[Bf-funboard] floating windows don't stay on top!

[Jason van Gumster]

Jude Jackson <syzygy6 at gmail.com> wrote:

> I have to roll my eyes at the "it's Blender design philosophy" argument
> because blender design is a joke. Making it one's "philosophy" to constrain
> the UX is very much putting the cart before the horse, and obviously is not
> being upheld consistently. The search menu, tooltips, drop-down menus, and
> a few other interface elements are all windows in the interface that
> overlap other interface windows, working incredibly well without causing
> any trouble (so much so your "philosophy" has conspicuously overlooked
> them).

Except menus and tooltips (and "other interface elements") *aren't* windows.
"Window" has a very specific definition in Blender's interface... as does Area,
Editor, and Region. Since version 2.5, Blender has allowed multiple overlapping
windows, but areas (and editors within them) very strictly follow the
non-overlapping paradigm, the intended working philosophy for interacting with
Blender... and with good reason.

> That said, it sounds as if there are indeed technical limitations that I
> have no way of solving, and the problem is ill-defined. But as someone who
> has tried using blender with a relatively small screen I can very much say
> I vastly prefer expandable toolboxes a la CS4. Although the
> blender interface has a charming sort of consistency, it's impractical,
> without a truly regal monitor, to fit all the windows one needs to
> efficiently work arranges in its infuriating enmeshed grid. Certainly one
> can click the teensy-weensy icon in the corner and sort through the list of
> lists, or toggle between window presets, but for various reasons it's not
> ideal.

Unlike many other applications, nearly every UI element within Blender can be
scaled (they don't have to be teensy-weensy) and any area can be maximized...
specifically to address users with smaller screens (as well as those of us who
occasionally need to focus on one thing at a time). I daresay that Blender's
interface is far easier to tailor to a small screen than nearly all of the
other 3D applications I've used... and part of that is precisely *because* of
the non-overlapping paradigm.

> In other words, the request, while not necessarily the correct solution, is
> indicative of a persistent UI problem that is being exasperated by the
> silly rule that "windows don't overlap."

I disagree.

  -Jason