Example of How to Make an HTML/Javascript Desktop and Windowing System

[darwinist]

http://darwinist.googlepages.com/htmldesktop.html

What's the point of something like this?

As a php programmer, everything is already there for me, except a
decent client-gui system. I could write php-gtk apps, but they're not
as easy or as portable, html is php's native interface, and so maybe
with some javascript...

Does anybody else get frustrated at how long it can take to learn
something apparently simple in javascript, and how quickly it can be
forgotten because of the complicated syntax; or else how often it can
be discovered that ones solution was based on a browser-specific
feature?

It may just be me, but for this reason I've made a collection of
working, browser-independent scripts that produce an example windowing
system and desktop environment, including a command line and a short
manual.

If any of this sounds like it would be useful to you, feel free to
check it out. It's all one page, the source is well commented, and
although I wrote it I am not trying to own it. Copy as much or as
little as you want, make modifications and sell them.

It gets updated periodically (when I feel like it) so please feel free
to criticise or contribute. Feel free also to make a better version,
either from scratch or based on mine, so that I have something to
compete with and so that others can have more to choose from.

I invite your opinions.

[Mike Dee]

On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:50:29 -0700, darwinist wrote:

http://darwinist.googlepages.com/htmldesktop.html

What's the point of something like this?

It's fun to play with.

I would like to see "close boxes" for the Help window if that's possible,
although you can close it by clicking "Help" again. Also, if this
window would remember it's last window position when reopening.

--
dee

[darwinist]

Mike Dee wrote:

On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:50:29 -0700, darwinist wrote:

http://darwinist.googlepages.com/htmldesktop.html

What's the point of something like this?

It's fun to play with.

I would like to see "close boxes" for the Help window if that's possible,
although you can close it by clicking "Help" again. Also, if this
window would remember it's last window position when reopening.

Thanks, i have done what you said.

http://darwinist.googlepages.com/htmldesktop.html

--
dee

[Mike Dee]

On Tue, 08 Aug 2006 22:07:46 -0700, darwinist wrote:

Mike Dee wrote:

>On Mon, 07 Aug 2006 19:50:29 -0700, darwinist wrote:

What's the point of something like this?

It's fun to play with.

I would like to see "close boxes" for the Help window if that's possible,
although you can close it by clicking "Help" again. Also, if this
window would remember it's last window position when reopening.

Thanks, i have done what you said.

http://darwinist.googlepages.com/htmldesktop.html

Yes that is good.

I can only comment as a "user". I guess that's why you x-posted into
aus.computers

I like it now the Help window remembers it's position. I find it slightly
perplexing that the "Execute Javascript" button also toggles the Help
window, but this is not a big issue for me.

I probably would like to see close boxes on any window that appears via
"user interaction" including "Navbox" and "Desktop" (which appear to be
one and the same)

Also, perhaps a bug? when scrolling down through the "Help" window, once
the scroll hits the bottom of the Help scroll bar, the focus goes to the
parent and scrolling takes place in that window, ie; scrolling should stop
once the scroll reaches the bottom of the window that has the focus.

I think you are capable of writing some very nice and complex code. It is
refreshing for me to see this in operation as an example, and not in a
commercial situation where the code is usually closely guarded in a web
page and not readily visible, that is, it usually "works behind the
scenes" by the time I get to see a web page.

Many thanks for your posting this.

--
dee