Re: [Gzz] Time used

[Tuomas Lukka]

> >Benja: hmm.. am I correct if you think like:
> >-mode should change the backcolor?
> >
> >and I think like:
> >-anything might want to change backcolor. 
> >
> 
> Hm, I think that many things should be able to change backcolor, but in 
> the default design the list should be limited: users need to understand 
> what's going on, so you don't want to give a single "information 
> channel" too many different things to communicate. But I do think 
> default window backgrounds are a thing we want to have.

Yes. Mudyc (and others): pay attention: here's a very important 
and subtle point that should be made explicit:

We're writing two different things at once.

1) The Gzz platform.
        - vobs, structure, ...
        - mechanism, but not policy.
        - on *THIS* level, anything has to be able to change
        the background color (which is why I didn't want
        SolidBgVob to know about Windows).
2) The Gzz system
        - views, keybindings, appearance to the user, 
          switching between modes, etc.
        - on *THIS* level, we need to settle on what we want
        the background color to represent and stick to it.

Make sure that you remember which context you're working on at a given time.
1) has to provide flexible mechanisms, 2) has to provide a solid, simple
user interface using those mechanisms.

> >Simple machine have basically an input and an output.
> >I think the background can be used as an output to user.
> >[see flash(); in (n)curses]
> 
> I agree that flashing the background to get the user's attention is 
> useful (though difficult with the current vob system). 

Not vob system, the view system, I think.

> >But anyway, we still have a huge difference of the information of how gzz 
> >is implemented. So, maybe it is best for me to forget this for a while.
> 
> Maybe not: this is visual design, not implementation, so feel free to 
> say what you think would be useful ;-)

Indeed. 

        Tuomas