RISC OS wish list

Desktop

• Full keyboard contralable desktop (2013-07-22) - 42 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + navigate and operate the desktop without need to use the mouse. In many circumstances this improves speed and comfort of work. Possibly this feature can make use of the additional keys of a PC-105 keyboard.
  • - No thanks, I'd rather use the mouse. I just find it irritating to have to Shift-select to iconise (which is why I now use MouseAxess). If anything, keyboard control should be optional. Being able to delete files by selecting then pressing Delete would be nice, I have a program which does that but I can't remember what it is offhand.
  • + Agreed. Maybe most people prefer to mouse, but sometimes using a keyboard is just quicker. Besides, third-party mousing-via-the-keypad support apart, you're really stuffed in current RISC OS if your mouse breaks and you don't have a spare!
  • + Allowing keyboard control doesn't mean you can't still have full control by mouse. But sometimes I've found myself able to carry out tasks a lot more easily under Windows than RISC OS (horror!) just because I can (for example) navigate filer windows by keyboard.
  • + Further to this, there is a need for "standardising" more keys... The style-guide should urge applications to use the same keys for similar operations...
  • + Absolutely, but obviously, this shouldn't get in the way of other methods of input/navigation i.e. mouse control should still be as simple as possible
  • + A menu key on the keybard would be an acceptable compromise. I would like to see something similiar to Windoze re: mouseless operation; menu: press menu key, navigate using arrow keys, enter to select. In windows (as in Windows) a dotted line around the currently selected icon, TAB to switch between active icons, and press RETURN for select and ???? for adjust.
  • + Its the Alt-Underlined letter we dont want. Moving from button to button with the arrow keys (or tab) would be best, Try and keep it like the text boxes.
  • + Also need a way of doing mouse-only operation - instead of Shift/Alt/Ctrl click. eg click Menu on an App in the Filer, and then something like App-Open instead of shift double click
  • + This is SO very important. Without keyboard control, we're stuffed and people perceive us as outdated. We should build keyboard control into the filer.
• Remember windowlocation (2013-04-15) - 40 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + The windowlocation in a mode should be remembered when switching from that mode and back (1600x1200 to 800x600 and back results in one mess of windows in the left bottom corner)
  • + Yes, but it should be altered when the window has been moved in the lower mode!
  • + As a relative postion which is scaled up or down depending on the mode change
  • + Now THAT (scaled on mode change) is a cool idea.
• Zoom-windows (2013-05-17) - 34 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Allow you to zoom in/out of windows with say shift-menu and moving the mouse, and a pan of the window using control-menu and moving mouse. In fact, being able to zoom in/out and panning around the desktop would be kinda useful :)
  • + How about a global zoom on the desktop, ie have a real desktop that's huge but you can zoom in to parts of it. Zooming out would shrink all the windows so you knew where they were (Perhaps equivalent to mode EX2, EY2 strings?). Starting to use an application would zoom it all back to 100%
• Universal clipboard (2013-08-30) - 31 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + One thing I miss when i go from a PC to my RPC is the ability to, for example, copy a string of text in a file editor and then paste it into, say, a web browser. It's also very useful to be able to paste text from the clipboard to and 'text' area, eg for naming files on the directory windows or some such.
  • - We already have a global clipboard: if only more apps used it...
  • - It already exists! Many applications already support it, but not all which is unforgivable as it only an extra couple of messages to handle over that used for standard DataLoads.
  • + What we are lacking is cut & paste between icons and the global clipboard. Now that's a feature I want - I am using the SaveIcon module but it should be built in and transparent using keyboard short cuts.
  • + I like the way it is solved with !Swipe (http://www.ecs.soton.ac.uk/~tal197/).
  • + Global clipboard. Now there's a good idea. Why don't you suggest it to your favourite application author and ask them why they haven't implemented it. After all, it's only been documented for about 7 years.
  • - Never found this a problem, simply select and save to the trarget application. Who are all these Windows apologists? If you want Windows, go buy a PC.
