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X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
Posted Feb 8, 2006 4:30 UTC (Wed) by russell (subscriber, #10458)In reply to: X graphics get a boost (NewsForge) by Wile_E
Parent article: X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
Does anyone have a use for translucent windows? They always get mentioned as a benefit, but for me, I can't think of a situation where it doesn't just make things worse by making more visual clutter. I do like the window scaling demo, that I will find useful.
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X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
Posted Feb 8, 2006 6:36 UTC (Wed) by iabervon (subscriber, #722) [Link]
I don't know of a practical use for arbitrary transparent windows, but transparent window decorations (things like drop shadows) can be effective at providing visual cues without taking up as much screen space, because people's brains automatically see as separate effects the two things affecting the same pixels. Low-detail transparent windows are also useful for things like clocks, where the window underneath isn't significantly complicated, and the window on top doesn't require a lot of attention to details.
Actually, some applications have a nice use...
Posted Feb 8, 2006 11:16 UTC (Wed) by hummassa (subscriber, #307) [Link]
for translucency. For instance, I worked in a GIS application that had tobring a lot (12 lines x 30 columns) of info about some point in a map, and
the info window obscured a large portion of the map. So (I was working
over Win2000) I created the info window 60% transparent and high-contrast
(fonts white over black background) and voilá... the map is completely
unobscured again AND the info is highly visible... some more tricks to
pass clicks thru the transparent window and we were all set. It was one my
my nicest (visually speaking) hacks, and I'm still proud of it some years
later.
not much but...
Posted Feb 8, 2006 9:21 UTC (Wed) by niner (subscriber, #26151) [Link]
The only thing I can imagine is having a semi transparent xosview. Could save me some window moving from time to time. Although not as much now as I have a 16:10 display
not much but...
Posted Feb 8, 2006 14:42 UTC (Wed) by nix (subscriber, #2304) [Link]
Myself, a couple of lines of fvwm config has my procmeters at the side of the screen auto-lowering themselves below all other windows with a single keystroke, and back again with another keystroke.
You don't need translucency for this. (It would look cool, though.)
X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
Posted Feb 8, 2006 14:42 UTC (Wed) by elanthis (subscriber, #6227) [Link]
Those desktop widgets things could use this, and they would be accelerated when displaying over the desktop.
Popup menus will no longer be forced to completely obscure information in the application, which is sometimes necessary to know which menu item you need to pick.
Temporary popup notifications will not obscure all your work.
When you're moving windows around, the transparency can help you see the layout of your other windows.
Drag-n-drop icons won't obscure what you're trying to drop them onto, improving accuracy in some cases.
People who like to keep movies playing in a corner of their screen won't be forced to keep all their actual work out of that corner at all times.
Transitional effects can be nicer looking and, in some cases, possibly improve the user experience through improved metaphors.
There are plenty of uses for transparency and transparent windows. And when people stop thinking about how the desktop works *now* and start thinking about how it *could* work, more uses are sure to be found.
X graphics get a boost (NewsForge)
Posted Feb 10, 2006 3:11 UTC (Fri) by roelofs (subscriber, #2599) [Link]
Does anyone have a use for translucent windows? They always get mentioned as a benefit, but for me, I can't think of a situation where it doesn't just make things worse by making more visual clutter. I do like the window scaling demo, that I will find useful.Technically, I think "translucency" implies a certain level of diffusion (think greasy paper or typical shower-door coverings); what you're referring to is more properly called "partial transparency."
Regardless, I tend to agree, at least with respect to the usual kind of constant partial transparency. However, I could imagine that a terminal window that ranged from 60% transparent in blank areas to 100% opaque near text--with some smooth dropoff in between--could be handy for cases where you just need to become aware of some generally rare or slow-to-occur condition in an underlying window (e.g., syslog error or end of a long compile or end of commercials/FBI warning on TV/DVD). Time-varying transparency (i.e., that goes away while you're typing but slowly returns when you're not) might also be a useful option in some situations.
Then again, suitable window decorations (e.g., a barely exposed, skinny "acceleration meter" indicating scroll rate of an underlying window) or any of the more traditional visual alerts would probably be far more useful to most people.
It sure would be fun to be able to experiment with this stuff, though. Who knows what wackiness some geek might come up with, given the tools to do it easily?
Greg