KDE Developers Come Up With DWD Window Decoration Concept

[phoronix]

Phoronix: KDE Developers Come Up With DWD Window Decoration Concept

Yesterday there were "what if" articles about KDE using client-side decorations and Windows 10 components. On a serious note today, the same KDE parties involved, have proposed Dynamic Window Decorations (DWD) as an alternative/hybrid to client-side and server-side decorations...

http://www.phoronix.com/vr.php?view=MTgyMjk

[Kemosabe]

Yeah let's implement all the bullshit someone came up with at some point. Let's get rid of a consistent clear interface and let all the applications do whatever they want to do.
Let the windows manage itself - there is no need for a window manager!

[kpedersen]

Let's get rid of a consistent clear interface and let all the applications do whatever they want to do.

Haha, I am so conflicted! As a UNIX luddite I should love the way the original X11 applications did whatever the hell they wanted... But no, please god no! I need at least some consistency these days. My mind isnt as young as it used to be and the crazyness might cause me a stroke!

[Pajn]

Realy great idea. It program absolutley must put their crap in the borders, make them do so over a standardized interface.

[You-]

Artwork looks amazing

The artwork looks amazing. But then again, I remember the artwork for KDE4 looking absolutely amazing. IMO it turned out not so pretty.

The concept is a little different to how gnome is doing things, but evne in gnome, there are window manager hints to help with the window controls.

Lets hope that there is a discussion and if some of this stuff can be standardised between the desktops that would be good.

(the person who did the artwork for those images should create a theme - it doesnt need CSD/DWD to look beautiful.)

[GraysonPeddie]

Haaahhh... It's very nice to see lots of progress there, but I won't get too excited due to tons of closed-minded backlash and controversy over UI designs...

At least I still use GNOME 3.14 since I love having widgets in a client-side decorations. elementary OS is a very nice operating system making full use of GTK 3.10 and 3.12 and later, GTK 3.14.

[uid313]

This is bound to be abused by every god damn ISV who wants to "deliver the customer an unique brand experience" and it will just be annoying and confusing.

Applications will look, feel, and behave unpredictably.
Applications will feel alien, and not blend in and integrate with the rest of the system.
This causes confusion and decreases usability.

[[Knuckles]]

Seems like a very interesting idea, and basically just a generalization of the existing dbus menus and mpris and whatnot specifications for exporting menus and media controls.

I worry that the specification may be a bit too complex, making implementations buggy, or may not provide enough control, for instance the "tabs on decoration" I would not imagine would ever be enough to support custom designs such as the ones from firefox or chrome. But maybe the solution for those apps is DIY, like they do already on linux and other OS's.

[kayosiii]

This is bound to be abused by every god damn ISV who wants to "deliver the customer an unique brand experience" and it will just be annoying and confusing.

Applications will look, feel, and behave unpredictably.
Applications will feel alien, and not blend in and integrate with the rest of the system.
This causes confusion and decreases usability.

My understanding is that the application decides where the decorations go but does not draw them. The window manager draws the actual decorations, meaning you will have a consistent look and feel to decorations but the application can ask for more in the title bar than just a title and the window buttons and control where those elements are placed.

[plonoma]

widgets could be displayed outside of the main application window itself

WTF, don't do that!

This would be very much abused.

Let Widgets have their own window if you want to display stuff outside of the main application window.
Multi window applications should be used.