  • + This hatred towards Windows is not constructive - there are many features which would be beneficial to RISC OS - though as has already been said it is the software developers who have ignored this feature.
  • + And an application in Apps (resourceFS possibly) which will display the current contents of the keyboard
  • + All writable icons should implement the global clipboard protocol automatically, including drag-selection and key shortcuts for clipboard operations. There should also be an automatic pop-up "Select all/Clear selection/Cut/Copy/Paste" menu.
• Drag and drop between applications (2013-05-14) - 26 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + This already exists as a message protocol, but like the Global Clipboard I think it should be implemented by all applications. Imagine dragging a diagram in Draw straight into Techwriter, an equation from Techwriter straight into Ovation and so on.
  • + ... and like the Global clipboard has been documented for 7 years. It is NOT an OS feature that needs adding so much as a feature that developers need to take up and use.
  • + And there's still Wimp_TransferBlock to move it though memory - without even wirrring the drive up :-)
  • + Yes. It's odd what features RISC OS 2 had, isn't it ?
  • + Yep, plus every app could have a standard icon in its toolbar, which represents the file/app - for easy identification and dragging for saving etc.
  • + What would be interesting is if files could be moved by apps into globaly usable memory so that a sprite in draw could be edited in paint like PCA but more open so that there need be no parent app just a clipboard style list of files so they could be saved and removed from memory
  • + Oh how many times have I wished that I could select (highlight) some text in a writeable icon and press delete (or CTRL-X) to remove it, or drag the selected text to another writable icon or, to a filer window (saved as text) - when I drop the text to a filer window a pre-save box pops up and I can choose the filetype and filename then click OK (save to drag destination) Cancel (don't save) or Drag the filetype icon (save to same/new) filer window or app
  • - This already happens in a lot of apps... try creating a sprite in paint and saving it into a draw window...
• Multiple Desktops (2013-05-17) - 24 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Multiple desktops like most of the X wm use are provided by some PD apps, but would be a nice thing in RISC OS itself.
  • + And of cpusre there are few comments about this one, since it is a feature that Windoes doesn't have. But on my Solaris workstation I can select any one of sixteen desktops with a single mouse click. And I find it invaluable.
  • + See my comment under larger
  • + Anyone who has used the beta of Wide Screen 2 will know that this will not be a problem for much longer :-)
  • + Plus future support for multiple monitors. Imagine, when flat screens are nice and cheap, having four displays in front of you showing four of your multiple desktops.
  • + Multiple monitor support would be brilliant, having several monitors was always one of my favourite Mac features. It's cheaper to have a few 17" monitors than one 30" monitor
  • + Expecially if you can use the ALT-CURSOR style switching, this is VERY quick on X
• Tools and system sprites (2013-08-30) - 21 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + The tools and system sprites should have a different version for each colour depth similar to the way the window textures do.
  • - no, I think 256 colours are enough.
  • + I'd prefer icons that are generated from Vantage/Artworks/Draw files on mode change (or simple used as is), for a flexible zoomable
  • + I'd like the option to lock the system and tool sprites so naughty application can't replace them. When, however, I change mode, eg from VGA to EGA I'd like the correct resolution sprites to be loaded
  • + How about getting Richard Atterrer to do new sprites, after all he is damned good at it!
• Larger (2013-08-30) - 20 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + You know, there's lots in Larger that could/should be added as standard now (especially with Robin Watts involvement!). Larger has such a fabulous pinboard system with nested pinboards if you want them, as well as the facility to make any directories on the pinboard able to accept files dragged onto them as you want.
  • + I'd quite like to see something like the FvwmPager built in as standard. This is a 'map' of several desktops which you can move between by going off the side of the screen (I guess like Larger) of clicking on the map. You can also drag the windows around on the map.
