Posted by Mike Hayes on
URL: https://forum.librecad.org/QDockWidget-vs-QDialog-tp5711848p5711867.html

From a user's perspective Dellus's comments make a lot of sense.

Many applications, particularly those that have adopted the Ribbon Interface, squeeze the working area remaining for the actual document into a horizontal slot which can make viewing it seem like peering through a letterbox.

A good model to consider is OpenOffice. It uses a sidebar panel that provides frequently used tools, grouped in "decks" which can be switched between via tabs. Adopting such a model would be a natural development of LibreCAD's existing user interface where the Layer List and Block List are by default docked on the right side of the screen like the OpenOffice sidebar panel.

Mike