[JDEV] UI opinions..

[Tim Lesher]

> > > > 4.  Kill the standard Window menu; use something that takes up less
> > > > space, like the ICQ button.
> > >
> > >    Not sure what you mean.
> >
> > OK.  I'm looking at my Outlook Express window.  My menu bar contains
seven
> > menu items:  File, Edit, et al.  These seven items take up only half the
> > width of the window, yet the Windows menu extends the entire width of
the
>
> I might not know what you mean either.  You mean the menu labeled
> "Windows" that lets you Tile, Cascade, or arrange vertically and
> horizontally the windows of the app?

No, I meant the "Standard menu bar used by most Windows apps".

OK, maybe some ASCII art will help.  Switch to proportional font if you need
to.

Here's a window with a "standard" Windows menu bar.
Everything to the right of the "Favorites" menu is wasted.

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|O| WinJabber                                                 |_|*|X|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
| File  |  People  | Favorites |                                    |
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|[Status:..Online..................................................]|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+


Here's what I'm suggesting:

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|O| WinJabber                                                 |_|*|X|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|                                                                   |
|[WinJabber] [Status:..Online......................................]|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

If the menu is a popup menu, triggered by the WinJabber button,
you reclaim all the space.  Plus you can put the menu button
beside another narrow element (here a status bar) to save more
space.