Re: [Ayatana] Unity feedback & suggestions

[Matthew Paul Thomas <mpt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

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Sorry I can't reply to all your suggestions, just the ones I know
anything about.

Jimmy Forrester-Fellowes wrote on 23/03/11 14:48:
>...
> 
>     * The first thing that hit me was why is the ubuntu button so small
>       compared with launcher buttons? As it's now the most important
>       button on my dekstop it seems a little understated. How would it
>       look if the launcher bar took up all the vertical space, and the
>       first square button was a nice fancy ubuntu button that didn't
>       ever move (even if the launcher bar scrolls)? 

The effective target size of the Ubuntu button is much larger than any
of the launcher buttons, because it is in the corner of the screen.
Whether it *looks* important relative to the launcher is also an issue,
but separate.

>     * I can't seem to find a keyboard-shortcut to open the unity shell.

The "Super" key (i.e. the Windows key on Windows keyboards, the Command
key on Mac keyboards) reveals the launcher and Dash.

>...
> *File management*
> 
>     * I don't know if unity is planning/working on phasing nautilus out
>       of ubuntu but that's the impression I get. I think it would be
>       great if unity had the functionality of nautilus/dolphin but at
>       the moment it doesn't have some very basic & critical features.
>       This has probably been my biggest issue with unity. I found
>       myself using unity shell to find my documents but then having to
>       load nautilus up as unity didn't have the features i needed to
>       work with them. When my less computer savvy friends/family click
>       'Files and Folders' and see a screen full of their documents,
>       photos & videos, they will expect to be able to accomplish basic
>       tasks (/copy, paste, rename, order by, see full filenames, open
>       files with alternative applications/) there and then as they
>       are accustomed to. Unity shell feels like it's half way to being
>       a file-manager but doesn't quite get there, switching to nautlis
>       to perform basic tasks feels clunky.

I agree, the current division is awkward. Several times already I've
tried to drag files from the Dash to the Trash, before remembering that
it's not implemented. And there will always be user experience
precipices like that, as long as the Dash does some but not all of what
Nautilus does.

> *Unity Launcher Panel*
> 
>     * I suggest removing rubbish bin icon from the launcher, or at very
>       least give the user to option to. I rarely use it (usually once
>       every 6 months when I remember to empty it to free some space). 

I wonder if it would become more useful it there was a simple API for
trashing things from other applications, not just the file manager. For
example, trashing a bookmark from a Web browser, or a chat log from an
IM client.

>     * I dont think any of the 3 icons at the bottom (Files & Folders,
>       Application & Rubbish bin) are essential. It would be nice
>       to consolidate their functionality in to the single unity-shell.

Interesting idea.

>...
>     * Double clicking on the window title usually maximises and then
>       restores a window. This works on unity unless the window is
>       maximised and then it doesn't do anything. When you double click
>       on the file menu bar to the right of the options could it restore
>       a window? It would be more consistent this way.

I think that's fixed already. <http://launchpad.net/bugs/661049>

> *Miscellaneous*
> 
>     * ALT+TAB seems quite dated now in unity. Not the idea - just the
>       way it works. I suggest making it display thumbnails of all the
>       windows (same effect as when you click an application icon in the
>       launcher panel when there are multiple windows), continuing to
>       alt+tab or using the arrow keys you could select the window you
>       want? 

One of my colleagues is working on a redesign for Alt Tab, but has
nothing public to show yet. Anyone else is welcome to publish their own
design for it too.

>     * Window titles seem to have gone - I didn't really mind this until
>       I came to a situation where I had two openoffice spreadsheets
>       open and couldn't see which one was saved and which wasn't. Are
>       they gone for good?!

Maybe the window was maximized, or maybe unity-window-decorator had crashed.

>     * The icons at the top right (battery indicator, wifi, sound etc)
>       are very fiddly to use. I've watched someone attempt to turn the
>       volume down on my laptop failing multiple times as when they move
>       their mouse to grab the range-slider it moves them on to the
>       chat/gwibber or date drop-down. It really should be a little more
>       forgiving! 
>...

That is a bug in GTK. <http://launchpad.net/bugs/552920>

Cheers
- -- 
mpt
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