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Ideas | Propositions

Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] Docky and Cairo
jesuisbenjamin English 12 jesuisbenjamin [Read]
21 December 2010 à 13:33

jesuisbenjamin, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 11:09


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
Hi there,

Ok so these days i decided to migrate to Docky and see how things go. It happened because i was very keen on the merging between Docky and Gnome-Do. Only when i found out Docky and Do had split, i was seriously disappointed.

Don't get me wrong, i really like Cairo-Dock, especially because the team is very accessible and open to feedback etc. And you guys are very creative too. The only critique i'd have to Cairo is that it's very chaotic and focuses development too much on appearance. This is also its strength: the chaos is what allows customisation and the appearance is the product of an OpenGL-based platform.

Assets often constitute drawbacks, when the former are two emphasised. So if you allow this feedback, i would like to tell you guys that Cairo should be looking at two important aspects: functionality and simplicity. I am not suggesting to change the whole concept of Cairo, but to add up some salt in the soup.

If i look at Docky, i really like the way for instance it displays the calendar: the dock itself becomes the calendar. In comparison with Cairo, the calendar in the bubble looks a bit dodgy. The same goes model is used for the weather applet. I think Cairo could look at this model and leave alone pop-up or sub-docks for while. The way Docky stretches and transforms is a great way to use space.

The prior merging of Docky and Do was a great idea: keyboard control over a dynamic dock. Do you know of Synapse? It's a great Gnome-Do-like application, i really love it. Would you be able to integrate it?

Another thing which Docky handles well is its own menu (on right-click and with its own icon on the left). Of course their is less option for Docky as there is for Cairo, so that makes a difference. But the overall menu-friedliness of Docky is a nice asset.

This said, i love cairo

fabounet, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 15:58


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
thanks for this feedback
so yes, the 2 projects are different, and that's a good thing; I wouldn't see the point in just rewriting Cairo-dock in Mono (or Docky in C).
we have focused on simplicity since the 2.0, and it's still a work in progress. I'm thinking about the config windows and the menus, but maybe you have some other points in mind?

about Synapse, it's stand-alone and appears on a shortkey, so I don't think it needs to be integrated anywhere; this said, integrating Zeitgeist into the dock is on the road!

about the menu, if you're talking about the numbers of entries inside, you can considerably reduce them by locking the dock. maybe this is not enough visible.

jesuisbenjamin, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 19:37


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
Hi,

Yes, diversity is great, that's what makes Linux such a good OS too

Where i think Docky is at an advantage, it's definitely the right-click menu (it's simple and clear in comparison to Cairo, where you have more options and sub-menus). Locking the dock doesn't change the situation dramatically if you ask me. Docky's menu is also integrated in the design of the dock, rather than using gtk's. That menu is also used to select one of the instances of an application, where Cairo only has the option of a sub-dock (i so dislike sub-docks: it makes the dock look wobbly and cheap imo).

The other thing, as i mentioned is the fact that Docky transforms itself to provide information about the launcher or applet rather than adding a new window or sub-dock. This method could be used by Cairo too:

  • click on anplet -> applet's icon moves to the left while others fade away, reshape the background, info the applet should provide is displayed on the right-hand side. It's applicable to the weather applet, to the compiz applet (displaying the other icons there rather than on the sub-dock), log-out applet etc.
  • for launchers right-click on the launcher and it moves to the left etc. display menu-info on the dock. This way you avoid the sub-menus, because space-usage is dynamic rather than static.
  • gnome-menu could also use this system -> display the categories on dock, rather than using a gtk menu.


For synapse, ok, fair enough, that may be unnecessary work.

jesuisbenjamin, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 19:43


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
PS: i also like the way Docky puts an extra indicator per other instance of a same app under the launcher. As to not using a sub-dock but rather a menu, i mentioned it above.

taiebot65, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 22:15


Subscription date : 26 October 2008
Messages : 1904
I ve proposed quite a few time this view..

Subdock should replace the main dock ...that would be cool for weather applet and other applet like folders

But i really think we do not need to copy an other project. We need more designer if you ve seen from where we have started (winter theme :mrgreen:).
Cairo-dock as evolved so much. We just need more mockups, this project evolve so quickly. You could help it by showing what you would like to see in it and fabounet might do it for you.

matttbe, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 22:37


Subscription date : 24 January 2009
Messages : 12573
jesuisbenjamin :
where Cairo only has the option of a sub-dock (i so dislike sub-docks: it makes the dock look wobbly and cheap imo).
For me it can be interesting to display a subdock into the main dock (to take the place of the main dock)
taiebot :
Subdock should replace the main dock ...that would be cool for weather applet and other applet like folders
+1

jesuisbenjamin :
For synapse, ok, fair enough, that may be unnecessary work.
And it's made by a developer of AWN

jesuisbenjamin :
i also like the way Docky puts an extra indicator per other instance of a same app under the launcher.


I think that the tips on the icon should be more customisable or only the emblems. In order to have a nice emblems to show the number of new mails when we open Evolution or Thunderbird, the use of the cpu when we open the GSM (Gnome-System-Monitor), the number of new messages in Pidgin, XChat, Emesene, Empathy, etc.

taiebot :
But i really think we do not need to copy an other project. We need more designer if you ve seen from where we have started (winter theme :mrgreen:).
Cairo-dock as evolved so much. We just need more mockups, this project evolve so quickly. You could help it by showing what you would like to see in it and fabounet might do it for you.
Yes, you're right

jesuisbenjamin, Thursday 16 December 2010 à 22:55


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
taiebot65 :

But i really think we do not need to copy an other project.


True: copying is not needed, but not doing something that works because it's already done elsewhere is not needed either

fabounet, Friday 17 December 2010 à 15:53


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
we have "an extra indicator per other instance of a same app under the launcher" since long ago, as well as quick-info, so I'm not sure to understand.

jesuisbenjamin, Friday 17 December 2010 à 23:06


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
fabounet :
we have "an extra indicator per other instance of a same app under the launcher" since long ago, as well as quick-info, so I'm not sure to understand.

I haven't found this option

fabounet, Tuesday 21 December 2010 à 10:39


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
I was talking about the indicator that tells you a launcher is launched several times.
in "Indicators" in the advanced config window, but maybe that's not what you were talking about

jesuisbenjamin, Tuesday 21 December 2010 à 12:16


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
Well i don't know what you are talking about, but i do know what i am talking about
What i mean is that there is an indicator under launchers with active instances, when more than one instance is open, there is yet one indicator only, could there be as many indicators as there are open instances?

fabounet, Tuesday 21 December 2010 à 13:22


Subscription date : 30 November 2007
Messages : 17118
ah, I see, well if applis are grouped togather (into sub-docks but I guess you don't use it since you dislike them ), there is indeed an indicator of "multiple launch" (which can also be the sub-icons being stacked).
but I'm not fan of adding twice or more the same indicator

jesuisbenjamin, Tuesday 21 December 2010 à 13:33


Subscription date : 28 October 2009
Messages : 415
OK i see: so i have no way out of using either a sub-dock or multiple-icons for indicating multiple instances. Because stacking multiple instances is possible only if using a sub-dock. (At least for the moment )

Ideas | Propositions

Subjects Author Language Messages Last message
[Locked] Docky and Cairo
jesuisbenjamin English 12 jesuisbenjamin [Read]
21 December 2010 à 13:33


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