Android N’s freeform window mode | Hacker News Reader

Android N’s freeform window mode

arstechnica.com

71 pointsaxg45 comments

I actually think that this is a step backwards. I've been using smartphones, tablets, tmux and a tiling window manager for several years now, and _that_ feels like the interface of the future, not overlapping windows. I have one primary interaction with my computer at any one time, but it's easy to switch interactions whenever I need to. And when I _do_ need multiple windows, I can always just split the screen. But I hardly ever have more than one window per screen, and basically never more than three windows per workstation.

This feels like a step backwards for me, too, and I love overlapping windows and never split my screen. The benefit of having multiple windows is that you can have different working contexts that don't overlap, which makes it easier to find the exact window you're looking for. But look at the screenshots in the article: you still get one web browser window, one calculator, one instance of every app. You can't split (say) the browser into Tabs for Project A and Tabs for Project B, or keep a calculation open for Project B then open a new one without destroying the old one. (Contrived examples, perhaps, but those are the only apps demonstrated in their screenshots so far. Imagine it with text editors.)

I'd imagine that the "one web browser window, one calculator, one instance of every app" is because currently there's not too much need for multiple instances. After a windowing-system is in place, I'd expect (hope?) that Android/developers would begin to add support for multiple instances.

That would be nice, but I'm not holding my breath; the existing code will probably assume one window. We've brought up being told that singletons are bad and should never be used, and then go and build programs like this!

Just... run several processes of the same app?

But apps access files, databases, listen for intents. You definitely need some adjustments by app developers, even if Android handles most of the implementation details.

I love the idea of tiling window managers, but they really break down with the CAD tools I use. Any program that involves multiple contexts of the same information will probably suffer. (In my case, command, schematic & layout views)

stumpwm does have a floating-windows mode for that, but in principle one could set up splits to support most sane multi-window apps.

I used to use i3m & dwm, but wound up spending almost all my time in floating-windows mode, and decided that was silly.

I was never able to come up with good splits. It's been years so I forget the details, but I think the problem was:

- On one monitor, these programs work best overlapped on the corners to have usable window sizes. Side-by-side or vertically stacked doesn't work.

- On two monitors, dual monitor support was not very robust so I couldn't leverage the two monitors well. My case was particular in that I was logged in via a remote desktop program, and the WM insisted on treating it as one really wide screen.

I also use a tiling window manager on Linux, but I think Google's decision here is based on the general public - who probably aren't ready to learn a new window management scheme. For window management, overlapping floating and resizable windows are the norm, and I think will be for some time.

> I think Google's decision here is based on the general public - who probably aren't ready to learn a new window management scheme

But they already have! Anyone who's been using a smartphone this decade is used to it by now.

That's true, but for smaller screens and only one or two apps per screen (in split screen view). I think the goal of multi-window might be to support larger display extensions (e.g. plugging a 24" display into a phone)?

Thing is that i think most are already running everything maximized (unless they are OSX users). The only things left floating are calculator and IM clients. This because the content will more often than not require the use of the majority of the screen, and they switch windows via a taskbar or similar.

BTW, i seem to recall that the original GUI design at Xerox had things tiled upon opening (they could be moved afterwards though).

Maybe people run most things maximized because window management on Windows is so limited? With 8.1 and now 10 you can arrange up to four windows on the screen without using the mouse, but even that is too basic to be useful compared to tiling window managers. I think Google could actually pull this off by "forcing" users to use a tiling concept (like a couple of different layouts to choose from and letting you launch/drag apps into the screen areas).

I run most things maximised because, even on a Macbook retina display, I only get 1280x800 effective pixels, and that's just not enough to run more than one window at once. If I had a 5K desktop, it might be a different story. The only things I ever tile are side-by-side Finder / Terminal windows. Never see my wallpaper.

I also don't understand why I can't just swipe up from the overlay button and immediately switch to the previous window, like alt-tab. Such an obvious shortcut, yet Android doesn't do it.

You can hold the recent apps button to do that in CyanogenMod.

Also, alt tab works in Android if you have a keyboard.

On the developer preview of Android N you can double tap the recents key to switch to the previous window

And alt-tab is tied to the same actions ever since Android 3.0.

Couldn't this be work towards getting functionality ready that may not be enabled on phones (or even tablets) but would allow the Chromebooks to go Android?

My thoughts exactly. They've already started going that way with ARC; this looks to me like everything converging.

Google, stop teasing us and release a free Linux desktop OS and compete with Microsoft !

There is no reason to fear Microsoft since they already have you in their cross hairs. They have been losing loads of money trying to compete with you [1]. Windows 10 even has a search field on the task bar !

It can't be anti-trust concerns. Microsoft got away with bundling IE with Windows cutting off Netscape's air supply. Its hard to imagine you being punished for giving away an OS for free.

Every dollar that does not go into Microsoft's coffers is a dollar they can't spend competing with you. Seems like some fiduciary responsibility to me :)

[1] http://www.businessinsider.com/microsoft-reorg-earnings-repo...

