Hi all,
This is the 2º draft for the 1 Dimensional Menu: http://www.zensui.org/IxD/1DM.html

I will be honored if the new GIMP UI is the first implementation of a 1DM. This, I think are the changes to make it possible:

0) separate the toolbar from the menubar(s) 1) make the toolbar customizable to show only the relevant tools (configurable by each user) to simplify 2) change it to a vertical layout with only one icon per line 3) move it to the left border of the screen by default 4) increase the right padding so that the mouse can be moved vertically more easily and quickly
5) add the name of each tool in this extra space

I don't know which parts of this need a new GTK widget, but also think that the concept can be tested with current widgets.

If the menubar is separated from the toolbar, the toolbar's window can be manually positioned as a 1xN column in the border. The only part that has to be coded (I think) is changing the padding of each icon.

On another note, is a new mailing list dedicated exclusively to interface design needed? IMO, this can make possible a "filter" between design and engineering posts making this much welcomed redesign progress more smoothly.

originally the idea was to make a menubar more comfortable... but I don't understand your idea fully.

current menubars, although one of the most used widgets, are too uncomfortable...

2007/11/5, David Gowers :

I may not understand your description. It gave me an idea, though:
mouse-gesture-ish submenus..
That is, supposing that you have a top-level menu with items

1 2
3

and 3 is a submenu,
then, to select 3, you move down -- then a menu folds out horizontally

1 2
345

you move across, and select 5, which is also a submenu:

8 7
6
345

And move up to the item you wanted, 8.

During the time a menu is active, the mouse could be constrained to only move along that axis. Then, the above menu selection could be made by the mouse gesture Down-Right-Up-Click (with appropriate distances). With the cursor keys, it could be made by pressing Up-Left-Down-Down-Enter after bringing the menu up . In this way you can make menu navigation like maze navigation, or like performing special moves in a fighting game, rather than the fairly uncomfortable and unmemorable 'tree' movement used in most applications today.

On 11/5/07, Esteban Barahona wrote:

Hi all,
This is the 2º draft for the 1 Dimensional Menu: http://www.zensui.org/IxD/1DM.html

I will be honored if the new GIMP UI is the first implementation of a

1DM.

This, I think are the changes to make it possible:

0) separate the toolbar from the menubar(s) 1) make the toolbar customizable to show only the relevant tools (configurable by each user) to simplify 2) change it to a vertical layout with only one icon per line 3) move it to the left border of the screen by default 4) increase the right padding so that the mouse can be moved vertically

more

easily and quickly
5) add the name of each tool in this extra space

I do understand the points you are making here, though. In addition to 4) I want to suggest that this extra padding only be visible during selection, so usable space is maximized

I don't know which parts of this need a new GTK widget, but also think

that

the concept can be tested with current widgets.

If the menubar is separated from the toolbar, the toolbar's window can

be

manually positioned as a 1xN column in the border. The only part that has to be coded (I think) is changing the padding of

each

icon.

On another note, is a new mailing list dedicated exclusively to

interface

design needed? IMO, this can make possible a "filter" between design and engineering posts making this much welcomed redesign progress more

smoothly.