[KLUG Members] Alert Annoyance

[Adam Tauno WIlliams]

The GNOME HIG 1.0 states -

http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/1.0/windows.html#alert-windows

"An alert provides information about the state of the application
system, or asks for essential information about how to proceed with a
particular task. It is distinct from other types of window in that it is
not directly requested by the user, and usually contains a message or a
question rather than editable controls. Since alerts are an unwelcome
intrusion into the user's work, do not use them except where necessary
to avoid potential data loss or other serious problems."

If this is a GNOME application, and you feel the pop-up doesn't indicate
a "potential data loss or other serious problems" you should e-mail the
author/maintainer of the application.

Current GNOME desktops provide a notification area/applett for just this
purpose, as described in the GNOME HIG (current draft) -

"The GNOME desktop features a status notification area that the user can
add to any panel on their desktop. This area is reserved for notifying
the user of non-critical, application-related events (for example,
arrival of new email, or a chat 'buddy' having logged on), and for
monitoring the status of system tasks (for example, network or printer
activity, or laptop battery charging)."

http://developer.gnome.org/projects/gup/hig/draft_hig_new/desktop-notification-area.html

Many apps don't use the notification subsystem - but this is the correct
solution to your problem.