problems using fixed window sizes

Christopher Beland beland at alum.mit.edu
Mon Oct 26 17:47:51 UTC 2009


Fixed-size, unscrollable windows also create problems for people who are
using smaller or lower-resolution screens (anything from old hardware to
mobile devices) - it's not just for the sake of virtualization that they
should be fixed.  And modal dialogs create usability problems for
everyone, of course.

In some cases, the fix for window size is to reduce preference bloat or
change the interaction paradigm, if a scrolling window would cause
confusion or is a symptom of a larger problem.  Layout may also need to
be changed so windows scroll in only one direction instead of two.  So
there is some value in reporting such bugs against the application,
rather than trying to find a general solution.  Though it does seem
tempting to have e.g. metacity force scroll bars on windows that are too
big to fit on the screen, as a stopgap measure.

If you find it overwhelming to file so many bugs at once, then take it
one bug at a time - start with the situations you encounter most
frequently, or a particular frequently used application.

Perhaps Fedora should have a Small Screen Test Day, to find usability
problems when everyone dials down their screen resolution.

-B.




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