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From: bryce@COGSCI.BERKELEY.EDU (Bryce Nesbitt)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga
Subject: Re: the Amiga UI
Message-ID: <8706221251.AA12324@cogsci.berkeley.edu>
Date: Mon, 22-Jun-87 08:51:32 EDT
Article-I.D.: cogsci.8706221251.AA12324
Posted: Mon Jun 22 08:51:32 1987
Date-Received: Tue, 23-Jun-87 04:22:39 EDT
Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU
Lines: 65

> Both NeWS and Suntools support something that I miss a lot on the
> Amiga: there are function keys to circulate or iconify the current
> window. [circulate: If the window is partially covered by another
> window, act like WindowToFront. Otherwise, act like WindowToBack.]

Conman does this for it's windows.  Unfortunatly this is "incremental"
meaning you get to watch the window move, then size.  Here's a wish
for a way to set all the window parameters at once, THEN have Intuition
figure out what to do with it.  (V1.3?)

If I can learn a bit more about Layers and/or Intuition, my ClickToFront
program would like to be expanded to:

1> Verify that for both clicks that the pointer is over the same Layer (Window)
2> Discover if that layer is the upfront Layer for circulating.
3> Verify that the first click was an "activate" click.

All this stuff is really the realm of Intuition.  Unless I can ask Intuition
which window the pointer is over, it won't happen. 


<<	- it has multiple screens analogous to a "rooms" metaphor,
<<	to support multiple classes of user tasks.
<<	[This approach]
<<	is JUST NOW being picked up by the research community, and the Mac II
<<	missed it by going to a large "virtual desktop" which Xerox studied
<<	(as "Bigscreen" I believe) and discarded because "rooms" was cleaner.
<
< I'm sorry, I have to disagree. I'd much rather have everything on the
< same screen.

	And I'd rather have the separate screens.  The "rooms" or "screens"
reduce clutter and give a complete isolation if that is wished.  MWB 
(Multi-WorkBench) is a great tool for uncluttering the workbench and
dumping the excess windows into other screens.
	At any one moment 10-15 programs are avaiable on my Amiga.  Most
in screens so they don't bother whatever I'm doing elsewhere.


> I figure the support for multiple screens is a hack to
> get around other things that were done to keep the cost down.

	I think the reason is the vast flavors of video that are available.
The copper does a complete screen context-switch at the top border.
Imagine trying to open a H.A.M. window in the standard workbench screen.
If there was just one video mode, and say 24 bitplanes of depth (so
there can be no argument about the pallete) then this would not be
as much of an issue.


> In other words, doing it right would involve enough chip memory, enough
> bandwidth and a screen to allow everything run on a single INTERLACED,
> HIRES, morerowed screen. Since that's a bit expensive for my blood, I
> appreciate what they did.

	The more space available, the more that can be said for doing it
on one screen.  704*464 pixels is just not enough for my windows to be
comfortable in just one place.  Talk to me at 4096*8192 and I'll reconsider.

---------
	Ack!  (NAK,EOT,SOH)
|\ /|  .
{o O} . bryce@cogsci.berkeley.EDU -or- ucbvax!cogsci!bryce
( " ) 
  U	Single tasking?  Just say *NO!*