[openbeos] Re: inconsistency?

"Scott MacMaster" <scott@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> WIndowsXP's solution is pretty simple and doesn't lead to any 
> confusion (at
> least it doesn't confuse me).  If an app that is in the background 
> creates a
> new window that window in also in the background.  If an app that is 
> in the
> front creates a new window that window appears in front.  If a window 
> was
> created in the background it's corresponding taskbar button flashes 
> red.  It
> should be simple to do something similar in BeOS.  The only issue to 
> be
> dealt with is that windows in BeOS can be moved over the taskbar.  
> Maybe,
> the BeOS taskbar should be always on top.

Deskbar has B_AVOID_FRONT set, and probably for good reasons. I don't 
know if it's related, but Deskbar never steals away focus from a "real" 
application, when, say, switching workspaces, or closing one of two (or 
more) open applications. (Deskbar does not have B_AVOID_FOCUS though.)

About windows popping up and stealing focus. We want 2 things. (Well, I 
do. :)) 1, we want new apps/windows to pop to front and take focus, and 
2, we want to avoid getting interrupted. Sure, we can make the 
app_server enforce that no app can ever take focus from another app, 
unless given focus by the user**. But look at the result. Scenario A: 
You're looking at some pictures in Tracker, you've got a file open in 
ShowImage in the background, Tracker has focus. Now you open another 
picture. The viewer window opens in the background, partially hidden by 
your Tracker window. Scenario AA: No app ever starts up with focus. You 
have to click to give it focus. (I may be wrong, but I think AmigaOS 
worked like this, and AtheOS. This approach fits with Focus-follows-
mouse enabled, which I don't use, but without it it's just a hassle 
having to click new windows to focus all the time.) If you make the 
rule less strict and allow new apps to steal focus with their first 
window, the problem with focus-stealing / interruption remains. 
Unfortunately I don't have a solution handy. :I

BTW, unrelated, but still.. it's interesting how in BeOS sometimes two 
windows can receive the same input. (or something like it) Try this. 
Open a video in VLC. Not fullscreen. Then right-click your Tracker 
desktop so that the menu opens beneath your VLC window tab. (When you 
open the menu, click without holding the mouse button.) Then grab the 
window by the tab (while still not leaving the area of the Tracker menu 
behind it) and move it around. Observe how your selection in the 
Tracker menu moves as you move the VLC window. 

Did anyone mention wanting a keyboard shortcut for the Be menu just 
recently? If so, it's possible to set up SpicyKeys in a much nicer way 
than a mere mouseclick at some userconfig-dependent coordinates. 
Deskbar supports at least two nice BMessage constants. 'BeMn' (Be menu) 
and 'TmMn' (Team menu - your running apps). You can set your menu key 
to open the Be menu with this line in SpicyKeys: *SendMessage 
application/x-vnd.Be.TSKB 'BeMn' 

There is some keyboard navigation in Deskbar. It's buggy though. 
Pressing the escape key leaves an empty menu until you click some other 
app, and sometimes it locks up completely. Plus, some of my Be menu 
folders can't be entered with keyboard navigation, which I find a bit 
odd.

/Jonas Sundström.                       www.kirilla.com

** AKA hu-man

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