  • - there are loads of 'virtual systems' with loads of pros and cons .. !Widescm is pretty good
  • + I would like to have virtual desktops, each with it's own iconbar, backdrop, local windows, etc. I could have a WP layer, an internet layer, a programming layer. This would mean i could go off and do something different on a fresh desktop and then group quit all the applications before switching back to what i was doing before. Tasks on non-active layers could be optionally suspended. Tasks like NetFS, Filer, Task Manager, MyFaveApp, could optionally appear on all or a gropu of layers
• Name Disc - show old name! (2013-02-07) - 18 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When we 'name a disc', I'd like to see it show us the old name it already has for the disc, which it doesn't at present.
  • + You don't want it to churn the floppy disc when you go across on Name Disc... nearly as bad as trying to format an unformatted disc in windows! IDEFS does that for its HDs
• Windowmaker window list (2013-08-30) - 15 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Something like the Windowmaker window list would be useful. When I click the middle mouse button on the backdrop I get a list of open windows with an icon to show the window state (e.g. iconised, has focus, rolled up) and the name of the virtual screen it's on. I can pin this menu to the screen and even move it mostly off screen, when I move across it towards the bit that's off screen it quickly scrolls onscreen, then scrolls back off again when I move the pointer away.
  • + yeah, the window list should pop up when you right-click on the task manager.
  • + Raslly nice idea. But if I right click on the task manager I can't drag the switcher to a filer window to select that as the CSD. umm can't remember the app that does this but it's a godsend (speaking as an athiest :)
  • - This weird idea (dragging switcher icon to Filer window to set CSD) has been rendered unnecessary in RISC OS 4 (new entry on Filer menu).
• moveable icon bar (2013-09-14) - 15 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + it would be nice to have the iconbar placed elsewhere on the desktop, even vertically
  • + I agree with this, but it can't be done - iconbar menu vertical positions are hard-wired into *ALL* applications. Pity though - it's something I'd really like!
  • + You could do some sort of nasty hack to the wimp to make menus appear in the correct position. Eg if the last wimp_poll returned a click on the icon bar and a menu is opened with the bottom of the menu at a specific coord then make the wimp decide where the menu opens. (Just trying to prove that it /could/ be done)
  • + Switching between Iconbars
  • + Add a moveable split position? (This would require two iconbar windows.)
• Wheel-Mouse support (2013-07-22) - 13 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • - Nice idea, but why? Most windows respond to dragging a scrollbar with the right mouse button, giving 2D scrolling - you can't do that with a mouse wheel! Though I'll grant you, using a mouse wheel might put less, or at least adifferent kind of, strain on your middle digit!
  • + Have you used a wheel mouse? - The idea is to save having to skip across to the scroll bar to move up or down the window. Very useful for browsing long HTML pages and editing DTP.
  • + Wheel mouse is extremely useful when using Windows as the scrolling is limited chronically. I love the way RO enables scrolling in both plains using the right mouse button - probably better than the wheeled mouse for our OS
  • - Use MouseAccess which is far better. Forget about wheelmouses they are made to make money. MouseAccess enables you to use the middle mouse button to scroll the workarea both vertical and horizontal. I love that feature.
  • + No thats not better. The whole point of a mouse wheel, and the reason it's so great, is that you don't have to move your mouse! Your hand can stay still and you've got very precise control of scrolling with tiny movements of your finger. It's a _joy_ when going through long documents.
  • + I've just come across this idea whilst scrolling down the page using, you guessed it, a mouse-wheel. They're lovely to use (they do benefit Windows mainly because the scrolling on Windows is so shoddy, but would also be a nice bonus on RISC OS)
  • + Look, Just bung in the support and let users take their pick - It saves all this arguing and adds yet another feature to an already feature-packed OS.
• Voice operated desktop (2013-05-10) - 13 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • - Even the 'big boys' havnt started implementing his yet, so how the heck is ROS Ltd. gonna do it? Wait a few years, then maybe, but now? No!
  • + Didn't I read a 1-paragraph mini ickle little article on the side of one column in Acorn User about a year ago about some guy who'd cooked up a tiny little voice rec module ...? midnightTrooper@bigfoot.com
  • + I also read something about one of their set-tip-box type things being able to respond to voice commands from strangers (even with strong accents) - so the works already been done, and you only need SA power to make it work.
