RISC OS wish list

Windows

• Iconized Windows (2013-07-09) - 14 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + I would like to see iconized windows showing their real content. When moving over an iconized window it should zoom out (to a userdefined size).
  • + This goes back to support for fully-zoomable icons and windows
• Transparent windows (2013-07-09) - 9 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + I would like to see transparent/irregular shaped windows. As long as they are not misused they can allow for a more realistic/real-world look on the desktop. They can also look really cool.
  • - I think not easy to implement because only rectangles are redrawn with gets complicate if you have a circle.
  • + Point taken, although you could define the entire windows shape with a masked sprite. The only thing to do then would be to redraw where there is mask. (simpler) I always thought the main window would be defined with a rectangle, the icons would line up around the edge
  • - It is not as simple as making things transparent - you need a full re-write of the WIMP to support arbitrary non rectangular clipping regions. It makes things very complicated and very slow, just to get rounded edges of windows. I don't think its worth it.
  • + Given support in the vdu driver for irregular graphics windows (probably made from rectangles) this should be quite possible
  • - Disagree about the irregular shaped windows - nasty, and who would use them for what purpose? You'd be forever fiddling with them.
  • + However, I'm up for window transparency, with an option to set how transparent the window is. That'd be niiiiice, so I can see more windows on screen at once & stoof like that.
  • + Um, did I mention the transparency would not necessarily be a global option, but easily set each window's txparency, from transparent to opaque.
  • + It would be nice to have different opacities for different windows. For instance, all windows apart from the iconbar which are not in focus could be made transparent while the one in focus remains opaque. Also, I would like to see how overlapping windows with different opacities would look.
  • + hey ugh, this new invention "the wheel" nobody needs that! nobody uses them now and never will - If they could be achieved, irregular shaped windows would be the single greatest development.
  • + I agree with the addition, though I can't instantly think how to use it - but I'm Against "real world" apps. They are the pits...
  • + One use is with the nested wimp for easy layer support in web browsers :)
  • + Ok, but Windows 98 does not natually support irregular windows, yet a VB update (installed when your new app is installed) causes this to work? without any slowdown on a very old PC (with onboard shared memory of 1 Meg)
• Sticky windows (2013-07-09) - 9 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Ever used DigitalCD, notice how the window sticks to the iconbar and the sides of the screen.
  • + There is another tool that provides this feature for all windows.
  • + Yeah, take a look at Blinds by Quantum Software. Looks pretty cool!
  • - Terminology error: you're describing snap-to-edge (or snap-to-border). Sticky windows follow you around as you switch between desktops.
• Allow apps to access windows for other apps (2013-07-09) - 8 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + For example image having an email compose window, but the actual editting section is a StrongED windows (without titlebar or gadgets)
  • - The plugin protocol already exists. Now if only more people used it...
• Minimise (2013-07-09) - 6 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Be able to minimise windows that then stack somewhere. Perhaps shift minimize to minimise all the widows.
• Iconise (2013-07-09) - 3 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Adjust-Iconise sends to alternate location. So if select iconises to iconbar adjust iconises to pinboard.
  • + That would be useful. Also, either selection of whether Shift-Select on Close is equivalent to that or Select-iconise, or a third alternate location. An option to enable use of the alternate location(s) will help a lot here; when disabled, Select-iconise is probably the best one to use. An extra option "nearest area of exposed Pinboard to the location which would be chosen according to the current settings" might be useful.
  • + I would like to be able to iconise a window without touching the keyboard. !Director and MouseAxess both allow this: with the latter you hold menu and click on the close icon with Select to iconise. This could be combined with the idea of select for iconising to pinboard and adjust to iconbar.
• Scroll bars (2013-07-09) - 1 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Oh, while we are here, what about auto repeat on scrollbars.
  • - There are window flag bits for that.
  • + If you mean auto repeat page up/down, then that would be a useful addition.
  • + I find this feature on Windows a pain in the arse as it often happens when I don't want it to
  • + I use Sideclick for that just now and would really like this implemented in the OS. Can anyone remember how smooth and blindingly fast this was in the very early versions of Stronged - OK in full screen mode, not windowed. And how about smooth scrolling as an option too?
  • - As someone said above - when a window gets created, flags are specified that tell the window whether or not to autorepeat scrolling. This way it is up to the author of the particular piece of software. I wouldn't recommend changing this.
• Shift-menu (2013-07-09) - 0 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Shift-Menu Should work on iconbar. (also work on files & directories.)
  • - What are you on ? Shift-Menu doesn't do anything anywhere else unless you've got some patch that does something, and if that's a case then you should take it up with the patch author...
  • + Iconise an edit window or something to the pinboard now hold shift and press menu on it. What Happens ?
  • - But what if, say Zap, has more than one window - which one would the menu be for?
  • + which ever window you iconised? or does zap do multiple pages in 1 window or something. It would be useful to save from an iconised window on your iconbar though. Does anybody agree with me on this.
• Only show toolbar icons that are needed (2013-07-09) - -3 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Like windows does. If the scroll bar aint needed, don't waste time drawing it!
  • - That's up to the author of the program, RISC OS just does as it is told, unlike windows which does whatever the fuck it wants with windows etc...
• Multiple Window Textures for different Depths (2013-07-09) - -3 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + So buttons can have an alternate texture to the main window area, also Sunk borders could be filled with an alternate texture. Imagine 'About the OS box with your menu texture in the sunk borders.
• Alt click on back icon (2013-07-09) - -5 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + ALT-clicking on the BACKICON brings a window to the front. I used to have a PD app to do this. Anyone? REALLY useful, and in keeping with the use of ALT.
  • - You really should be using Adjust for this very useful function - or do you want Alt-clicking on the resize icon to keep the window at the same stack depth? :-)
  • + Or just ALT-Click anywhere on a window to bring it to the front like the PD Altclick module. Or why not just click anywhere to bring a window forward?
  • - When using Windows for any length of time I find that having windows popping to the front just when clicked on is maddening. However Alt+Click seems a good idea.
  • + What about Alt-Clicking giving windows focus without them being brought to the front.
• Focusing (2013-07-09) - -16 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + In another item I said that windows not in focus could be made transparent. Another possibility is to grey out such windows. I would like to see this properly done, i.e. by darkening each pixel in the window. This would make the focused window really stand out.
  • - Suppose you're doing DTP or graphics work and need to be able to compare the contents of several windows.
  • + Fair enough... perhaps make it optional?
• Window resizing (2013-07-09) - -846 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Be able to resize a window from the top left or even any corner, as well as from the bottom right corner as at present. Even better would be to be able to limit the resizing to only direction at a time, i.e. from the side of a window, not two as from a corner.
  • + This would really help a lot, especially if the bottom of the window isn't visible (i.e. below the icon bar)
  • + You could have a slight "lock" so if you move the mouse straight-ish down it would only size down. Use of a key to activate this would make is less annoying for small movements.
• GTK and/or OpenGL support (2013-07-09) - -7558 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + OK, Wimp is nice, but nowadays every new application available on the web needs a desktop based upon OpenGL or GTK
  • + perhaps it's possible to create some sort of wrapper that allows GTK-Functions to be remapped to WIMP.
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