a word processor open, and file manager with 3 or 4 child windows. I can keep my
- >word processor window topped and scroll the background child windows up and
- >down to reference files for a document I'm writing. If I had to keep topping
- >and untopping applications, the job would take 10 times longer.
-
- Here is an idea; why not try MausWind, and be happy. It will automagically
- top the window as the mouse passes over it. It is a very nice program,
- written by Thomas Binder.
-
- >WinX also lets you 'pull' any window forward one level, or push it back
- >one level (or all the way to the back), without having to 'top' it first.
- >This is handy for rearranging the window stack without having to un-top the
- >application you're currently using.
-
- Sounds like a nice program; for the PC... :)
-
- >IMHO, PureC's help system is acceptable. Programs like CoNnect have
- >similar help systems, but IMHO CoNnect goes a little overboard :-)
-
- CoNnect has a nice help-system. Perfect, in fact. The only problem
- is that for people who do not want/need it it wastes memory. That is
- why we need an external accessory/program. ST-Guide would fit this
- requirement perfectly. It is really the only choice, since 1ST-Guide
- is Shareware (and generally not as good as ST-Guide).
-
- >Should be a non-issue, IMHO. The same mouse buttons should have the exact
- >same effect on a window whether it's topped or not. Doing otherwise is
- >totally confusing.
-
- How is it confusing? It has been that way from the start. It isn't as
- if the behaviour suddenly changed and the user wasn't notified.
-
- >>menu layout
- >This definitely needs discussion.
-
- What is wrong with the Atari standard menu layout? It does not have
- any obviously stupid errors or such.
-
- >Have you actually TRIED this? Are you ASSUMING it will slow things down, or
- >are you speaking from experience having tried this? Try first, then comment
- >later. From experience, the speed difference is so incemantable, that it's
- >not even funny. ANYONE can LIVE with the speed difference: There is none that
- >you can see with the naked eye!
-
- Slower is slower; if you are going to go to the trouble of doing something,
- why not do it right?
-
- >Face it, this is a *BIG* disadvantage.
-
- Perhaps, but your library will be just plain *BIG*. I'd rather recompile,
- than waste memory on features I have no need for.
-
- >This is the *key* to background buttons, BTW. And it's *VERY* easy to
- >implement using this method.
-
- Well of course it is, but that does not mean it should be implemented.
- The 'topped window' is part of GEM, and the user will get confused if
- your program does not use it. The only excuse for not using it is for
- a toolbar, or as a user-selectable option.
-
-
- --
- Michel Forget \\ mforget@elfhaven.ersys.edmonton.ab.ca //
- Electric Storm Software \\ ess@tibalt.supernet.ab.ca //
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