  • + THIS DEFINITELY EXISTS. I've forgotten what it's called, but it's out there, and last time I checked, it's BETA.
  • - erm, risc pc's dont have microphone-in so it wouldnt work.
  • + There are podule cards which can give you a hole to put your microphone into. :P
• Macro Maker (2013-05-14) - 13 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Allows the user to automate desktop operations.
  • - There are loads of programs that do this.
  • + It should be in the OS. not PD.
• Icons (2013-02-07) - 12 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Decent icons instead of the current feint ones.
  • - The naff RO2/3 ones? Or the rather nice RO4 ones?
  • + Yes, the RO4 ones are naff.
  • - I really like the RO4 icons. I think this is always going to be a sore point with someone, so it's probably safer just to agree to differ and shut up about it, ok ?
  • + No! The RO4 icons are a pile of crap! (no offence ROS Ltd. lads) There are much better public domain icons out there!
  • - They took a while to get used to but I now rather like the RISC OS 4 icons
  • - As there are lots of PD iconsets and it is not to difficult to make your own (even I managed it!), this is not so important for the next release.
  • + I would like to see 32K colour icons. Also, it would be nice if an icon changes into a different one when you select it (a la !Desktop+). Even better, have an icon change when you "hover" the mouse pointer over it (like Javascript).
  • + I neither disagree nor agree with this lot, but shouldn't all this really be in the desktop themes section?
  • - With Ref to:"have an icon change when you "hover" the mouse pointer over it". This is awful HCI design. New users may well think they've selected it and wait for it to do something. And don't get me onto the single click to run issue...
  • + Id like to see more customisabilty within the icons, allowing the individual to change an icon to suite there tastes.
  • - A simple IconSprites lets you replace an icon. And yes, the RO4 icons are naff. The 3.8 softload ones were bad enough, but after ROLtd defaced them even more... GREEN folders? Can we have the RO3.7 icons as standard, and perhaps 2-3 replacement sets that you can chuck into Choices:Boot.PreDesk if you like snot green folders? :-)
  • + Some of the RO4 icons are rather bad but with a little tweaking they can look rather smart, Backdrops are a bit poor I take them over to My Linux machine and give them a polish on gimp
  • + I suppose this falls in with Themes really. What's required is some sort of centralised icon store that you can switch between easily. This should be done in such a way that individuals can replace icons for applications etc without having to replace those supplied with the app.
  • + In RISC OS provide default icons and tools for RISC OS versions 2, 3, 3.5+ & 4. A configurable option would choose between the ones which would be active. It would be nice to have all these sprite files available in ResourceFS even if only 1 of 4? is confured active.
  • + Look at Richard Atterrer's icons - that's the sort of quality we need.
  • + "Individuals can replace icons for applications without having to replace those supplied with the app" - This is how Vantage works! It uses the Theme protocol.
• Alt-Tab to switch between open windows like CoolSwitch (2013-02-07) - 12 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • - Yes, but Alt-Tab is a PC thing: RO doesn't use many keyboard shortcuts for the basic desktop, so why not use a cunning mouse click instead to bring up a menu of all tasks and their windows? By the by, Christian Floeter said he'd be adding something much like it to MouseAxess
  • + Yes, it's great if you work with several applications at the same time. A definite MUST HAVE.
  • + I agree. Alt-Tab is useful if, say, you are about to save something and the filer window is deep 'underground'.
  • + This feature should hav the option of bringing the windows to the front as I cycle through them, if I cycle past a window it will be put back where it was in the window stack, otherwise it will stay at the front. This is exceptionally useful if you can't quite remember which window is which - eg 20 browse windows, etc.
  • + + Damn right to all of that. Where can I get this MouseAxess thing from ??
  • + I prefer the approach used on KDE Desktop and Gnome Desktop on Linux. That way it easier to switch application on a pen computer.
  • + Someone up there mentionned a cunning mouseclick... how about... (s = select, a = adjust, m = menu) SAMMSASA Throw the mouse in the air and catch it with your teeth SAMAMSASAMSAMSS ans roll it round on the table until the screen flashed blue SMAMSAMSS and then shout YAY! huh? huh?
