[Ayatana] I don't think global menu and the panel is good for a touch OS

To: Ayatana <ayatana@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>

Subject: [Ayatana] I don't think global menu and the panel is good for a touch OS

From: Thamawij Pirajnaraporn <ubuntu.thamawij@xxxxxxxxx>

Date: Fri, 14 Jan 2011 10:40:48 +0700

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I have seen the 10.10 netbook and 11.04 Alpha,�Unity dock is a big improvement but I think�global menu is not a good idea with the following reasons. (At first I though it was a modified gnome panel)

Panel-based OS certainly not work for touch OS because :

panels take precious horizontal space of a widescreen and it's not match for vertical either. A small panel at the edge of screen is really hard to touch it precisely and increasing the size is just wasting screen space. Especially for netbooks with 1024x600 screen resolution.
This will just follow the Microsoft Windows 7 mistake, it sucks on netbook with touchscreen. I have tried both Unity and Windows 7 on Lenovo S10-3 and I barely use touch screen because it's so annoying when you miss a touch. What will happen if small Close/Minimize/Maximize buttons went on the top edge ?

Implementing global would be worthy if it had been done a few years ago but doing it now is out-of-date since touchscreen is coming. If the aim is to persuade the users from Mac with the similar interface with a plus of a Unity dock then this is a big mistake (I just guess for the reason, may be I'm wrong), in contrast Ubuntu users that affordable for a Mac would go for it. Ubuntu would be compared as a second class product that following around the successors.

The solution I would like to introduce is to implement the whole panel functionality into Unity dock. Make the whole OS be able to controlled by the dock, may be widgets on top of the dock such like Docky Anchor icon and Network Manager and Notification area.

I know this is just an opinion which people may both agree or oppose but please kindly take this idea into consideration. I try to introduce the idea for half year and I've got to know the mailing list at last. I'm a plain user who leave Windows behind and go for Ubuntu for 2 years and try out everything since 9.10. I've always looking forward to the next one. Please let me know if I could help anything. Hope my opinion is helpful for you.

PS. If you found that this mail is in the wrong place, please let me know the right place to send it. I would be really grateful.