For what it's worth, this feels very similar to the 10/GUI concept, which made some waves in 2009. ( http://10gui.com/video/ )
It is cited as a source of inspiration on the webpage
Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
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Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#12The problem with the tablet analogy is nobody seems to know how to design complex, professional-level (like Photoshop, or Blender) applications in that paradigm. Tablet apps are overwhelmingly consumption-oriented, and those that aren't all seem to be oriented around popular (and populist) appeal.
Why is everyone out for the blood of the desktop/windows paradigm? Why can't the simplified-tablet market and the desktop-power-user markets coexist? Windows and taskbars and start menus are wonderful and my favorite way of interacting with computers, why must it be taken away?
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#13Agreed OP, the advances that Windows 8.1 and Metro made were truly amazing.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#14"About this Concept Neo was designed to inspire and provoke discussions about the future of productive computing. It is not going to be a real working operating system interface, it is just a concept. I am not saying that these ideas would definitely work and that this is the future of computing. However, there is large potential in rethinking the core interfaces of desktop computing for modern needs, and somebody ha…
Argh! What's the point of developing of fully fleshed out work piece like this that doesn't and won't exist! Well other than self-promotion and a fear of it actually totally sucking after it hits the real world of people.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#15I'm presuming you've researched tiling window managers as part of your work on this?
This looks to me like an evolution of tiling windows manager with a flair of mobile/touch. Something makes me think that windows and macos are both headed in this direction in the long term.
It seems like Windows and OS X should focus on tiling if their true goal is productivity, but they have actually gone in the opposite direction in recent releases by focusing on full-screening apps.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#16That's weird --- I looked at some of the sample animations, and I could swear I heard a tiny voice shouting 'Oberon! Plan-9! Rio!' in my ear...
I'd like to try something like this in action; but the problem, as always, is going to be bootstrapping. Look how badly Ubuntu manages something as simple as putting the application's menu bar in a non-standard place.
...I worked once with a desktop environment for the PC, GEOS. It had a feature where your application's UI was described in logical terms and this was then mapped to a physical UI when the app loaded. It allowed pluggable look-and-feels to drastically modify the look and behaviour of the application as they saw fit.
If we had something like that, this would be easy. Shame we don't, really.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#17[deleted]
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#18So basically xmonad + with a tagged file indexer. Although fzf + https://github.com/rupa/z works for me most of the time.
With respect to eye tracking, I had a similar idea the other day. Imagine holding a key, then moving your gaze to see an on-screen target following where you're looking at. You could use this as a really quick way to scroll or highlight/copy text without leaving your home row.
I really don't like leaving my home row.
I may be crazy.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#19I'm presuming you've researched tiling window managers as part of your work on this?
I had the same thought.
While looting mobile for some our better interactions (Swipe gestures for OS X), I don't see how this is more efficient that what we have. Mobile work flows are far more convoluted and time sucking that current desktop models. This seems to introduce unnecessary steps, and is completely touch pad dependent. Tagging exists in modern OSes already, plus there's a strong use case for folders. There's a reason why dropbox is popular on iOS.
Re: Desktop Neo – rethinking the desktop interface for productivity
#20How do I get only the window/panel management features?
edit: this is nothing more than a design prototype.