  • + I tried Mouseaxes... but don't like it. What comes closest to CoolSwitch (Alt-Tab switching) is !Switch by Harriet Bazley. And Hoorray: I now can close all windows with one click!!!!
• Vector icons instead of bitmap (2013-02-07) - 10 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + the Ros fonts are already vectorial instead of bitmap, why not continue with the icons, they could be scalled depending on the actual resolution
  • - Could really slow down screen changes. How about a high res sprite, and use ChangeFSI with dithering to reduce the resolution if required. Problem with CFSI ignoring masks though,
  • + Oooh! I like this - especially if it could be used for the window furniture and let me resize them!
  • - Yes, I can see that would be fast. Spawn a ChangeFSI to redraw a window toolbar... Hmmm....
  • + No, I meant the vector icons and window widgets - the draw module (or drawfile), or maybe even the font manager could be used for rendering them. Scaling huge bitmaps down is a stupid idea!
  • + The images could be stored as vectors and converted into sprites when a change in scale is required and then stored in ram to allow the screen to redraw quickly
  • - Why not design the icons in Draw, then convert them into sprites in every possible resolution, and then store the sprites in the ROMs we buy. Much simpler and quicker.
  • + Obviously caching (all used icons and previous x states) would be needed, but this gives small object size and total display flexibility
  • + Make the font manager do it. Once upon a time (RISC OS 2), window tools were characters - just extend this...
  • + This would work well.. imagine a magnifier, and anti-aliasing (although keep the ability to use bitmaps)
  • + Try JPEG 2000 when it become available. This uses wavelet data compression. It work with the shape of an object and is resolution to some degree.
  • + RISC OS wouldn't need much changing to support vector icons - Just allow drawfiles to be IconSprited, store them in memory as drawfiles and cache them as sprites for redraw purposes. Easy!
• Themes (2013-05-17) - 6 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Make the desktop more customisable.
  • + Agreed, this is one of the things I like about Windoze.
  • - This is one of the things i HATE about Windows.
  • - Sorry still getting the hang of this. The trouble with the excessive costomisability of windows is that no two machines are ever alike. So you have to spend time getting your head round someboduy else's idea of a cool customisation before you can start to do anything useful. A good thng about RISC OS is that you can relay on it to always work the same way.
  • + Customisation is a good thing as most people do it in some way. By implementing this kind of feature it may alleviate the need for the excessive variety in desktops - as fewer 3rd party patches would be required.
  • + Richard Goodwin of HTML3 fame is working on an app called themes - in beta ATM
  • + Only if I REALLY have to. RISC OS would have to be fully usable in when not themed.
  • + This would be nice.. we could make a system that converted X Window themes to Risc OS (ie decent ones)
  • - there is already a Themes program for RISC OS by Rich Goodwin, see the iconbar www.iconbar.com for it
  • - sso its sort of "standard" already.
• PlugIn system for file operations in Filer windows (2013-09-14) - 6 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Allow third party developers to implement their own operations depending on the number and kind of objects currently selected, entries for the user to choose the operation to run should be located in the 'Selection' child menu as for primitive operations today. Candidate operations could be: Squash, Crypt and "Send the selection" as an email attachement.
• Security (2013-02-07) - 5 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Personal login/logout/lock desktop Stored profile (Pinboard settings etc)
• Indicate foreign disc formats (2013-04-15) - 5 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + An immediately visible indication of a foreign-format floppy disc. Perhaps the TITLE BAR for foreign disc formats could be shown in a different colour to normal?
  • + Don't like the different colour idea, but what about ADFS#DOS::0, ADFS#AMIGA::0, etc?
  • + How about it not saying ADFS if it isn't an ADFS volume? It could say DFS or FAT or VFAT or MINIX...
• Full mouse controllable desktop (2013-04-15) - 5 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Put 'open application directory' on the filer menu so don't don't have to shift-click. Same for shift-menu on an iconised window, etc.
