
Ayatana overlay scrollbars: new in Ubuntu "Natty" - mbrubeck
http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/615
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warwick
My concern with overlay scrollbars is that they don't seem to offer a clear
affordance until the user has already taken steps to interact with them. The
nub that fades in has the same feel to it as those flash websites that require
you to mouse over all the graphics, just to see which ones will perform an
action.

Existing scrollbars look like something in a track that you can move back and
forth. Overlay scrollbars, particularly in iOS, aren't used to interact with
the content. You move the content itself, the scrollbars are just indicators
showing your position. They shouldn't look 'grab-able', because you never grab
one.

The implementation shown in this post is grab-able, but doesn't look to be. I
think that's a mistake.

(I should note, iOS is the only place I have experience with overlay
scrollbars. I'm not qualified to discuss how they're used elsewhere. If other
systems use them differently, please chime in.)

~~~
macco
The video show in indicator, doesn't it? This way you know, that is something
there.

I would be interested how many still use the scrollbars instead of the
scrollwhell of their mouse / scroll area on toachpad.

The advantage on touch devices is obviously clear, imo.

