[Ayatana] Applications in unity

["balint777@xxxxxxxxx" <balint777@xxxxxxxxx>]

Dear Ayatana team,

I'm a young developer, who have been following the development of Unity since the slow and buggy clutter-based netbook edition. I really am amazed about the progress you've made int he past year writing the interface from scratch. I would like to share my ideas about some usability issues. Particulally about applications.

Don't get me wrong, but in the current version of Ubuntu it is not clear, what applications are. In the application lens of the dash you can find settings (keyboard, bluetooth etc.), utilities (search for files) and system controls (restart, logout) mixed with real applications.

We should define what exactly an application from the User's point of view is and stay as close as possible to that metaphor. I think, as a user may expect: an application is a program wich is by no means part of the system.

- An application is not used for system configuration.

- An application can be removed from the system without any problems (no dependency on it)

- An application is represented by an icon. (This is really important. For a developer a program may be an executable, or a package, but a user may think the icon he/she sees IS the applicaion - When I was 6, i thought that deleting the game's icon deletes the game. I'm sure i'm not alone with this.)

- Applications are icons, he/she can find in the software center and drag to his/her machine (launcher or dash) to get it.

I would like to have a desktop, where applications show up with installation animation, when i buy/download them form the store (like the iPhone approach). Where an application gets deleted when I drag it to the trash can. Where progressbars, counters and stikers do not only show the applications status in the launcher, but everywhere the application appears (at least in the dash as well). Where i can find every setting, utility, and system control by typing into the search box, but not when browsing for applications.

There are a bit wilder ideas about applications which i would like to discuss also.

- When an application is pinned to the launcher, it should disappear form the dash. (It makes the application metaphor more clear, with only one instance of its icon)

- The old Windows 95-style approact of icon is bad. The desktop is no place for an application, but for documents and files. ".desktop" files shoud not be allowed in the filesystem elsewhere than /usr/share/applications .

I hope you find some of them useul. Best regards:

Bálint Csonka

-- 
Csonka Bálint @913