[Ayatana] List of Ubuntu quirks that should be fixed for Precise

[Thibaut Brandscheid <randaltor@xxxxxx>]

Hi all

I really like Oneiric - the Launcher improvements!!! - and if I should describe it with one word, 'smooth' would be the word.

Since installing Oneiric last week I documented all kind of quirks and faults. Hopes this list is to some use to you and that some of the topics get discussed on the upcoming UDS-P - print/save this list and take it with you :)








The goal for the LTS is polish and to get all common actions done hustle free.


Here accrued points:

■ → Hot - Needs to be fixed - IMHO

■ → Medium - Should be fixed - IMHO

■ → Low - Would be nice if it would be fixed - IMHO

1. Dash

• Dash seems alien to the rest of the system
• Improve Dash search algorithm - Dash is e.g. not able right now to find German System Settings (called 'Systemeinstellungen' - two words written together) when writing only one part 'einstellungen' (mens 'settings' in German).
  
• Dash speed is okay, but not fast (pressing SUPER and start writing should be possible)
• Redesign Dash start menu (if we get some 'Dash Settings' place an icon there)
  
• Change order of Dash headlines ('Most Frequently used'...) to under the icon → 1 key press down → marks first item - right now (Oneiric) 2 key presses are necessary to reach first Dash search result = unhandy.
• Application Lens - Rename Scope 'Installed' to 'Apps' and remove all none useful applications from it → less cluttered = higher findability (move items like the system settings entries - not the icon itself - and 'shut down', 'Open JDK'...)
• Add to Nautilus Launcher right click menu 'Start new Window' (seems to be a bug - can't find a ticket)
  
• On Dash bottom the Lens icons need to show an info text when hovering them for some seconds
• Double click on Dash window top bar should maximize/un-maximize  (same behavior as other windows)
  
• Add key to collapse/un-collapse Dash scopes
• Define a key that when pressed down continuously will avoid closing of the Dash when Dash is open (SUPER would be nice, since its frank when Dash is active) → would allow to open multiple programs/files faster using the Dash
• Add to Dash 'new [Doc,Mail...]' items - e.g. 'new mail' = new Thunderbird mail
• Add 'Other' scope to app-lens and include there:  new documen, mail... and restart, shut down...
• Click on the Dash boarder closes the Dash → for the user = unexpectedly
• Right bottom corner/the Dash boarder allows no resizing = unexpected = one reason why the Dash feels alien
  

2. Thunderbird

• Change the default mail column sorting from 'oldest top' to 'newest top' (current appearance seems old style an is an UX misdeed)
• When right clicking on a folder in Thunderbird main menu, the first menu entry should be 'Mark Folder Read'

3. Banshee

• Move Banshee's 'Audiobooks' & 'Podcast' folders to ~/Music/{Audiobooks,Podcast} = cleaner home folder.
• Start Banshee minimized when adding a song to it using Music Lens and Banshee was "off" before.
  

4. Ubuntu Software Center

• Improve USC search algorithm - e.g search results are right now different when typing 'Conky' - 'conky' (tipping 'Conky' doesn't show the package 'conky')
  
• Create a bunch of videos on how to use Ubuntu 12.04 and put them in the USC (+ Yelp - when video-how-to package is installed) and upload them on YouTube

5. Nautilus

• When copping data to an usb drive that appears empty (but there are files still in the trash bin) the upcomming dialoge should not tell that there is not enough space → ask If the user wants to empty trash bin of the usb drive to be able to copy new data to it - if there is enough space.
  
