Remove the elevate combobox

Oct 13, 2025 by wbrum.org 24 views

Problem Statement

The current implementation of the Windows daemon's elevate combobox has been a point of contention for 15 years. The 'As needed' option, added by the developer when first implementing the Windows daemon, has caused confusion between two distinct features: --stop-on-desk-switch and elevate. This conflation of options has led to a suboptimal user experience and has hindered the development of the Windows daemon.

The Issue with the Current Implementation

The current implementation of the elevate combobox is a single dropdown menu that contains the 'As needed' option. This option is meant to indicate that the Core process should not always run as elevated. However, this option has been conflated with the --stop-on-desk-switch option, which is a workaround for various bugs such as sleep bugs and clipboard bugs. This conflation has led to a lack of clarity and has made it difficult for users to understand the implications of their choices.

Proposed Solution

To address this issue, we propose replacing the elevate combobox with two separate checkboxes: an 'Elevate' checkbox and a 'Stop on desk switch' checkbox. The 'Elevate' checkbox would be on by default, indicating that the Core process should run as elevated. The 'Stop on desk switch' checkbox would be a separate option that allows users to choose whether or not to stop the Core process when the user switches desks.

Benefits of the Proposed Solution

The proposed solution would have several benefits. Firstly, it would clarify the options available to users and would eliminate the conflation of the 'As needed' option with the --stop-on-desk-switch option. Secondly, it would provide users with more control over the behavior of the Core process and would allow them to make more informed decisions about their system configuration. Finally, it would simplify the development process and would make it easier to add new features and options in the future.

Design Considerations

When designing the new interface, we should consider the following factors:

User Experience: The new interface should be intuitive and easy to use. Users should be able to understand the implications of their choices and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.
Clarity: The new interface should be clear and concise. Users should be able to easily understand the options available to them and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.
Consistency: The new interface should be consistent with the rest of the system. Users should be able to easily navigate the new interface and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.

Implementation Plan

To implement the proposed solution, we would need to make the following changes:

Remove the elevate combobox: We would need to remove the current elevate combobox and replace it with two separate checkboxes.
Add the 'Elevate' checkbox: We would need to add a new checkbox that indicates whether or not the Core process should run as elevated.
Add the 'Stop on desk switch' checkbox: We would need to add a new checkbox that allows users to choose whether or not to stop the Core process when the user switches desks.
Update the user interface: We would need to update the user interface to reflect the new options and to make it easier for users to understand the implications of their choices.

Conclusion

The proposed solution would address the issue of the conflated options in the current implementation of the Windows daemon's elevate combobox. By replacing the elevate combobox with two separate checkboxes, we would provide users with more control over the behavior of the Core process and would make it easier for them to make informed decisions about their system configuration. We believe that this solution would be beneficial to users and would simplify the development process.

Future Work

In the future, we could consider adding more options to the new interface. For example, we could add a checkbox that allows users to choose whether or not to run the Core process in the background. We could also consider adding more features to the Windows daemon, such as the ability to run the Core process in a virtual machine.

References

Glossary

Core process: The Core process is the main process of the Windows daemon.
Elevate: To elevate a process means to run it with elevated privileges.
Stop on desk switch: To stop on desk switch means to stop the Core process when the user switches desks.
Virtual machine: A virtual machine is a software emulation of a computer system.
Split Windows Daemon Elevate Combobox into Two Checkboxes: A Q&A Article ================================================================================

Frequently Asked Questions

We have received several questions about the proposed solution to split the Windows daemon elevate combobox into two checkboxes. Below are some of the most frequently asked questions and their answers.

Q: Why do we need to split the elevate combobox into two checkboxes?

A: The current implementation of the elevate combobox has been a point of contention for 15 years. The 'As needed' option, added by the developer when first implementing the Windows daemon, has caused confusion between two distinct features: --stop-on-desk-switch and elevate. This conflation of options has led to a suboptimal user experience and has hindered the development of the Windows daemon.

Q: What are the benefits of splitting the elevate combobox into two checkboxes?

A: The proposed solution would have several benefits. Firstly, it would clarify the options available to users and would eliminate the conflation of the 'As needed' option with the --stop-on-desk-switch option. Secondly, it would provide users with more control over the behavior of the Core process and would allow them to make more informed decisions about their system configuration. Finally, it would simplify the development process and would make it easier to add new features and options in the future.

Q: How would the new interface be designed?

A: When designing the new interface, we would consider the following factors:

User Experience: The new interface should be intuitive and easy to use. Users should be able to understand the implications of their choices and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.
Clarity: The new interface should be clear and concise. Users should be able to easily understand the options available to them and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.
Consistency: The new interface should be consistent with the rest of the system. Users should be able to easily navigate the new interface and should be able to make informed decisions about their system configuration.

Q: What changes would be made to the user interface?

A: To implement the proposed solution, we would need to make the following changes:

Remove the elevate combobox: We would need to remove the current elevate combobox and replace it with two separate checkboxes.
Add the 'Elevate' checkbox: We would need to add a new checkbox that indicates whether or not the Core process should run as elevated.
Add the 'Stop on desk switch' checkbox: We would need to add a new checkbox that allows users to choose whether or not to stop the Core process when the user switches desks.
Update the user interface: We would need to update the user interface to reflect the new options and to make it easier for users to understand the implications of their choices.

Q: What are the next steps in implementing the proposed solution?

A: The next steps in implementing the proposed solution would be to:

Design the new interface: We would need to design the new interface based on the factors mentioned above.
Implement the new interface: We would need to implement the new interface and make the necessary changes to the user interface.
Test the new interface: We would need to test the new interface to ensure that it is working as expected and that users are able to understand the implications of their choices.

Q: What are the potential risks and challenges associated with implementing the proposed solution?

A: The potential risks and challenges associated with implementing the proposed solution include:

User resistance: Users may be resistant to the change and may not understand the implications of the new interface.
Technical challenges: Implementing the new interface may require significant technical changes and may be challenging to implement.
Testing and validation: We would need to thoroughly test and validate the new interface to ensure that it is working as expected and that users are able to understand the implications of their choices.

Conclusion

The proposed solution to split the Windows daemon elevate combobox into two checkboxes would address the issue of the conflated options in the current implementation. By replacing the elevate combobox with two separate checkboxes, we would provide users with more control over the behavior of the Core process and would make it easier for them to make informed decisions about their system configuration. We believe that this solution would be beneficial to users and would simplify the development process.

Future Work

References

Glossary

Core process: The Core process is the main process of the Windows daemon.
Elevate: To elevate a process means to run it with elevated privileges.
Stop on desk switch: To stop on desk switch means to stop the Core process when the user switches desks.
Virtual machine: A virtual machine is a software emulation of a computer system.