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

[Jude Jackson]

The whole non-overlapping philosophy is coming across as dogma. Is there a
manifesto I can read on the user benefits of non-overlapping inflexible
panes? I should like to be enlightened upon these "good reasons" that
deserve such dramatic punctuation. Perhaps there's a misunderstanding on my
part, or perhaps there's an unnecessarily strict interpretation of the
rules in place.

On Thursday, September 26, 2013, Jason van Gumster wrote:

> Jude Jackson <syzygy6 at gmail.com <javascript:;>> 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
> _______________________________________________
> Bf-funboard mailing list
> Bf-funboard at blender.org <javascript:;>
> http://lists.blender.org/mailman/listinfo/bf-funboard
>