
KDE 4 Tasks Applet
==================

This is a desktop applet for KDE 4 which provides a view
of the user's running graphical tasks and allows them to 
switch between these tasks.  

It is intended as a replacement for the taskbar found in 
KDE 3.  

Goals
=====

This section describes the main goals of the tasks applet from the user's
perspective:

- Provide a clear, attractive visual depiction of the user's running graphical tasks
- Allow the user to navigate between tasks quickly
- Allow the user to group related tasks so that they can be operated on
  as one*


1.  Task representation

    The information currently available from which a task representation can be
    constructed:

        - Window title
        - A (typically small) pixmap
        - The 'window class' of a window which can in some cases be used
          to look up an appropriate icon for that application. 
        - Notifications about changes to a window's state (eg. raised,
          lowered, wants attention)

        This information is fairly limited.  In order to provide more interesting
        and useful representations in future, additional information will be
        required.

            - A reliable source for a scalable icon for the task
            - Information about the documents associated with a task
            - Information about the people associated with a task 

2.  Navigation between tasks

        The tasks applet should try to make it as easy as possible 
        for the user to perform a 'context switch' between the different
        tasks they are performing.

        On a basic level, this means that:

            - The user must be able to identify the task from a small
              representation
            - Easily activate a task's representation which causes the
              corresponding window to be raised and placed at the top
              of the screen.

              Note:  One of the flaws of KDE 3's Kicker is that task
              representations are placed in a 2-task high grid 
              at one edge of the screen.  This means that only half
              of the task representations touch the screen edge and as a result
              only half of them benefit from the 'infinite size' of a screen
              edge with respect to activating it with the mouse.

              In the KDE 3.5.x series there is a bug in Kicker where the 
              colour of the text for a minimized task is grey, against what
              is usually a grey/silverish panel background.  This makes the 
              text difficult to read.

        Navigation between tasks usually occurs for two reasons:

        A)  The user decides to switch to a different task of their own
            volition.

        Example:  Greg has been writing a business letter to a client,
                  he decides he wishes to take a break for twenty minutes
                  during which he intends to listen to music and read
                  the latest news online. 

                  He therefore wishes to switch away from the word document
                  and email related to that letter to his music player and
                  feed reader.

        B)  An external interruption 

        Example:  Paul is watching the latest episode of a TV drama online when
                  he is alerted by his messaging client that a friend he wants
                  to talk to has come online.  Paul then wishes to switch
                  away from the TV episode he is watching and start a conversation
                  with his friend. 

3.  Grouping

        This is intended to be the main area of innovation in the KDE 4
        'taskbar' versus that found in KDE 3, Gnome, Windows and MacOS X.

        Some of these windows are likely to be related to the same logical
        activity from the user's point of view.  For example, a paper which
        the user is writing and the various research material used to
        write that paper.

        The idea is to allow the user to easily group these related tasks
        so that he can treat them as one.  That is, bringing all of them
        to the front, closing all of them or layout out the windows within
        a group so that they are all visible on screen at the same time
        and can be worked with together.

