What do you think of Esfera?

[MCVenom]

Well, we can stop raging about the SABDFL's decisions on button placement, they might not matter in the near future :D:

http://www.webupd8.org/2010/03/esfera-new-ui-element-proposal-for.html
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/opensource/?p=1395


Mark Shuttleworth posted a suggestion he got from Pablo Quirós for the free space on the top right window corner (now that the button(s) will be placed on the left side of the Metacity), on the Ayatana mailing list.

The proposal is a new UI element for the windows in Ubuntu called Esfera which should be placed in the free space on the top-right of the windows. The button will basically support gestures which you can perform on that window, like a joystick.

Esfera (sphere in Spanish) is a circular spherical button, about 3 times wider than the normal ones, which offers a variety of possibilities to the user. Esfera represents the window. Any action performed with Esfera is an action that affects the whole window where it is placed.

It's draggable, and it responds to different movements performed by the user with it. This are some of the possibilities I see:

Easy-to-implement actions


Moved to the top: the window is maximized. User clicks on Esfera, moves it a little bit to the top, and the window is maximized even before he releases the button. If he changes his mind, he moves it down without releasing the Esfera, and it gets back to the previous unmaximized state.

Moved to the bottom: the window is minimized; same behavior than maximizing, but the user moves Esfera down to perform it.

Moved right: the window is moved to the workspace on the right.

Moved left: the window is moved to the workspace on the left.

Moved performing an “X”: the window is closed. User clicks on esfera, moves it to make an “X”, and the window becomes transparent to show that it's about to be closed. If he releases Esfera, the application is closed. If he changes his mind, he moves Esfera back and the window gets opaque
again; then, if he releases Esfera, the window will stay opened.

Clicked: the user sees a menu, in which he can choose between the different options of Esfera: close, minimise, maximise, switch workspace... this menu is thoght to make easier the life of new users
Imagine you have a new control on your desktop windows. This control accepts gestures that can do various tasks. One of those tasks would be to flip the window over giving you a new space to use. This space could be used for:


Notes
Related files
Linked to other open windows
Hidden information
And much more

This really makes me excited -- the mere thought that a change like this could be coming in the first place convinced me to get used to the new button placement (I have the Ambiance theme running on Linux Mint 8 now :D), though ultimately we might never have to use them again within the next six months. It's ultimately one of the many changes which will be coming to the Linux desktop as a whole and will go a long way to giving it it's own distinct look and feel... Just think, not just a choice (mainly) between a 'Windows-like desktop' (KDE) and a 'OSX-like desktop' (Current Gnome, especially with the Lucid buttons :p; and XFCE, which I'm sure will experience an exodus of Gnome users unhappy with the Gnome Shell), but also a 'Linux/Ubuntu desktop', with an innovative new UI (Gnome Shell and Esfera, as well as many other innovations which will eventually be revealed) that begs you to experience (dare I say it?) the future of computing. :D
/TL;DR

What do all of you think?

[bluelamp999]

If it's spherical and it's 3 times wider than the normal buttons then it's also going to be 3 times higher than the normal buttons.

This suggests an exaggeratedly big title bar unless, of course, it's somehow integrated into the corner of the whole window. But then what about a maximised window?

It's hard to comment really without a concrete demonstration...

[Minipalmer]

I support this wholeheartedly more than moving buttons to the left and changing their order :D

[Странник]

This can actually bring some innovation
+1

[Austin25]

Could be cool, could be just plain annoying. the other side of the window thing could be hard without using to many resources or a graphics card. I'd like to see them have an automatic way to disable dektop effects if you want to use the graphics card for gaming.

[MCVenom]

If it's spherical and it's 3 times wider than the normal buttons then it's also going to be 3 times higher than the normal buttons.

This suggests an exaggeratedly big title bar unless, of course, it's somehow integrated into the corner of the whole window. But then what about a maximised window?

It's hard to comment really without a concrete demonstration...

The button won't be very large, according to the concept shown in the PDF:

[bluelamp999]

The button won't be very large, according to the concept shown in the PDF:


Oops, missed the PDF!

It does bite into the menu bar (assuming the window has a menu bar) but that looks interesting.

It does look like something that would probably need fairly fine-grained mouse control though. Not ideal for a trackpad?

[brucemartin]

i'm for it! things can be redesigned to be better, i just hope they take everything into consideration when they implement this.

[Lord_Unseen]

It's an interesting concept, that's for sure. I like the idea of a completely new way of doing it. Although I don't fall into either of the camps you described (openbox ftw!) Everyone seems to be moving toward this "gesture" concept. I'm not so sure that is where I would like to move with computing. But, luckily we're talking about linux here, there will always be choices in how you want to do something.

[MCVenom]

It's an interesting concept, that's for sure. I like the idea of a completely new way of doing it. Although I don't fall into either of the camps you described (openbox ftw!) Everyone seems to be moving toward this "gesture" concept. I'm not so sure that is where I would like to move with computing. But, luckily we're talking about linux here, there will always be choices in how you want to do something.
Yeah I specified 'mainly' because I didn't want it to sound as though I thought of KDE & Gnome/XFCE as being the only DEs out there :p

And personally, here's to having gestures without a one-button mouse (I'm looking at you OSX!) :D

[forrestcupp]

So now instead of clicking the 'X', I'm going to go up there, click on the spere, draw an X, and after doing that release my mouse, and then the window will close?

