Comment 339 for bug 332945

Matthew Paul Thomas said:
> For example, I'm at a loss to understand why you think a notification bubble
> "timed to appear periodically" above everything else would be less annoying
> than a window that opens once and then sits in the background until you deal
> with it.

For several reasons... A pop-under application has multiple problems, already mentioned: as a pop-under it may not be noticed, if it appears on only one workspace it may not be noticed, and an application window that was not initiated by the user is likely to be dismissed by the user to get it out of the way. And if it *is* closed, the user gets no further reminder of the available updates until further updates are released, regardless of the importance of the current updates.

Periodic OSD notification avoids each of these problems. It appears on the current workspace in a noticeable but unobtrusive way, stays for just long enough to deliver its message, then disappears. If the period is sufficiently long enough -- and especially if that period is configurable by the user (perhaps anywhere from once and hour to once a day, and upon login) -- then it remains a reminder rather than a nagging annoyance. And if it is coupled with a notification area icon, then the user has an unobtrusive persistent notification of any available updates in addition to the intermittent transient reminder of important updates. If you think of the OSD notification as reminders, with the notification area icon as the actual control, then it doesn't really violate the rule of direct manipulation -- the OSD wouldn't be prompting you to take action, but only reminding you that an action is available.