Sometimes, just one in a rare while, someone has a good (understatement) idea. I’ve been trying for a long while to understand what a good, innovative, productive computer workspace would looks like. One that captures the needs of the task at hand, centralizing focus on that task, removing distractions, while providing context-relevant information on which to collaborate.

Friends, I introduce: Gnome Shell.
overlay_mode

I really cannot express the genius I feel seeing this. The traditional desktop workspace is the down-n-dirty ‘workbench’. I imagine myself as Dr. Manhattan putting the pieces of the project together in this area.

Not to be lost in the mundane work area, (and, just like the mind!) there is also this overlay, which could hold the sub-tasks, associated projects and documents and email (all through tagging).

The mind, when organizing and planning has such an ‘overlay’, but when ‘in the zone’ of working on a task, interruptions and excess information is hassle. I can furthermore foresee another screen like the overlay, where you’re in planning mode, an overarching taskmanager. All the while, the user status on IM shows the availability for interruption (and optionally the task and how long/deep (subtasks/due date) you are into completing it!)

I like this. I only hope Gnome 3.0 will be the start of something huge across all Desktop vendor-designs. The cluttered desktop of windows-everywhere must end.