deviantART: Popular Icon Theme Gnome Flash http://browse.deviantart.com/flash/?order=9&q=icon+theme+gnome deviantART RSS for boost:popular in:flash icon theme gnome en-us Copyright 2013, deviantART.com Wed, 22 May 2013 23:35:46 PDT deviantART.com http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss http://st.deviantart.net/minish/widgets/apple-touch-icon-precomposed.png Shelf UI - Part I - Animated http://sand-and-mercury.deviantart.com/art/Shelf-UI-Part-I-Animated-128473929 http://sand-and-mercury.deviantart.com/art/Shelf-UI-Part-I-Animated-128473929 Mon, 06 Jul 2009 06:30:27 PDT Shelf UI - Part I - Animated nonadult flash/interfaces Sand-And-Mercury http://a.deviantart.net/avatars/s/a/sand-and-mercury.jpg?1 Copyright 2009-2013 ~Sand-And-Mercury http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ Links to the whole series:

[link] - Part I - Animated
[link] - Part II - Clean
[link] - Part III - Windows
[link] - Part IV - Menu
[link] - Part V - Search

After such a long time working on this... I can finally upload it all. Written rationale is below.

The Shelf: An operating system GUI proposal by Ian McLean.

The mockups contained herein use icons from What Is In A Name?'s 'Eikon2' project. The author can be contacted here: [link]

Table of Contents

1.Introduction and Rationale
2.Tabbed Window Management
3.The Shelf


Section 1 – Introduction and Rationale

The year is 2009 and the current state of a modern operating system GUI (Graphical User Interface) has gone largely untouched for the better part of two decades. In 1995 Microsoft introduced their Windows 95 operating system, which brought a great deal of functionality to the traditional desktop metaphor that we are dependent on to this day:

1.The taskbar, a constantly changing list of all running application windows.

2.A notification area with small and miscellaneous information pertaining to either the system or an individual application.

3.The clock.

4.The “Start” button; which launches a menu which supposedly acts as the basic launch pad for most if not all of the activities that the user will undertake on the computer.


In 2001 Apple introduced their Mac OS X system for the first time, which also has a great number of features that have remained the same over the years:

1.The dock, which combines the window management aspects of a task bar with a (limited) application launcher.

2.A link on the dock to the 'Finder' – the launch pad to manage files and applications, fulfilling the purpose of the Start button in Windows.

3.A bar at the top of the screen which lists the application-specific menu, the notification area and the clock.


These two systems also have the following things in common:

1.Every window has a title bar. The title bar shows minimize, maximize and close buttons, a title bar and a window menu.

2.A persistent area (or two in OS X's case) which is on the screen at all times, which the user can use to control their actions by clicking on various things or going through menus.

3.Any application that is running in multiple instances will treat each instance as a separate entity, unless it has specific support for a tabbed interface built into it.


These are all keystones of our current conception of a GUI and have been for a very long time. However, there have been a great number of new, successful concepts in GUI design that have also become keystones of our daily use, but are not yet integrated into the GUI of the operating system. Among these are tabbed browsing, the extended utilisation of a compositing window manager, mouse gestures, and application launchers that 'learn' the users habits and can work accordingly to suit them.

My proposal has two main goals.

1.Eliminate any unnecessary cruft and wasted space on the desktop to create an environment that is as clean as possible without losing functionality.

2.Put the user in a space where he has complete control of what is going on, and can work with multiple tasks in smooth motions and plain-English instructions rather than convoluted commands.


This can be accomplished with the use of a compositing window manager, and our current methods of input: a keyboard and a 3-button mouse with a scroll wheel. This is done by following the traditional desktop metaphor but with a few significant differences:

1.A tabbed interface on ALL windows.

2.The “Shelf” - an area of the screen that is brought up on demand and integrates all features of a dock, task bar, and start menu into one. The only exception here is for switching windows, which is mentioned below.

3.Smarter use of screen corners.

4.More extensive use of the 'expose' feature.

5.More extensive use of right-click menus.


I'll get to these things in detail below.

Section 2 - Tabbed Window Management

Currently, most applications will follow the following structure:
The user opens an application, say, OpenOffice.org writer.
A window pops up on the screen, containing a blank file.
The user creates another blank file using the 'New' option.
Another window is produced, on top of the old one.

Now, in simple instances like this, the traditional SDI (Single Document Interface) is fine, and not confusing. However, in complex working environments where the user is constantly switching between different files and applications, the screen and taskbar can quickly become filled with orphaned windows, creating a great deal of clutter in the workspace.

Applications that use an MDI (Multiple Document Interface), such as Firefox, have been able to overcome this problem with tabs. All files that the application is handling are rolled into one window, allowing the user to automatically keep applications nicely sorted and reduce clutter.

By integrating an MDI directly into the window manager, the MDI model becomes available immediately, and across any application the user may wish to run, even if the application has not been designed to explicitly follow the MDI model.

In cases where a tabbed interface is not practical, for instance, when the user has two files running side by side, tabs can be dragged outside of the application window, and promoted to windows in their own right (with its own tab bar). If the user wants to reunite this window back with the original as a tab, it is as simple as clicking and dragging the separated tab back among its brethren. The new window, with no tabs left in it, disappears, and things are as they were before.

