Desktop comparison
From Meta Desktop
It's good to look at what's already there. One thing I've felt for some time is that there is a core principle to user interface design that some systems flout badly. To sum it up in a single maxim would be to say, 'Always allow maximum pixel area for the working content of application windows.' In other words, don't waste valuable pixels. I think this is very important even on multi-monitor, high resolution setups.
Here's how different desktops treat core information. Each respects a vanilla installation.
| OS X (Tiger) | Gnome (on Ubuntu) | Gnome (on SUSE) | Ion (on Ubuntu) | KDE (on Debian) | Windows (Vista) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Application menu - Tray - Clock | System Menu - Tray - Clock | Window Title bar | Window Tab | Window Title bar | Window Title bar |
| Window Title bar | Window Title bar | Application menu | Application menu | Application menu | Application menu |
| Application icon/tool bar | Application menu | Application icon/tool bar | Application icon/tool bar | Application icon/tool bar | Application icon/tool bar |
| Application icon/tool bar | |||||
| Application window | Application window | Application window | Application window | Application window | Application window |
| Status bar | Status bar | Status bar | Status bar | Status bar | |
| Dock | Taskbar - Launcher | Taskbar - Tray - Clock | Status bar | Taskbar - Tray - Clock | Taskbar - Tray - Clock |
Clearly Gnome (on Ubuntu) has more toolbars. Interestingly, Gnome (on SUSE), KDE and Windows have an identical approach, right down to the things in the taskbar but is that the measure of available pixels for an application window? Ion is a radical departure. It is a keyboard focussed desktop that has quite a few (refreshing) things to say about usability. It has a steep learning curve, and is probably most suited to console users despite the ability to run any X program in one of its windows, but is well worth a look if only because it's brave enough to challenge the current desktop methodology.
[edit] A quick and dirty test
Here are measures of available pixels on each system. First, some rules:
- All measurements are using a 1280x1024 screen resolution
- Each represents a first-run vanilla install of the desktop
- The measure uses Firefox with the same toolbar settings, with tabs, running maximised, (with the exception of KDE, where Konquerer was used)
- Pixel measurements are the entire area measured from directly beneath the tab bar to directly above the status bar.
| 1 | Ion (on Ubuntu) | 866 pixels |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | Gnome (on SUSE) | 834 pixels |
| 3 | Windows (Vista) | 833 pixels |
| 4 | Gnome (on Ubuntu) | 801 pixels |
| 5 | OS X (Tiger) | 800 pixels |
| 6 | KDE (on Debian) | 789 pixels |
Ion wins by a mile. Why? It's ethos is based in usable screen area. It dispenses with the trappings of movable, overlapping windows and can use screen space more efficiently as a result. It has an austere feel, and is almost certainly not so useful for people like me used to applications heavily reliant on floating pallettes (like Photoshop for instance), but the thinking behind it is solid. It operates well within the (limited) sphere of Linux aficionados though, and is unlikely to seem anything other than odd at best to the wider body of people expecting stacks of windows.
I must admit to being quite surprised about the other contenders. Not that SUSE's default Gnome setup beats all the others by a pixel, Ion excepted, but that Microsoft's Windows came so close. It's interesting too how the same system can be placed so differently. KDE with its default fat taskbar loses (which could actually be Konquerer's fault) and that's quite something. OS X falls for a silly reason: at Apple they must be so proud of their thoroughly flawed dock that the default view has it rendered at a whopping 74 pixels high. So, the measurement here takes that default value. I am a Mac user and my dock is set to a minimal 30 pixels without any magnification. That means the measure above increases the Mac's score to a second-place 844 pixels beating the default Gnome setup on SUSE by 10...
But that's foul play as all the systems can be customised, taskbars and docks can be hidden. Still, Gnome (on SUSE) and Windows only offers the actual workspace about 65% of the total screen height.
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