On 01-Sep-10 17:31:39, nev young wrote:
[...] I am using a gnome desktop.
To give one (of many) examples of how this gets in my way consider this. I'm writing to emails in a maximised window using Thunderbird. I need some info that I have in a spread sheet so I fire up OO. Knowing it will take some 15-20 seconds to start I switch back to TB and continue to compose the email. OO grabs focus when it is ready and I lose what I'm typing (I'm not a touch typist) and / or I overwrite data in the spread sheet now open.
Like Ted wrote it appears that a newly opened window steals focus. It is this I want to stop.
Opening on a different desktop doesn't work as OO will open on the desktop in use not the one it was started in. I guess other programs will do the same.
In the circumstances you describe, the only thing I can suggest is that when you start up OO (or whatever) you should do so in its own desktop, and then sit still for the 20 seconds or so that it will take to get going! Once its window is established in one desktop it will stay there (unless you deliberately nove it).
Any other program would do the same as you describe. The example I gave is a simple case in point:
Be working on something (say Thunderbird) in Desktop A. Switch to adjacent desktop B, open an Xterm/gnome-terminal and, in that, do
(sleep 20 ; xterm) &
Immediately switch back to Desktop A, continue working in TB if you like, or just sit and wait. After 20 seconds an ASBO kid will pop up in workspace A and commandeer the focus!
Selecting "always on top" would be a pain as I would have to minimise the window to get something else in front. Also it doesn't seam to last across invocations.
Indeed! The "on top" setting is instance-specific. Also, forcing a window to be "on top", as you say, generates inconvenience when it masks something else, since it won't let the other thing come to the surface.
Any more ideas?
As above -- I seriously suggest relaxing for 20 seconds until everything is in place!
Also, as a general recommendation, rather than have several windows for different things in one workspace and clicking between them, I prefer to have only one or two or three which are closely related, and spread my various windows across several desktops (I have configured the workspace switcher to give me 20 to play with). Using the keys Ctrl+Alt+<arrow> is a very quick way to switch between them.
Ted.
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