https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436506
Bug ID: 436506
Summary: Display indicator for programs running in the
background
Product: plasmashell
Version: 5.21.4
Platform: Other
OS: Other
Status: REPORTED
Severity: normal
Priority: NOR
Component: Panel
Assignee: plasma-b...@kde.org
Reporter: kde.podag...@slmail.me
Target Milestone: 1.0
Programs that can keep running in the background usually have an option to
display some icon in the systray, but if the user prefers to hide the icon so
that it is not always visible, taking up space and filling this area with
different things, there will be no indicator (other than the hidden icon) that
the program is active.
This is also, in my humble opinion, a matter of consistency. Because it
prevents the systray from getting polluted with program icons that are already
in the apps panel. And these icons often have nothing to do with the default
icons of the Breeze theme, which only makes the situation worse (the
screenshots I will put right below demonstrate this).
It also maintains a consistency as to the organization and separation of native
plasma widgets from the systray and other user programs. Because it keeps the
systray clean and dedicated to its primary purpose: displaying system
information.
This is a big discussion, and some desktops have even completely removed
support for program icons in the systray, I am very much against this, but I
think it can be improved with a few tweaks.
Take this screenshot example (https://i.imgur.com/tTFzIdq.png), all six of
these programs highlighted with the red line are currently active, but I don't
have any visual feedback on this. They can display an icon in the systray, but
this would turn it into a completely messy kitchen, besides duplicating the
display of the same icons and taking up unnecessary space.
This is what happens if I choose to display the icons in the systray:
https://i.imgur.com/c29IS0k.png
A total mess.
When everything is organized following basic criteria, this is the result:
https://i.imgur.com/qrc7a9z.png
No duplicate icons and a much more objective notification area.
Of course there is an obvious option to simply disable the background running
and not have this problem, but it would generate another one. Because they are
tools that we usually need to keep running, but often not necessarily in the
foreground, which brings us to the problem again.
To sum it all up: an indicator on the app icon telling that it is open in the
background removes the need to have the same icon in the systray and keeps
everything more organized and consistent. Apps where apps should be, and
widgets where widgets should be.
Please don't get me wrong, I'm not criticizing the work of amazing volunteers,
but rather suggesting a possible solution to one of the things that bothers me
the most.
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