EDIT: No, Chromium OS doesn't count. There are still plenty of people who need/uses desktop applications.

> Google, stop teasing us and release a free Linux desktop OS and compete with Microsoft !

You mean Chromium OS? You can download it here:

https://www.chromium.org/chromium-os

A desktop OS - not a browser OS ;-)

Chromium OS is a free Linux desktop OS from Google.

As has been said, it is hardly a desktop, it is a browser OS. I see this a lot with Google, they never release desktop apps only mobile and web. It would be really nice to see an OS and desktop applications for Google All Music Access, I would like to cache some music on my desktop for offline listening.

Chromium OS is their desktop OS.

You can run native code, apps can be written in JavaScript. There are APIs for basically everything.

This is their desktop OS.

You're not missing any features. Perhaps you're missing "the killer apps" b/c they haven't been written yet.

You say that but I don't even see IDE's running on it? They just wanted people to develop for Chrome Browser, their focus isn't on making an actual OS by the looks of it.

There are many cloud IDEs. The Chrome Inspector is slowly turning into an IDE.

Google has their own IDE project based on HTML/JS.

I'm sure with some tweaks you could probably run Atom, too

The aim of Google is AI (like in https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Technological_singularity). Android, like gmail are useful to feed data. Advertising is useful to have money for research in AI and to prove that AI is effective to make targeted advertising. A linux desktop would be great for users but would be against google interests because of the better privacy protection.

So wait.. did we just do all this and end up at an operating system like a desktop OS that can only support Java apps?

Android does native binaries as well.

I refuse to let the 90s have vindication!

Ah thats right. I remember Go can be used with the NDK as well I think.

Does it matter though ?

Ok, it is hard to get excited about writing java code but kotlin is a very nice language that outputs bytecode, so there is always that option.

Not to mention that the NDK is an option if it fits your usecase.

I knew this is going to happen. This move is against Microsoft move. (Microsoft brought Bing to the core of its product and showed google, It is dead serious about fighting). Google does realize if Microsoft can beat ChromeBrowser/GoogleSearchEngine (two of most important product of google) Google as company is done (I am not claiming google in this scenario is going to disappear, but it is going to be underdog.)

Google's only move was to attack the core of Microsoft, Which is Windows.Google does have pretty much everything in Webspace/MobileOS space and application space (these are web-based app, ironically in my fedora other than emacs,all of my apps are googlechrome-webapps) other than the core desktop os. And at the other hand Microsoft does have core desktop os + everything in application space but nothing in webspace/mobile.

They completely find themselves against each other and they are going seriously to attack each other because they understand perfectly they are too dangerous to each other.

Google can and will replace desktop app with web apps in long term (which is Microsoft's nightmare) and Microsoft will use its core product to hit google and improve its position in web against Google will.

I predict this is going to happen after Satya Nadella vigorously attacked Google's position. I even commented about this almost 1 year ago.

The reason Google and Microsoft are so dangerous to each other is because they want the other one's market share.Apple at the other hand positioned itself very well. They are for high-end and expensive market.Microsoft and Google does have high-end and expensive product , but who are we kidding, in that space they are nowhere near Apple. and Apple showed in recent year (other than Iphone 5c , which was strategic mistake) apple is not interested to low price product market and they are happy with their community.But Google/Microsoft does have serious clash of interest.

The other thing, don't forget about UWP, Microsoft does use this strategy just because it wants to use its advantage to push itself to mobileos as vigorous as possible.

There is so many clues about what is going on.These two company is just like army preparing for big fight.

This is just like chess. I am so curious how this will pan out.

One could debate the merits of tiling vs overlapping windows for a range of form factors ...

Since most android apps are not tablet optimized, we wind up with multiple phone (not tablet) optimized apps sharing the screen.

I'd rather just have one tablet optimized app using the screen (and easy way to switch between) than multiple phone-optimized apps sharing the screen.

The biggest usage of tiled view will be to make entries into one app while referencing something in another.

I am definitely excited about this. If Android takes off on the desktop it would be good for app developers

I sincerely hope we won't see "Android" desktops with tighly locked-down bootloaders, and a unmodifiable pre-installed OS with a bunch of unremovable junkware. You know, like it's with phones and tablets now.

Agreed. I'd actually like to see the opposite: I want a "real-linux" phone, not an android phone. (I have yet to test the ubuntu phone, but am excited for it)

Hrmmm, looks a lot like ChromeOS.

Looks like Window 2.0 to me.

Where do you access the apps from? I'm not seeing any icons on the homescreen.

Likely an app drawer or home screen shortcut (on another page not shown) like most other Android devices. In these screenshots I don't see the persistent app drawer shortcut that's common to most Android launchers but you can chalk that up to possible UI changes like not showing it on all pages of the desktop, hiding it when focused on something else, or launching via some other button/gesture.

I haven't messed with this preview yet so I'm not sure but it's my guess.

so, Android has become a full blown OS just OS X or Windows. Thats great.

As long as Google keeps mucking up the UI, the core competency of being a intuitive smartphone that is effortless to use remains an elusive goal.

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