Idea: Merging Task List + System Tray + Program Launcher applets(demo included)

[robin]

I took the time to download Sonata, and enabled 'minimize to systray on  
close'.
After that it started to behave like Kopete in the flash demo.

So if you disable 'minimize to systray on close'. The icon in the taskbar  
would by default, function as a 'program launcher'.

But I did find a problem when 'minimize to systray on close' is enabled.
I've always thought, an app which is a systray (kopete/GAIM/klipper),  
normally does not allow more than 1 instance of the same app.
Whereas, Sonata DOES. So I end up with more than 1 sonata icon in the  
systray.
In this situation, I'm not sure where the extra icon should go in the  
3-in-applet. Maybe it's smart enough to ignore it? I don't know.
But you only really need no more than 1 instance of Sonata running, so I  
think the app itself should be fixed.

> Maybe I should just remember some uses of the systray: take in example
> Sonata, it is a music client to MPD, and if you close it you have the
> option to let it remain in the systray.  This say, you can have apps
> daemonized in the systray and call them back from there out.  In your
> design this doesn't left such a possibility, so, IMHO, you _can't_ mix
> the systray and the taskbar.  And I don't think the systray is designed
> to be splitted in separate boxes.

I agree, newbies might get confused when they click on an icon, it might  
pop a new window, it might focus the current window or it might popup a  
menu instead. So I've decided maybe I'll enhance the customizability of  
this 3-in-1 applet, by allowing the 3-in-1 to become a 2-in-1  
(launcher+tasklist or systray+tasklist) or 1-in-1 (just a tasklist).

I think it would please people(like you) who sees the launcher+tasklist  
applet to be a good combination but with a separate systray applet.
And please people who sees the systray-tasklist applet to be a good  
combination but with a separate launcher applet.
And please people (like me) who would love to see the  
launcher+systray+tasklist as 1 thing.

How bout that?

> I can't imagine my not-so-computer-savvy
> friends using such a system, because you'd have mixed icons with
> completely different behaviour (launchers + systrays) sharing the same
> logic space.
>
> Anyways, the flash demo is GREAT, and there are many things in this
> idea that could (dare I say, should? it would be a great "unique" stat
> for Xfce) be implemented to make the interface more well organized.
> I'll share what I thought of being the nicest features there:
>
> The "launchers become tasklist buttons" behavior;
> The "tasklist buttons' icons behave like launchers";
> The way it auto groups the windows under the same icon, without having
> asub menu for them.
>
> Well, I loved pretty much except the system tray.

I appreciate everyone's contribution. I hope it is shaping this idea into  
something worth doing.