Re: [Ayatana] No one will ever use the upper-left Ubuntu button

[Marc Lajoie <manorapide@xxxxxxxxx>]

If I had to name my big three problems with Unity it would be: 1) the uselessness of the Ubuntu button 2) The fact that the "function" buttons (places, virtual desktops, trash) are mixed in with the application buttons in the dock 3) that Unity, which started out very touch friendly, is becoming less so as it evolves.

If I had a say (which I don't), I'd have a "two-sided" dock: on one side, the application buttons, on the other, the "function" buttons. The Ubuntu button would flip the dock over (perhaps with a pretty revolving animation!). See the attached mockup.

Of course, if the dock is hidden, the first click will recall it. The second click will flip the dock.

It might seem to waste time to have the extra click to get to the function buttons, but I think it comes to the same as having to hunt through the application buttons in the dock to find them.

It would also be a much more touch-friendly. Touchscreen users will be able to recall the hidden dock by pressing the Ubuntu button. Mark Shuttleworth mentioned that the Ubuntu button is not a good touch target, but presumably at some point the panel is going to have to be vertically resizable, esp. since the window controls are up there, and touch people will have to be able to use those, too. For themes with larger window controls (pretty much necessary for touch enabled devices) the panel will need to grow to accomodate them. Presumably the Ubuntu button will grow accordingly, making it a proper touch target.

I think this solution addresses all three of my concerns, and makes Unity much more touch-friendly (esp. for single-touch devices) as well as organized.

My two cents!

Attachment: mymockup1.png
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