  • - But that would make applications vunerable to novice users or children who could mess about with the innards of apps. At least using shift is not obvious and is not likely to be done accidentally like a menu entry might.
  • + You can't do shift+click on a pen computer so it will be neded.
• show open files (2013-02-07) - 4 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + I'd like the desktop to have a means of indication which files are open. This must be immediately visible, like the way open directories are shown. Also needed is a quick desktop shortcut for closing any such files left open by un-caring programs. [No, not another item on a menu hidden away somewhere]
• intelligent copying of files (2013-04-15) - 4 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When I copy a number of files, I'd like it to copy all the directory information in one go, then all the files in one go, rather than thrash the heads hither and thither to and fro for flipping ages and ages.
  • + I like the interactive approach that the KDE Desktop uses when moving and copying lot of files. Especialy when there are hundreds or more files.
• Iconbar 'Control Panel' (2013-02-07) - 4 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Click on a button and get a interactive user guide, troubleshooter and perhaps the ablity to alter configuration of computer.
  • - We have this, it's called !Configure but if you mean configuring the iconbar, then why? theres nothing to configure atm!
• Adjust Click on Back Icon to bring window to the front (2013-02-07) - 3 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + For me this only sound logical, and i often only see the back icon of a window!
  • + Excellebt idea!!!
  • + Provided for by Andrew Kemps 'TaskFilters', and indeed it's a must have inclusion for the OS.
  • + This is also implemented for RISC OS 4 (except for 4.03 Microdigital) via the ROMpatch mechanism: see http://www.youmustbejoking.demon.co.uk/progs.patches.html#ro4patch for details. It's too useful to do without :-)
  • + Yep. logical enough.. but... if you click on the title bar it does this. how about a adjuct click on the title bar does to back.
• Transparent DragASprite (2013-05-14) - 1 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Some sort of variable transparency DragASprite module would make the desktop look a bit more swish.
  • + I think this would be very easy to do. Someone should do it. Oh yes, they should.
  • + I don't know, I would have thought there's a lot involved. It'd probably be better to have proper partially transparent sprite plotting, then anyone could use it.
  • - AFAIK this is the default for RO3.7 & a real pain. We have to use a module to turn on solid drags.
  • - No, no current version of RISC OS has proper transparent dragasprite. What we want is it to properly blend to the background colour rather than the dither pattern we have now.
  • - Yeah, let's all buy a mac :-)
  • + Macs you cannot be serious
  • + I saw a very nice alternative to the standard RISC OS DragASprite module - it dithered the sprite in two frames using the standard Paint-style masking, then it swapped between the two frames ever V-Sync. It looked brilliant on RISC OS 3.5, but I think it crashes on RO4, plus it couldn't keep up on slower machines.
  • + Implement real transparency rather than dithering for icon drags in screen modes of 16bpp or more.
• Status bar (2013-02-07) - 0 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + I don't think anyone has ever mentioned this before, but how about having a status bar on the desktop (perhaps at the top of the screen?) with time, date, free memory and a long icon which could act as a replacement for !Help. When you move the pointer over a particular application the icon would display the appropriate help text like !Help does, and at other times it could provide other useful info such as time required for a particular task to be completed (to replace the percentages on the hourglass).
  • + Maybe just at the current time below the RISC OS 4 icon?
  • - The great thing with BubbleHelp is that you *don't* have to spend all that time moving your eyes to a different part of the screen (which would be kind of painful). I also hate fixed toolbars (the old ProArt had the right idea). I insist that RISC OS is as efficient to use as possible... or else. ;-)
  • - The 'current time' should be displayed by a suitable application, whether given with the OS (Alarm, Organizer) or PD. For goodness sake, we've already had the time displayed under the Apps icon (relevance?) The switcher isn't a clock app.
  • + I quite like the idea, but it doesn't have to be always on screen. There should be a plug-in interface for it though, so that new hardware/software can easily add value to it
  • - Whats wrong with *Time Only takes 2 secs to type ?
  • + How about an adjust click on the switcher icon? that could pop up a clock on the screen in both analogue and digital - there! one to suit all tastes!