• Nautilus Samba shares doesn't work always (needs UX testing)
• Make categories like 'Devices' in Nautilus collapsible
• Change the 'File System' icon in Nautilus to something better distinguishable from the other icons
  
• Redesign Nautilus right click menu → by fare too much entries!! No need e.g. for 'Revert to previous version' when not using Deja Dup at all...
• Add nautilus-image-converter to default installation → solves a common problem for a lot of people
• New devices should open in a new Nautilus tab when Nautilus is already running (optional - less clutter)
• Add mouse 3 click & back/forward click actions to nautilus

6. UX (User Experience)

• Reduce font and padding/margin size in default applications
  
• Prevent file piling on the Desktop (old but visual very annoying bug)
  
• A Window shouldn't intrusion visible into another workspace!
• Deactivate touchpad when mouse is connected to the Laptop - I know, wishlist → please, please :)
  

7. Other

• Make 'write metadata to files' default cfg option in Banshee & Shotwell (people expecting this)
• Add 'Start service at login' option to Thunderbird & Empathy (a mail daemon would be so nice that checks for new mails → notification when new mail arrives)
  
• Formating a USB drive is way to complicated and doesn't work often as expected (needs UX testing)
• Set a fix position for the 'Applying changes' window above the 'Update Manager' (current state looks unprofessional)
• Add to the device right click menu in the Launcher and Nautilus a menu entry that lets the user formate an drive easily (like the MS Windows one - sorry, but that is an easy one)
  
• Clean up LibreOffice Writer UI (to much unused icons spamming the interface)
• 'Shotwell Viewer' as default image viewer (reason: has editing functions)
  
• Add shortcuts to Gwibber (can't believe that there are none - no man page either)
  
• Expand the 'Startup Applications' to be able to auto-mount partitions and open applications & files → see appended image (with an option to open programs minimized)
• If no printer is detected the printing dialog should auto select 'Print to File' and PDF (reduces needed clicks)
• Yelp ('Ubuntu Desktop Guid') should contain a list of 'most used'/'useful' shortcuts for all default applications.
• Disk Utility needs a redesign
• 'System Settings → Screen' is complicated to understand for average users (needs UX testing)
  
• Add shortcuts to control the sound indicator
• New sound theme
• Remove the user name from switch-user-indicator (UI looks cleaner)
• Remove Tomboy (to complicated - power user can install it later) and LibreOffice Draw
  
• Add option to 'mouse options' dialog to change mouse scrolling speed (very helpful when reading a lot)
• Add all man pages to Yelp
  

8. New shortcuts suggestions:
Shortcuts are a good and easy way to enhance system usability for power users without disrupting the workflow of average users. All common actions should be reachable through shortcuts. The 'CTRL+ALT+[KEY]' combination should be used to start common actions (except CTRL+ALT+t = new Terminal) and SUPER+[KEY] to launch applications and interact with the Unity Shell.

• CTRL+ALT+g = new Gwibber message
• CTRL+ALT+m = new mail ('thunderbird -compose')
  
• CTRL+ALT+n = new LibreOffice Writer text document ('libreoffice --writer')
  
• CTRL+ALT+b = toggle Banshee playing ('banshee --toggle-playing' - launches Banshee when inactive before)

9. Proposals for UX-Tests:
Some system parts have just-to-work in user point of view and USB drive formating and sharing files over an local network are some of them. Both topics have never really worked smoothly (for me and others I talked to) → to complicated. Formating a USB drive is a common action. 'Disk Utility' has  - and ask when formating - to much questions and comes with an cluttered interface = not average user friendly.








Same for Samba. When creating a share and checking the guest box often it is not possible to access the files of the other persons computer. Network sharing is a very common task that has just-to-work. No normal user understands smb.conf.








Here the tests I purpose:

USB drive formating

• Ask participants to formate an USB drive

Samba

• Ask participants to copy some data - Internet or from USB drive - to the download folder and share it over the network (using Samba)
• Ask participants to copy data from other participants to there download folder
  

Hope the pointed topics are relevant and useful to you.

Greetings
Thibaut


Conclusion:






Jan Moren:
"As a developer I have to say I really like Unity. It's 
great at getting out of the way and give me more screen real estate for 
my work. As someone said on /., our desktops really are nothing but app 
launchers after all. What matters most is how well it gets out of the 
way, and Unity is good at that."

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