[Apps] Support multiple app instances in the spread

[Michał Sawicz]

Related to bug #1198714 and design http://design.canonical.com/2014/05/the-browser-is-dead-long-live-the-browser/.

I've a feeling that tabs in a phone factor browser are a bit shoehorned in, I'd actually be much happier having separate items in the right-edge spread for the open websites instead of introducing a second "axis" on which to switch between tabs.

I remember it was a desire to "explode" tabbed UIs in the Super+S spread in Unity, but it was not possible technically. Maybe it could be made possible today?

Whether tabs would exist grouped in the same right-edge stack, or as completely independent entities, remains to be investigated. Maybe we'd explode the tabs on touch or pinch or something. I just can't see the purpose of tabs if they're not readily available, which on a phone form factor would be a waste of precious screen estate.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 15.04
Package: webbrowser-app 0.23+15.04.20141217-0ubuntu1
Uname: Linux 3.4.67 armv7l
ApportVersion: 2.15-0ubuntu3
Architecture: armhf
Date: Mon Jan 5 17:25:55 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-12-18 (18 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu Vivid Vervet (development branch) - armhf (20141218-020204)
SourcePackage: webbrowser-app
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Gerry Boland (gerboland)]

QtMir needs extending to support multiple surfaces per application. Unity8 will need to not rely directly on the ApplicationManager model then, but form its own model of application surfaces derived from it.

[Gerry Boland (gerboland)]

Also, I suppose for phablet we can only let certain apps have multiple entries in the spread? (/me foresees app surface creation bomb attack) - what will define that policy (that qtmir will implement)?

[William Lee (wlee753159)]

Is this a bug, or is this a suggestion for improvement?

[William Lee (wlee753159)]

I'm sorry if it is, but the problem isn't very clear to me

[Michał Sawicz (saviq)]

Please do not mark bugs as duplicate if you didn't understand them. This bug is a bigger one about supporting multiple "windows" of an app on the phone, the other is just about tabs *within* the browser.

It is a suggestion for improvement, but we're using LP bugs for those just as well.

[Olivier Tilloy (osomon)]

The idea sounds interesting, let’s see what Giorgio thinks about it.

[Giorgio Venturi (giorgio-venturi-deactivatedaccount)]

Personally, I think there is some good thinking here. I proposed a similiar idea to the design team for dealing with multiple browser windows, especially useful when switching between different interaction modes (i.e. docked phone showing a window UI)

I don't agree with saviq though that the right edge would be more efficient than the bottom edge. With the bottom edge you can switch tabs with a single swipe, or worse case swipe & tap. With the right edge spread gesture, you would be cluttered with information from other apps (redundant if your only purpouse is to switch tabs in the current app). Happy to discuss this at the next sprint.

All in all, I feel this bug/suggestion goes beyond the browser and into all apps that support multiple instances/windows/tab. I'll assign this to vesa as he is the one working on this.

[Albert Astals Cid (aacid)]

unity8 waiting for design -> Incomplete

[Daniel d'Andrada (dandrader)]

Assuming this is about multiple surfaces/windows per app, not multiple application instances (processes). Therefore the unity8 and qtmir parts are done.