Subject: Re: Close and Exit
From: Phil Stracchino (alaric@babcom.com)
Date: Thu Aug 23 2001 - 10:21:44 CDT
On Thu, Aug 23, 2001 at 03:20:12PM +0100, NW wrote:
> Start the wp program (take out your pen)
> File/New (take a piece of paper)
> Create the letter, save it and perhaps print.
> File/Close (tidy it away)
> File/New (a second piece of paper)
> Create it ....
> File/Close (tidy it away)
> File/Exit (put away the pen).
>
> Since I was normally using Word for Windows as the WP this worked fine
> because 'Close' affects only documents and leaves the program running.
> File/Exit was used at the very end only, to close down the WP program
> when all the documents had been finished and closed.
If we want a way to provide this functionality without doing things like
graying out menuitems, having menuitems whose function changes depending
on the number of open windows, adding "Close and Open" or "Close and New"
menuitems, or even more bizarre things, we could always take a hint from
WordPerfect 8 and start a floating control palette or "bug" when AbiWord
is launched.
WP8's bug, in the true spirit of WordPerfect, is a rather overblown thing
with four menus on it which allow you to control window tiling, get help,
set all your preferences, change printer drivers, open windows on remote
machines, and god alone knows what else. It seems to me though that all a
minimal bug would actually need is a couple of buttons -- "New", "Exit",
and possibly "Save All" and/or "Prefs" -- and possibly a drop-down list
from which recent documents could be opened in a new window. Users who
frequently work with many documents at once on multiple virtual desktops
could configure their window manager to make the bug "sticky", which would
make it much easier to open up windows on different desktops, and for UI
purists, the bug itself could be a preference item which can be disabled
if the user doesn't like it.
--
Linux Now! ..........Because friends don't let friends use Microsoft.
phil stracchino -- the renaissance man -- mystic zen biker geek
alaric@babcom.com halmayne@sourceforge.net
2000 CBR929RR, 1991 VFR750F3 (foully murdered), 1986 VF500F (sold)
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This archive was generated by hypermail 2b25 : Thu Aug 23 2001 - 10:21:53 CDT