Bug 209522

Summary: Set usable default values for the 'Wobbly Windows' effect
Product: [Plasma] kwin Reporter: uetsah <uetsah>
Component: effects-variousAssignee: KWin default assignee <kwin-bugs-null>
Status: RESOLVED INTENTIONAL    
Severity: wishlist CC: lepetitdragonbleu, llvm.clang223, vlad.zahorodnii
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: unspecified   
OS: Unspecified   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed In:
Sentry Crash Report:
Attachments: smooth glide like wobbliness with my settings.

Description uetsah 2009-10-05 14:26:51 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE 4.3.1)
Installed from:    Unlisted Binary Package

kwin's Wobbly Windows effect is actually really cool and seems to be well implemented too, but the default parameters you get without entering "advanced mode" and doing the fine tuning yourself are, honestly, quite horrible - and I dare to claim that this is also the main reason why the wobbly windows effect doesn't seem to be very widely used among KDE users.

The second preset configuration (with the "Wobbliness" slider set to the second position from the left) is actually somewhat useable (although still very annoying) - all the higher- or lower-wobbliness presets, though, make working with kwin a real pain.

I don't know on what basis those presets were chosen, but I think most people will agree that a well-configured wobbly windows effect should do just this:
   a) Give a nive elastic feeling to windows when they are moved
   b) Possibly add a tiny little bit of bouncing to make the movement appear more dynamic
While at the same time satisfying the following conditions:
   1) Never make windows appear to be "stuck" multiple times during a move or sometimes "unwilling" to be moved in a different direction.
   2) Never make it difficult for the user to move a window to the exact location he/she wants to.
   3) When a window is released at the end of a move, all movement should come to a stop very fast (so as to not interfere with the user's work).

At least on my computer, the hard-coded presets accessible through the "Wobbliness" slider all exaggerate point (b) and quite badly fail all the coditions (1), (2) and (3).

I propose instead the following default presets (combinations of "Stiffness", "Drag" and "Move factor" values):
 - low wobbliness: 36, 52, 6
 - medium wobbliness: 42, 68, 3
 - high wobbliness: 50, 84, 1

(I do realise that these presets will give almost no bouncing, only elastic stretching of windows, but I personally see that as an advantage as the bouncing kind of hurts my eyes when I try to focus on the contents of a window right after moving it ;-) ... If bouncing is really wanted, increasing the "Drag" and "Move factor" values by one or two units for each of the proposed presets should suffice (and it'll still be more usable than the current presets...))

Anyways, those three combinations perfectly satisfy the conditions (1), (2) and (3) even on my not-so-fast machine.
Or does any one else have a better proposal?

Cheers
uetsah
Comment 1 uetsah 2009-11-23 11:31:55 UTC 
Doesn't anyone else have an opinion about this?

(Btw, does anyone actually use the default settings? Maybe they "feel" less annoying on different/faster Computers?)
Comment 2 Vincent 2010-03-03 17:30:27 UTC 
I agree with you that the default "wobbly windows" is not as great as it could be. But even with other values, it is not as great as the one of compiz-fusion: in compiz-fusion, when you take a border, it seems that the corners of the window do not want to come (only the part that you drag is following the mouse), and if you insist, then the whole border is coming, with a wobbly effect. That's really cool. Would really like to have this with Kwin!
Comment 3 Mohd Asif Ali Rizwaan 2010-04-07 10:11:27 UTC 
Created attachment 42559 [details]
smooth glide like wobbliness with my settings.

Hi, try my settings, I like them because now wobbly window seems very smooth and gentle.. please see the attachment. thanks.
Comment 4 Vlad Zahorodnii 2018-08-18 07:48:36 UTC 
> Anyways, those three combinations perfectly satisfy the conditions (1), (2) and > (3) even on my not-so-fast machine.

Hm, I've tried your presets and (2) is clearly not satisfied.


@Martin
This bugreport is most likely won't be fixed. I propose to mark it as WONTFIX.
Comment 5 Martin Flöser 2018-08-18 14:54:53 UTC 
As discussed
Comment 6 llvm.clang223 2024-11-01 01:43:33 UTC 
To me, the values chosen by the wobbliness slider without using advanced mode are too bouncy, not to mention that the default position is set to least wobbliness, which is almost like no wobbliness, but with an annoying bounce.

In my opinion all of these values can be improved by decreasing the drag a bit - something like 70, 76, 78, 82, 90 from less to more wobbliness, instead of 80, 85, 90, 92, 97. And making the most (1, 90, 25) or second most (3, 82, 20) wobbly the default.