Is there any plan to support multiple windows in the same browser?

nope

Why is there this dogma against MDI??? Everyone in the windows world uses MDI for most of the program interfaces.

It is clean user interface practice to SEPARATE the document from the program. Period.

It takes the same amount of screen space.

Just because you don't like Galeon UI - it doesn't mean K-Meleon MDI has to be the same. No one here has reasons to dislike MDI. Just because microsoft makes a bad user interface with IE and people have got used to it is NOT a reason to reproduce this bad design practice in K-Meleon. What is the point?

I did not get used to it because of M$IE, I got used to it because of Netscape and every other program I use except Photoshop. Graphics programs are the only programs that I think MDI makes sense in, and they're the only programs I use that use MDI.

MDI really does make sense in many different places, just not web browsers.

The biggest concern in choosing between MDI and SDI is how the user interacts with an application. Web browsers tend to be complementary to a users experience. You'll find that most people always have a browser window open, even though they are doing any number of different tasks. This means that browsers should be designed to make task switching between them and other programs as simple as possible. This is where a SDI application design really shines. By forcing each instance of the browser into it's own window, its easy to move between browser sessions and other applications. I can check the C++ standard in my browser window, and quickly get to my code in another.

Interestingly, my C++ editor works as a MDI application for the same reason. I generally am very focused on my code. There is more value in me being able to easily move between individual source files without leaving the editor itself. Instead of the 'focus breaking' effect that moving between two completely seperate windows provides, I can move between different files in my project without feeling like i've gone anywhere. This is actually what MDI was designed for.

But that is how I use my browser, Opera (with K-Meleon for a back-up, for now, heh). I work in several windows at once browsing a perhaps a Tech site, a news site, and a could messgae boards at a time. While one loads, I work on another. And I usually have another app or two open as well. I don't have any problem switching between browser windows or applications.

See my other thread for my argument for the *option* of having MDI-like beahviour. You know...I'm itching to learn enough to code this myself...might just do it.

-=Gonzotek=-

Cassidy has a point, see the large thread on MDI vs. SDI in K-Meleon improvemet requests (20 posts!). Basically, microsoft has a plan for SDI. It is not the case that most programs are SDI scratch - They ARE MDI. Netscape was a good browser in its day. That doesn't mean we still have to follow its SDI design today.

Microsoft introduced SDI in Office 2000 - THEY GOT SUCH stick, that MDI is back in Office XP (well at least a choice!). Browsing two web sites is MORE related than browsing a web site and compsing a MIDI tune etc.

And you can still EASILY switch programs with MDI, just because you use MDI it DOES NOT mean you cannot use the task bar Nick!!!!! It just means the user can choose to have many documents (web pages) open and still easily manage his tasks. I have recently been programming a statistics program, and needed at least 10 web pages open and live, and still easily switch between my programming package and the browser. Being on document 5 out of 10 in the SDI chain means 5 more alt-tab's and a full task bar. Not logical.

Try using SDI office 2000 - I want to compare two Word documents and HALF of my screen space disappears because tiling two programs takes double the space of tiling two documents. think about it! Even switching between, say a C++ editor and a web page is better under MDI. Tile you page with MDI browser and editor then you can easily have different web sites available - CTRL-TAB to change web sites and ALT-TAB to control program task. sweet and simple, and I dont clog up my task bar that way. If you have ten open web pages and photoshop / Word / UltraEdit / Explorer / FTP / email ect. running, alt-tabbing through 10 SDI web pages to get to my email program does not make sense....

Well, seems some people like mdi and others like sdi, perhaps an option to have either wouldn't be a bad idea?

MS Office ahs a terrible implementation of MDI - it doesn't even support CTRL+TAB for moving ebtween documents. That's why I welcomed SDI.

Hi, I'm a brand new user. Just downloaded tonight. I am amazed that there could even be a debate re: SDI/MDI. Classes of app.s should have there own main, but within a class MDI is so overwhelmingly user friendly. Its like "boxes inside of boxes". Its easier to get to the window I want if its automaticly grouped by type for me. Just a thought. But do please put me down as a strong definite MDI vote.
:-)

I am an Opera user, and I would like to see a MDI interface for K-Meleon. Those of us running at smaller screen resolutions need it - if we have too many open widows on the task bar then it's too cluttered to read what they are. With Opera I can have 10+ windows open in it, and 5 on the task bar - and they're all easy to read the labels for.

As an aside, Opera 6 has the choice of SDI or MDI - maybe K-Meleon should have this?

Peter.