We use tools to get work done. When we click a tool on the tool box, the tool is "loaded onto" the document. We then use that tool until we need to use another tool which we "load onto" the document.

When a tool is active on the desk, that tool isn't visible on the toolbox. i.e. If we had the calculator on the toolbox, clicking the calculator's icon sends it to the desk. The icon is the tool so it goes to the desk and wouldn't be visible on the toolbox.

Tools that do not work with documents have a "remove from desk" button in their title bar to send the tool away from the desk back to the tool box. These tools cannot be shelved.

Comments:

• I like that tools look like the tools they represent. This metaphor could be extended further with compositing and cairo. For instance GNOME keyring manager and Seahorse could present actual key rings for each type of key/certificate/password and the user could scroll wheel through them and some form of rendered bubble would present additional information on each item. Perhaps keyrings could be kept on a "hook" in the toolbox? </stream of consciousness> On a different note, perhaps something akin to MacOS's service providers could be integrated. I saw a LaTeX rendering service the other day that blew me away. It was changing LaTeX markup anywhere in a text field or document into rendered equations.- AdamSchreiber