Real exciting. :confused:

[madnessjack]

Sounds like a touch innovation hmmmm :P

[Polmac]

So now instead of clicking the 'X', I'm going to go up there, click on the spere, draw an X, and after doing that release my mouse, and then the window will close?

Real exciting. :confused:

Yes, I think that should be thought again... maybe having a separate button for closing the window, one on the left corner and the other on the right corner. But moving up for maximizing, down for minimizing, to the sides for changing workspace... is pretty fast and easy :)

And a big, single button is far easier (and quick) to reach than a small button between other small buttons.

[MCVenom]

Yes, I think that should be thought again... maybe having a separate button for closing the window, one on the left corner and the other on the right corner. But moving up for maximizing, down for minimizing, to the sides for changing workspace... is pretty fast and easy :)

And a big, single button is far easier (and quick) to reach than a small button between other small buttons.
It was suggested by someone else involved in the mailing list discussion that the close button be kept :p

[Polmac]

Someone has posted in Techrepublic this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXv8VlpoK_g

It's from the presentation of Looking Glass, a 3d desktop project designed by Sun some years ago, which includes the idea of using the back of the windows (it is very applauded by the public in the video). Using the back of the windows is one of the proposals in the Esfera pdf.

Sadly, Looking Glass was abandoned, but it's interesting to see anyway.

[Странник]

I remember the Looking Glass project from like 5 years old.
I even tried a livecd, it was awesome. I hope that someone can fork it and continue development

[Simian Man]

Well...at least they're trying I guess.

[sudoer541]

Well here are more screeshots and info (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/new-ubuntu-window-button-concepts-by.html).

[PuddingKnife]

I dont understand why the mini/maxi/close buttons had to go on the other side.
Couldnt the new button just as easily have been placed on the left side?

[cguy]

I dont understand why the mini/maxi/close buttons had to go on the other side.
Couldnt the new button just as easily have been placed on the left side?
It just had to be Mac-ish. :P

--

Actually, it is easier (at least for me) to point your mouse -read: Twist wrist- (and maybe the eyes) to that corner.



As for the "joystick": the Gnome guys are so slow at implementing things and are so selective about new features, I don't think it will go far.

[red_Marvin]

I suspect there is a belief that touch screen devices will go big in the near future.

a button whose action is decided based on how the user clicks on it makes more sense in a touch screen environment.
putting it to the right and moving the close/maximise/minimise buttons to the left in order to free space for the new button on the right side makes sense when considering that any hand held (pads?) devices probably will mostly likely cater to a right handed community.

[Polmac]

Well here are more screeshots and info (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/new-ubuntu-window-button-concepts-by.html).

In fact, this is a different proposal. The blog you linked comments Esfera in this post (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/esfera-gesture-based-replacement-for.html) ;)

[MCVenom]

It just had to be Mac-ish. :P

--

Actually, it is easier (at least for me) to point your mouse -read: Twist wrist- (and maybe the eyes) to that corner.



As for the "joystick": the Gnome guys are so slow at implementing things and are so selective about new features, I don't think it will go far.
The way Ubuntu is going now I wouldn't be surprised if they simply modified Gnome itself downstream. And I think this is a good idea; Ubuntu shouldn't be entirely dependent on the indiscretions of upstream devs :p

[Polmac]

a button whose action is decided based on how the user clicks on it makes more sense in a touch screen environment.


It's not decided based on how he clicks on it, but on where he draggs it.

I don't thing it would be difficult to use with touchpads. In fact, it would be easier. Think about maximizing: now you have to click on the tiny Maximize button, and there is a risk to push close or minimize if you do wrong. Here, you'd have to reach a big button instead, which would be much easier, and move it a little bit to the top. Easy and fast.

[red_Marvin]

Polmac: that is what I meant, I guess normally "clicking" assumes that the mouse is motionless while pressing the button, which I did not mean, I guess I should have been clearer.

[Polmac]

Polmac: that is what I meant, I guess normally "clicking" assumes that the mouse is motionless while pressing the button, which I did not mean, I guess I should have been clearer.

Ooops, sorry for the misunderstanding :)

[DeadSuperHero]

It looks like it'd actually be better on devices with touchscreens. That said, I don't really care for the idea on desktops.

[rookworm]

kinda redundant, IMO. In Windows 7, for instance, this is accomplished by dragging the title bar (which is very useful and slick, IMHO). def. not worth moving the close, etc. buttons to the left.

[Longinus00]

I'd love to see the usability tests for this feature. I bet it'd be a real laugh to watch people try this out.

[EarthMind]

I prefer the more ergonomic alternative to closing windows: clicking the X button (on the right).

If you really do want Windows 7 like behaviour why not just copy it in a proper way, that is bind the gestures to the whole title bar and leave the window buttons to the right.