Tabbing windows [was: Xfce design SIG]

[Mișu Moldovan]

On 19.06.2011 20:29, Mișu Moldovan wrote:
[snip]
> I've also wondered for ages if it would be possible to implement tabs in
> the window manager for apps that do no support them (eg. Thunar). Maybe
> by grouping windows of the same app that have the same dimensions?

Sorry for replying to myself, I can't stop elaborating on this. It's not
a novel idea, on Wikipedia[1] there is even a „tabbed windows” criteria
for comparing X window managers. Most of the ones that are claimed to
support such a feature are tilling managers, a few that I've checked
implement it in different ways and others are too obscure to even check...

My idea is to transform the title portion in the title bar in two or
more tabs when windows of the same app with the same dimensions are
created in the same workspace. The tabs should be smaller than regular
GTK+ tabs, more akin to the custom tabs for playlists in DeadBeef[2].

This would work for most (all?) apps that create new windows alongside
new tabs (browsers, terminals etc.) and also for most apps that do not
support tabs but routinely create windows of the same size in the same
workspace (file managers, chat clients etc.) Of course, in case of an
app which performs actions that could equally open a new tab or a new
window, the user should use the new window option. The original tab bar
should be made invisible too, but this seems to not be a problem in the
browsers and terminals that I've tried.

As an advanced feature, classes of windows could be excepted from this
feature. Maybe mail clients, which create several composing windows of
the same dimensions? Although I would personally prefer to group them in
a tabbed composing window.

It sounds too good to be true to me, so why didn't any other high
profile window manager implement such a feature?

-- 
mișu

1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Comparison_of_X_window_managers
2.
http://www.linuxlinks.com/portal/content/reviews/Audio/Screenshot-DeaDBeeF.png

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