https://bugs.kde.org/show_bug.cgi?id=436506
Nate Graham <n...@kde.org> changed:
What |Removed |Added
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CC| |n...@kde.org
--- Comment #1 from Nate Graham <n...@kde.org> ---
IMO the concept of a "System Tray item" for an app running in the background is
a historical relic of the time before everyone uses Icons-Only Task Managers
(or the equivalent.
Before Windows 7, running more than a few apps at once caused the Vista and
earlier Taskbar to completely fill up with items that all became unreadable.
Thus, System Tray items were invented as a way for apps to remain running with
some kind of visible UI without taking up space in the main section of the
Taskbar
Before Mac OS X with its Dock (essentially an Icons-Only Task Manager), there
was no visible-by-default indicator of running programs at all; it was assumed
that programs would all have a visible window. Once programs started to violate
this expectation, System Tray items were, again, invented as a way for apps to
remain running with some kind of visible UI.
Same thing with Plasma, which uses a traditional Windows-Vista-and-earlier
style Task Manager until Plasma 5.20
But then a funny thing happened. The whole world moved to Icons-Only-Task
Managers. First macOS in 2000, then Windows in 2009, and then Plasma in 2020.
What impact do Icons-Only Task Managers have on this problem? Well, as long as
the windowless-open-in-the-background app is pinned, keeping it open without a
window takes up no additional space at all. If it's not pinned, it takes up a
small amount of extra space, not a big amount--and this is generally fine
because every other app--open or closed--also takes up only a small amount of
space. So for these apps, you can safely turn off their System Tray icons
because you can use the main UI of the Task Manager to see if they are open or
not and to show their window if you want.
Thus, I will argue that the Icons-Only Task Manager has rendered traditional
app-specific System Tray items mostly obsolete. I have them all turned off,
personally.
...Except for a few: system service type tray items, such as the Dropbox icon,
Keepassx icon, and so on. IMO these are actually more like your system's built
in tray items so they are right at home there, no need to hide them.
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