This affords a great deal of flexibility to the user so that they can easily keep their workspace tidy, and chop and change windows in and out as needed with a simple click & drag interface.

Tabs should optimally be kept grouped within windows of the same application and while the ability to chop and change them among different app windows would theoretically be possible, it could be ill-advised, as applications of different dimensions on screen would become difficult to manage with a tabbed interface, and in general it would not promote good practice for an efficient workflow.

Section 3 – The Shelf

The term 'shelf' derives from the idea of working with a 'desktop'. A shelf on your desk is the place where you store most of whatever you're not using in your workspace, so the term makes sense in the desktop metaphor.

The user calls the shelf by simply moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen. Immediately, this presents the user with the following:

* An application launcher.
* A task manager.
* A clock, with the day and date.
* A system tray.
* Integrated search.
* Session management (Lock, log out and shut down controls).
* Workspace switcher (if the user needs it)


The goal of the shelf is to provide a centralised area that is easily accessed, attractive, simple and functional. In line with how we work with a physical desk, if it's not on the desktop, you'll find it on the shelf.

A slight amount of edge resistance can be implemented to make sure that the shelf appears when the user wants it, and not by moving their mouse to the bottom of the screen accidentally.

The shelf's function extends to window management. Clicking the “-” button on a window will 'shelve' it, so that it's out of the way of the user, and appears in a list at the right side of the shelf where the user may restore the window or quit the app entirely if he or she chooses. Having windows grouped into tabs simplifies what's on the shelf too; for example if you're running three applications, but have five documents open with each, on Windows and OS X systems this would leave you with fifteen windows to cycle through. With the Shelf, you'd have only three. If too many entries appear in this area, the whole shelf can grow upwards to accommodate them.

The need for traditional menus for launching apps is recognised, as a search function is only useful if the user knows exactly what they want beforehand. For casual browsing through programs and places, the shelf by default has a menu divided into three main categories, like GNOME does; Applications, Places, and System. Clicking one will show its contents just right of it, much like Windows' traditional 'Start' menus do.

When this happens, the search bar immediately gains keyboard focus and the user can initiate practically anything in the computer (a la GNOME-Do) by simply typing it in. The results then replace the main menu and can be narrowed down or scrolled through as desired.

In essence, this means the user can launch any application or open any file (within reason) by simply moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen, typing a few letters (or just one, in the case of frequently used applications or files) and hitting Enter.

The system tray (aka notification area) faces some problems as the icons are not on screen like we have on a traditional panel setup. If an app needs attention, the notification icon would bounce up onto the screen into the user's view. This also goes for application windows that have been shelved; if they need your attention they briefly popup onto the screen from the bottom, and also appear blinking on the shelf when it's up.
Finally, it would make sense that the shelf's default size may not be suitable for everyone. Thus, the ability to resize it would be desirable; this could be done as simply as clicking and dragging the top bar to the desired size, much like most people are used to with windows. ]]> Links to the whole series:

[link] - Part I - Animated
[link] - Part II - Clean
[link] - Part III - Windows
[link] - Part IV - Menu
[link] - Part V - Search

After such a long time working on this... I can finally upload it all. Written rationale is below.

The Shelf: An operating system GUI proposal by Ian McLean.

The mockups contained herein use icons from What Is In A Name?'s 'Eikon2' project. The author can be contacted here: [link]

Table of Contents

1.Introduction and Rationale
2.Tabbed Window Management
3.The Shelf


Section 1 – Introduction and Rationale

The year is 2009 and the current state of a modern operating system GUI (Graphical User Interface) has gone largely untouched for the better part of two decades. In 1995 Microsoft introduced their Windows 95 operating system, which brought a great deal of functionality to the traditional desktop metaphor that we are dependent on to this day:

1.The taskbar, a constantly changing list of all running application windows.

2.A notification area with small and miscellaneous information pertaining to either the system or an individual application.

3.The clock.

4.The “Start” button; which launches a menu which supposedly acts as the basic launch pad for most if not all of the activities that the user will undertake on the computer.


In 2001 Apple introduced their Mac OS X system for the first time, which also has a great number of features that have remained the same over the years:

1.The dock, which combines the window management aspects of a task bar with a (limited) application launcher.

2.A link on the dock to the 'Finder' – the launch pad to manage files and applications, fulfilling the purpose of the Start button in Windows.

3.A bar at the top of the screen which lists the application-specific menu, the notification area and the clock.


These two systems also have the following things in common:

1.Every window has a title bar. The title bar shows minimize, maximize and close buttons, a title bar and a window menu.

2.A persistent area (or two in OS X's case) which is on the screen at all times, which the user can use to control their actions by clicking on various things or going through menus.

3.Any application that is running in multiple instances will treat each instance as a separate entity, unless it has specific support for a tabbed interface built into it.


These are all keystones of our current conception of a GUI and have been for a very long time. However, there have been a great number of new, successful concepts in GUI design that have also become keystones of our daily use, but are not yet integrated into the GUI of the operating system. Among these are tabbed browsing, the extended utilisation of a compositing window manager, mouse gestures, and application launchers that 'learn' the users habits and can work accordingly to suit them.