• Force all windows back onto screen on mode changes (2013-02-28) - 0 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + God Damn annoying when you change from a large mode. Also panes become cut-off in low res modes, force scrollbars on them. Re-Tidy icons on iconbar so you can still get to them.
• Drop shadows cast by windows, icons and menus (2013-02-07) - 0 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + MacOs X anyone? It may not be very functional, but it certainly looks nice.
  • - MacOS is a bad example - it has drop shadows, but they're not done correctly. The depth is all off.
• Double Click on the window title bar to minimise it (2013-02-07) - 0 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Like in MacOS
  • - No, it should maximise the window *vertically*.
  • + Try MouseAxxess
  • + Have a look at Shade
  • + If we are to have a Pin tool on the tot;e bar, how about a minimise or maximise icon, who knows, it seems a bit much but lets play Windows for a while :)
  • - I prefer the maximise vertically idea too, sorry.
• check sufficient disc space before starting to COPY (2013-02-07) - -1 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When I copy a group of files, I'd like to see it check that there is sufficient room on the disc BEFORE it starts copying them.
• Multi-layer Iconbar (2013-02-07) - -2 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Personally I have quite a few drives, and I run a lot of apps, so I find that I constantly have to scroll the Iconbar. How about having one layer for drives, printers and the app manager, then another level just for the running apps. The user could also create there own levels for storing commonly used files and folders, it would be an alternative to using the pinboard. I think that this screenshot showing the tabbed shelf in the never released NeXTSTEP 4 GUI should give you an idea what I mean: http://peanuts.leo.org/faq-serve/bags/NS4.0-DR.jpg
  • + There could also be a layer for iconised windows.
• Name Disc - show old name! (2013-02-07) - -4 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When we 'name a disc', I'd like to see it show us the old name it already has for the disc, which it doesn't at present.
• Fading menus (2013-05-14) - -9 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Menus could fade in and fade out when they are created. That would make things look a little more swish.
  • + Yeah, just like Win2K
  • - Personally I would hate this. One of the strong points of RISC OS against some other OSs is (in my opinion) that it doesn't have this kind of eye candy in it.
  • - If this will be implemented, than I hope it one can turn it off!!
  • - This feature ONLY if it can be turned off. I found this slowing down the whole thing in Windows 98 (95 with IE4) and Linux KDE...
  • + Take a look at Mac OS X (http://www.apple.com/macosx/) It looks great. Fading menus, animations etc... It might be eye candy, but it's what'll make computers more approachable for the average home user.
  • + Support for animated gifs in icons would add visual appeal to a lot of aplications. It should be an options however.
  • - ONLY if it can be implemented 'for free' and can be switched off.
  • - Consenus on MacOS X is that it's a bitch to use and whilst it looks nice, it's just got worse!
  • - These things are only added, to Windows at least, to disguise the length of time it takes for a menu to actually open in the first place.
  • + Hilarious how doze thrashes the disc to get menus up. Anyway how about the iconbar icons sliding across the bar when to fill space left by quit apps.
  • - What will happen with multi tasking while these menus are fading? To be backwards compatible, the desktop will likely freeze while it's happening. It's also a waste of everything, I prefer not to wait for my menus
• Desktop Scaling in Display Manager (2013-02-07) - -10 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + The ability to change the EX1 EY1 values easily, and on startup. Important for Imago
  • - EX0 EY0 doesn't work very well because many things don't expect to work in that mode... even scroll bars go funny, and the mouse pointer! Also, we then need to create Sprites11 (as opposed to sprites22) files!
• Small Icon Bar (2013-02-28) - -14 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Option to have the icon bar at half size with small icons. This could work like the filer, where you can change to the small iconset. (could be controled in !Configure)
• show list of icons in set-type (2013-02-07) - -17 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When I set-type from desktop, I'd like to see a menu-list of filetype icons, with BOTH their names and their &hex numbers shown alongside.
• Touch Screen Navigation (2013-02-07) - -18 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Built in Desktop navigation as per mouse but using stylus like Psion netbook.
