Bug 76356

Summary: Clicking a taskbar group should take you to the most recently used app.
Product: [Unmaintained] kicker Reporter: Maurizio Colucci <maurizio.colucci>
Component: taskbarappletAssignee: John Firebaugh <jfirebaugh>
Status: RESOLVED UNMAINTAINED    
Severity: wishlist CC: kdedev, phelps.sg
Priority: NOR    
Version First Reported In: unspecified   
Target Milestone: ---   
Platform: Mandrake RPMs   
OS: Linux   
Latest Commit: Version Fixed/Implemented In:
Sentry Crash Report:

Description Maurizio Colucci 2004-02-28 16:43:49 UTC 
Version:            (using KDE KDE 3.2.0)
Installed from:    Mandrake RPMs

This is a big usability improvement and I am giving it to KDE in exclusive :-)

THE PROBLEM
===========

Suppose I have 5 instances of konqueror open, each in a different directory. (I don't use tabbed browsing because tabs are too small to contain the full paths).
And suppose I use taskbar grouping. Then the konqueror button on the taskbar will show a small "black arrow" pointing down. When I click the button, I am prompted with the list of all 5 windows. But I ALMOST ALWAYS NEED ONE (ask me why if you need a scenario). So it'very inconvenient I have to choose each time. This adds a click and makes me scan a list with my eyes.

THE SOLUTION
=============

I would like the taskbar button to behave like that: 

* click: go to most recently used konqueror window (among the 5).

* click and hold: popup the list of all 5 open windows (the current behaviour).

This would also be more consistent with the konqueror toolbar's behaviour.

Alternatively, you could split each taskbar button in two, like the mozilla toolbar does with the BACK button: one big button with the back icon, one small button with the "black arrow". This would be IMO more intuitive for newbies (that could otherwise never discover the feature).

IMPORTANT BENEFIT
=================

As an added benefit, the feature I am proposing would solve one big problem of tabbed browsing! Explanation: The only usefulness of tabbed browsing is that you spare clicks: you can click only once on the taskbar and go to the most recent dir/URL. Then, if you don't want the most recent, you click on the right tab to change it. But tabbed browsing has the problem that tabs are too small to show the complete path name. So you end up clicking all the tabs. With my solution, all problems qould be solved with no added inconvenience.
Comment 1 Maurizio Colucci 2004-02-28 18:10:16 UTC 
On Saturday 28 February 2004 16:43, Maurizio Colucci wrote:
> Alternatively, you could split each taskbar button in two, like the mozilla
> toolbar does with the BACK button: one big button with the back icon, one
> small button with the "black arrow". This would be IMO more intuitive for
> newbies (that could otherwise never discover the feature).

another alternative: you could eliminate the dropdownlist completely, since 
there is already a "window list" button!

So, if I have 5 konqueror windows grouped, and I click the konqueror button, 
KDE brings the MOST RECENT konqy on top. If I want another one, I click the 
windowlist buttons, and choose it (I see the directory names, so it' s easy.)

But you'd have to make the window list button bigger. I can't see why it is so 
small...
Comment 2 Maurizio Colucci 2004-03-08 14:13:57 UTC 
I am the poster of the bug.

I changed my mind about this. The solution I have proposed would render the panel less intuitive, only for speeding up something.

I believe a better solution is to sort the list of windows most-recent first.
This way you would not need to scan the entire list to find the app you are looking for. The current sorting is absolutely useless.

Shall I close this bug and open another?
Comment 3 Maurizio Colucci 2004-03-19 13:58:17 UTC 
changed my mind, it is silly. Sorry.
Comment 4 Steve Phelps 2020-05-09 14:44:51 UTC 
I landed on this bug with the same frustration.  I would like to be able to quickly bring to focus the most-recently-used window from a given group on the taskbar.  Currently I have to click on the group, and then hunt for the most-recently-used window from the list.
Comment 5 TraceyC 2025-06-12 20:39:44 UTC 
KDE3 is no longer maintained. If you still see bugs in Kicker, please open a new bug report. Thanks.