Re: What should an Octave GUI be like?

[Ben Abbott]

Jordi,

I agree with your qualification of one large workspace where several
non-overlapping windows coexist presents mostly useless information at any
given point of time. However, I'd like to point out that if the desire is to
mimic the Matlab interface, this behavior may be customized.

For example, I've configured Matlab's desktop to only present the "Command
Window" and "Toolbar". My editor is shown in a separate window. I don't even
have a window for "Command History", "Workspace", etc as my standard
configuration.

I thought I'd give a quick reply so as to avoid anyone inferring that your
inquiry is an either/or.


Jordi Gutiérrez Hermoso-2 wrote:
> 
> I'm glancing right now at Pedro Lucas's new QtOctave release, which
> seems to be fixing a few issues, although it personally still doesn't
> please me entirely.
> 
> My biggest question right now, design-wise, is this: keeping in mind
> that QtOctave is mostly meant for easing transition from being a
> Matlab user to being an Octave user (or so it seems to me), should we
> attempt to mimic a Matlab interface as much as possible? Since Matlab
> is a Windows application that happens to be available for MacOS X and
> Unix, some of its design decisions seem a little out of place for an X
> app, and correct me if I'm wrong here, since I haven't used Matlab on
> MacOS X in over a year nor on Windows in over 3,
> 
> I am specifically thinking of the choice of having one large workspace
> where several non-overlapping windows coexist (with mostly useless
> information, if you ask me). Now, I know that one of the greatest
> criticisms against the Gimp, for example, is that instead of having
> this large workspace, it opens many small and mostly independent
> windows. I am told that the Gimp's design clashes with Windows, but X
> window managers like Beryl, kwin, or metacity can make the Gimp feel
> more at home with features like multiple desktops and such.
> 
> I am rambling, Sorry. Let me try to get to the point.
> 
> Should QtOctave follow the same design principles like a single
> workspace with non-overlapping windows and mostly useless information
> in them, or open many small independent subwindows for each new
> functionality requested?
> 
> Going back to the goal: since QtOctave is meant for transitioning for
> Matlab (I personally don't see myself using QtOctave very much in the
> near future; I like consoles and Emacs), perhaps we should be aiming
> to make an app that pleases Windows users even if it looks out of
> place in X.
> 
> I have other questions regarding QtOctave's design, but before I pose
> them, I would like to hear your thoughts.
> 
> Thanks,
> - Jordi G. H.
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> 
> 

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