  • + Risc OS would need some modifivation to it's GUI. My belief is that if GUI perfect for pen computer then it is perfect for other devices. (Including desktop computer).
• Name Disc - show old name! (2013-02-07) - -102 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + When we 'name a disc', I'd like to see it show us the old name it already has for the disc, which it doesn't at present.
  • - Doesn't it do this anyway?
  • - Can't you just look at what it is called on the iconbar? For a floppy disc, you could look in a filer window
• A reminder of the opened windows (2013-09-14) - -106 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Windows and Linux put a new icon on the icon bar for every new opened window, a simple click on this icon allows to put the corresponding window on the top (open a iconized window beforehand)
  • - Ugh! No! This is one of my (personal) pet hates about 'doze. Alt-Tab is much nicer, although I find !StrongEd's (yay :) method of Shift-Cursor-up/Down to scroll through a list of open windows far more cunning :)
  • - Hang on... Surely the window you've got open are ... erm... open. So you can see them. So you really don't need to be reminded that they're open.
  • + So, what do you do when you have 20-odd open windows and have finally found the phrase you intended to copy into the first document?.... StrongED has a solution - extend on that idea for the complete desktop!
  • - Never been a problem for me mate! I like the StrongEd Method though!
  • + Perhaps have a menu that can be brought up instead of icons cluttering the place up.
  • + I would like to have a menu that displays a list of open applications, with the open documents of the applications in sub menus. It could be a single icon on the iconbar, so it wouldn't take up much space. If you clicked on the title of the app then it would bring all the app's windows forward, but if you just clicked on individual document title it would only bring that forward. That way you could bring any window to the front quickly without shuffling through open windows. It should also be able to hide individual windows or applications. To me that seems much more elegant than some kind of Windows Taskbar.
  • + It's a shame that there isn't an open documents menu in the iconbar menus for each app. That would seem quite logical to me, if you have a bunch of documents open you could change between them quickly.
  • + !Switch does this (http://www.bigfoot.com/~chrisbazley/, but it should really be built into the OS (ADJUST click on task manager?)
  • - yuk! nooooo! this is a wast of space and resources microsoft put in to totally screw the users up! eg/ what happens when you have 2 wiundows with the same name?
• Small icon bar icons (2013-05-22) - -491 - agree - disagree - follow up
  • + Ability to have small icons on the icon bar, thus alleviating the problem of having umpteen icons to scroll through.
  • + And a smaller height icon bar to match. Or even the same height but with two rows of icons...
  • + Icon grouping as per Gnome/CDE (probably KDE too)? You define a list of apps/drives to be grouped then they appear as one icon, when you click or hover over that grouped icon a vertical list of the icons in that group springs up.
  • + Hmmm. Interesting idea! Could that be done with the filer/harddisc etc. icons on the iconbar? (ie. drag a file to just one icon, and it pops up with HardDisc4,AnotherName etc....)
  • + What about a facility to move the icons on the iconbar to change their positions? I also would like to see multiple rows of (perhaps halfsized) icons on the iconbar.
  • + How about a mini-scrollbar on the iconbar, instead of the 'wait ages for it to scroll by itself' mechanism?
  • - Configuration; Mouse; AutoScroll delay. Then it will scroll sooner.
  • + A smaller icon bar would perhaps look better if nothing else. Also the ability to position it as (I'm afraid) Windows. Like the two rows idea.
  • + I would like to see a way of moving the iconbar out of the way like in gnome, perhaps using a double click at edge of iconbar?
  • + When a Filer icons are grouped together (eg you could have a 2x2 of 1/2 size icons in a 38x38 pixel mega icon) When the mouse pointer is over an icon, the text beneath the icon group changes to the original icon text. It would be possible to have 4 HDD icons and be able to distunguish between them. SELECT MENU and ADJUST clicks are sent to the mini icon the mouse pointer is currently over
  • + how about making it user definable? :)
  • - With viewfinder at 1600x1200 they are small, I have not been able to fill it all up yet.
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