i just had an idea, and that idea is: wouldn't it be nice to be able to run "windowed" application on my n900? like maybe 2 or 3 of them on the same desktop? and be able to drag and drop (simple things like files from folder to folder, or text from one note to another)? now I'm no programmer (but i have started to tool around with qt a bit), so i am sure i don't have the slightest grasp of the complexities involved...anyhow i though it was worth my time to share this idea of mine with you. is it feasible?

Please create a brainstorm item and read through my signature for further help.

Welcome to maemo.org

Nice idea there... something like real X style multitasking (yes I am one of those who primary use X servers to have more than one term visible at once, for console there is multi-windowed "screen")

first use-case of this would be windowed status messages, this full-screen behavior is annoying...
drag and drop with a status bar to open up the other window would be fair enough, but haveing both on screen next to each other is for sure one option!

ah. i apologize for failing to read forum guidelines before posting. could my idea be better posted as: a possible way to better handle interactivity of multiple applications being run simultaneously.?

so anyway. i have this "extra" desktop and i really don't know what i want to put on it. all my other desktops are arranged to my liking, but i just can't think of what to do with this last one, so i leave it blank, which is lame. i would disable it, but i have this nice looping wallpaper (grand canyon desert scene) and i don't ruin the atmosphere. so, what to do?

so then i thought, could this wasted desktop be used, similarly to the dash board but providing a "level" of application interactivity and interactivity between applications being run simultaneously, on a 2x2 grid (or whatever (user defined or flexible based on usable space and number of "minimized" applications)). and naturally you wouldn't want all your applications displayed here, so a button or menu selection would have to be added so that the user could choose to minimize to dashboard or minimize to desktop (but will still be displayed, brought to full screen, and closed from the dashboard).

so that's the idea...now, how? widgets immediately came to mind because of their wide use and smooth integration in the maemo gui. also some provide already ui functions to programs running in the dashboard (example: media player and widget play/pause, track advance and repeat).

i don't know if it's possible, but i just though this would be one way to handle the constant up/down, up/down, up/down of task switching, especially when you are running multiple applications that don't require the full screen to achieve a "good" level of functionality (i.e. a note (or you cold have 2 notes running next to each other to allow drag and drop of selected text instead of copy-dashboard-paste-dashboard-copy-dashboard...)).

try to think in a problem solution way, start a new item with detailed info on your problem and then post your ideas on how a solution could look like as solutions to your brainstorm
one idea -> one solution

like
Problem: I can not view and interact with two programs at the same time and cannot drag and drop things between two apps and cannot read on the left window and type to the right one at the same time.

Solutions:
Choosable display type of programs [windowed, fullscreen]
Drag&drop for listing applications like filebrowsers
App-window resize and move
Ion3 like arrangement behavior (tiled desktop)

let me know if you need further help!

PS to use brainstorm you need to additionaly sign up for an account, the account activation may take a while... we are sorry but single sign-on is not implemented yet

how about, a method to simply display the current dashboard contents over the top of a specified blank desktop.
have the app previews slide in in the same way widgets do on one of your desktops.
but essentially don't change the core code or make duplicates.

it would retain the panning paradigm

nice idea.