Talk:Multiple document interface

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[edit] Windows-centric

This article deals with Windows-like interfaces only; as a Mac user, I can't quite understand the point. Either it needs to be made clear that this is only for Windows-like interfaces or expanded to include similar definitions for other OSes. 85.176.99.194 10:51, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

I don't know what you're talking about. It gives pretty clear examples of use in GTK+ and Linux. — Omegatron 13:18, 25 December 2006 (UTC)

I totally agree with 85.176.99.194!!! @ Omegatron: Sorry, but there are about 2 Lines about Linux... --Roggnroll 14:21, 10 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The big picture

Has there been any attempt to harmonize the different document interface styles? Like a way to abstract the concept and allow the window manager to display it as a MDI, SDI, tabbed interface, or whatever, depending on the user's preferences? — Omegatron 23:09, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

You can pretty much do that with MDI already. If you want the advantages of MDI, just open multiple documents in the same instance of the application. If you think SDI has some advantages, you can always open multiple instances of the application and only have one document open on each, and it works like SDI.

Of course, you can have multiple instances of the application with multiple documents on each. For example, you can have all your C source code files open in one instance and all related HTML document files open in another instance.

"Tabbed interface" is not another document interface. It is just a row of buttons that you can use to switch between windows (and these buttons are often shaped to look like tabs). At least on VEDIT, you can switch the tab bar on or off with single mouse click without any effect on the window arrangement. And you can have document windows maximized, cascaded or (on VEDIT) use special full size windows (that resize if you resize the main window).

- PauliKL (talk) 17:03, 27 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Misuse of IDE

This article does a decent job of describing the differences between SDI (Single Document Interface) and MDI (Multiple Document Interface). Another interesting article would be one that discusses the origins and evolution of these. Another time, perhaps. The point I would like to make here is the misuse of IDE. IDE is and acronym for "Integrated Development Environment" and is a term used primarily with applications designed for developing other applications using one or more programming language. Microsoft's Visual Studio is an example. All the applications listed as examples of those using this IDE style are, in fact, IDE applications. So, while it is true applications like Visual Studio took the basic MDI feature and added to it, any application could have done the same, not just IDE applications. —Preceding unsigned comment added by William J Wyatt (talk • contribs) 18:43, August 30, 2007 (UTC)

Indeed. There is no such thing as IDE interface. Those IDE applications mentioned use MDI. The only difference is that newer applications use newer features of OS. In this case, the new feature is dockable window (which means that a window can be changed into a sidepanel). It has nothing to do with document interface, since those dockable windows do not even contain documents. So in theory it would be possible to use dockable windows with SDI application, too.

- PauliKL (talk) 17:15, 27 February 2008 (UTC)