[sugar] doubts about shell redesign

[Joshua Minor]

On Mar 12, 2008, at 9:25 AM, Eben Eliason wrote:
>
> - and what's the exact behavior for activity swtiching?
>
> There are two ways to switch activities.  First, one may expose the  
> frame and immediately switch to any running activity by clicking on  
> its icon.  This appears to be working at present.
>
> Second, one may use the alt-tab (and alt-shift-tab) shortcuts to  
> accomplish the same.  The following description depends on the  
> reordering of the activities in the Frame such that the most recent  
> is always shown at the far left, adjacent the activity sphere  
> icon.  When alt-tab is pressed the first time, the Frame should be  
> revealed, and the second activity in the Frame (immediately to the  
> right of the current one, and the last one used prior) should be  
> highlighted.  The highlight should simply be the same white rounded  
> rect outline used for keyboard focus in general.  Subsequent  
> presses of the tab key should cycle through the list of activities,  
> from left to right (most recent to oldest), looping around as  
> necessary. The active activity should *not* be switched during this  
> phase.  Only when one releases the alt key should the newly  
> selected activity be focused.
>
> Ideally, the selection of a new activity will provide visual  
> feedback about the reordering of the activities.  By visually  
> sliding the selected activity to the "head" of the list, and  
> shifting the others to the right we can make this action quite  
> clear.  If we cannot provide this form of feedback, we may need to  
> reconsider the rearranging of icons, and in turn the alt-tab  
> interaction.

Have you considered using the Activity View button (F4) on the  
keyboard to cycle between activities?  For example, if you are not on  
an activity pressing it takes you to the current activity, but  
pressing it again could jump to the next activity.  You wouldn't be  
able to do the hold-alt trick you mentioned, but it would make that  
button more useful.

Also, does the Journal count as an activity when cycling with either  
or both of these keys?  Right now it does, which feels unnatural to me.

-josh