[Lazarus] debug windows layout

[David W Noon]

On Sat, 27 Feb 2010 14:32:57 +0100 (CET), Michael Van Canneyt wrote
about Re: [Lazarus] debug windows layout:

> On Sat, 27 Feb 2010, David W Noon wrote:
[snip]
> > Back in the late 1980s, when IBM and Microsoft were both involved
> > with OS/2 development, both companies came to the conclusion that
> > MDI sucked.  This was because one cannot get through to one's
> > desktop without minimizing, or at least shrinking, the MDI parent,
> > thus losing display of all documents simultaneously.  More than 20
> > years on, this problem remains with MDI, but software companies
> > still produce MDI applications.  Plus ça change, plus c'est la même
> > chose. ... :-(
> 
> 
> The problem you mention exists with SDI in a worse form. Now I must
> click away N windows before I get to the desktop. Which is why most 
> task-panels have a button 'Show the desktop'...

If your SDI windows are organized properly, you should only need to
minimize one of them to get to the part of the desktop you want.  This
dates back to the time when programs were launched from desktop icons
(in the manner of OS/2 and PROGMAN.EXE): provided you know where your
desired icon is, you can get to it losing sight of only one document.

The world of GUI desktops has moved on.  Programs are now launched from
pop-up panels, etc., mostly based on the design of the Lotus SmartBar.
This makes the desktop itself simply a platform for decoration.

> So I think this is largely a matter of preference. I much prefer MDI
> over SDI.
> 
> I use a database product. One day it switched from MDI to SDI, 
> using a tabbed window approach as in browsers: "a more modern look". 
> The product simply became unusable. And the whole company here feels 
> like that.

Perhaps they should have offered a switchable option.
-- 
Regards,

Dave  [RLU #314465]
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david.w.noon at ntlworld.com (David W Noon)
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