My proposal has two main goals.

1.Eliminate any unnecessary cruft and wasted space on the desktop to create an environment that is as clean as possible without losing functionality.

2.Put the user in a space where he has complete control of what is going on, and can work with multiple tasks in smooth motions and plain-English instructions rather than convoluted commands.


This can be accomplished with the use of a compositing window manager, and our current methods of input: a keyboard and a 3-button mouse with a scroll wheel. This is done by following the traditional desktop metaphor but with a few significant differences:

1.A tabbed interface on ALL windows.

2.The “Shelf” - an area of the screen that is brought up on demand and integrates all features of a dock, task bar, and start menu into one. The only exception here is for switching windows, which is mentioned below.

3.Smarter use of screen corners.

4.More extensive use of the 'expose' feature.

5.More extensive use of right-click menus.


I'll get to these things in detail below.

Section 2 - Tabbed Window Management

Currently, most applications will follow the following structure:
The user opens an application, say, OpenOffice.org writer.
A window pops up on the screen, containing a blank file.
The user creates another blank file using the 'New' option.
Another window is produced, on top of the old one.

Now, in simple instances like this, the traditional SDI (Single Document Interface) is fine, and not confusing. However, in complex working environments where the user is constantly switching between different files and applications, the screen and taskbar can quickly become filled with orphaned windows, creating a great deal of clutter in the workspace.

Applications that use an MDI (Multiple Document Interface), such as Firefox, have been able to overcome this problem with tabs. All files that the application is handling are rolled into one window, allowing the user to automatically keep applications nicely sorted and reduce clutter.

By integrating an MDI directly into the window manager, the MDI model becomes available immediately, and across any application the user may wish to run, even if the application has not been designed to explicitly follow the MDI model.

In cases where a tabbed interface is not practical, for instance, when the user has two files running side by side, tabs can be dragged outside of the application window, and promoted to windows in their own right (with its own tab bar). If the user wants to reunite this window back with the original as a tab, it is as simple as clicking and dragging the separated tab back among its brethren. The new window, with no tabs left in it, disappears, and things are as they were before.

This affords a great deal of flexibility to the user so that they can easily keep their workspace tidy, and chop and change windows in and out as needed with a simple click & drag interface.

Tabs should optimally be kept grouped within windows of the same application and while the ability to chop and change them among different app windows would theoretically be possible, it could be ill-advised, as applications of different dimensions on screen would become difficult to manage with a tabbed interface, and in general it would not promote good practice for an efficient workflow.

Section 3 – The Shelf

The term 'shelf' derives from the idea of working with a 'desktop'. A shelf on your desk is the place where you store most of whatever you're not using in your workspace, so the term makes sense in the desktop metaphor.

The user calls the shelf by simply moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen. Immediately, this presents the user with the following:

* An application launcher.
* A task manager.
* A clock, with the day and date.
* A system tray.
* Integrated search.
* Session management (Lock, log out and shut down controls).
* Workspace switcher (if the user needs it)


The goal of the shelf is to provide a centralised area that is easily accessed, attractive, simple and functional. In line with how we work with a physical desk, if it's not on the desktop, you'll find it on the shelf.

A slight amount of edge resistance can be implemented to make sure that the shelf appears when the user wants it, and not by moving their mouse to the bottom of the screen accidentally.

The shelf's function extends to window management. Clicking the “-” button on a window will 'shelve' it, so that it's out of the way of the user, and appears in a list at the right side of the shelf where the user may restore the window or quit the app entirely if he or she chooses. Having windows grouped into tabs simplifies what's on the shelf too; for example if you're running three applications, but have five documents open with each, on Windows and OS X systems this would leave you with fifteen windows to cycle through. With the Shelf, you'd have only three. If too many entries appear in this area, the whole shelf can grow upwards to accommodate them.

The need for traditional menus for launching apps is recognised, as a search function is only useful if the user knows exactly what they want beforehand. For casual browsing through programs and places, the shelf by default has a menu divided into three main categories, like GNOME does; Applications, Places, and System. Clicking one will show its contents just right of it, much like Windows' traditional 'Start' menus do.

When this happens, the search bar immediately gains keyboard focus and the user can initiate practically anything in the computer (a la GNOME-Do) by simply typing it in. The results then replace the main menu and can be narrowed down or scrolled through as desired.

In essence, this means the user can launch any application or open any file (within reason) by simply moving the mouse to the bottom of the screen, typing a few letters (or just one, in the case of frequently used applications or files) and hitting Enter.

The system tray (aka notification area) faces some problems as the icons are not on screen like we have on a traditional panel setup. If an app needs attention, the notification icon would bounce up onto the screen into the user's view. This also goes for application windows that have been shelved; if they need your attention they briefly popup onto the screen from the bottom, and also appear blinking on the shelf when it's up.
Finally, it would make sense that the shelf's default size may not be suitable for everyone. Thus, the ability to resize it would be desirable; this could be done as simply as clicking and dragging the top bar to the desired size, much like most people are used to with windows.
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