ubuntu-us-ohio team mailing list archive

[Scott Randby <srandby@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 05/08/2011 12:42 PM, skellat@xxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:
> I use Xubuntu at home and it is used in the course of producing The Burning Circle, our podcast at http://ohio.ubuntu-us.org/burningcircle, so it is fine.
>
> How specifically is Unity throwing you helter-skelter?

Since you asked, I'm happy to explain. But first, I want it to be clear
that I'm okay with the change to Unity because there are so many other
options out there for those who choose not to use it. I've seen some
really vicious criticisms of Unity that are directed at individuals
instead of software and I don't want to be part of that.

First, some background. The first computer I ever owned was a Macintosh
SE which I purchased around 1988. I was a Mac user exclusively for years
after that. I was happy when OS X came along because it really opened up
the system, but Apple became more and more restrictive and less user
friendly as time passed. Around 3 years ago I'd had enough and made the
switch to Ubuntu. I chose Ubuntu because it was easy, it worked, and I
could customize it easily.

Now Unity comes along and it makes me feel like I'm back with Apple. My
current system is set up so that I see only those things I want to see.
But when I go to the Dash on Unity I see only what it wants me to see
and I can't change it. I want the Dash to show only the applications
that I use with the option of showing those I don't use. And I don't
want it showing available software I haven't installed. If I desire
other software, then I should be able to search for it using the Dash,
but I'm an Emacs user and don't need other software.

Putting application menus on the top panel instead of in application
windows is a decision I don't understand. Maybe this is good for a
netbook (though I don't like it on my netbook), but it doesn't work well
at all when using a large screen. When I'm working on a large screen, I
don't want to move my eyes away from the application window when I'm
using an application, but Unity forces me to do just that when I need to
use a menu (though I have menu bars turned off in Emacs).

The Launcher is a huge problem for me. The decision to use the <Super>
key to show the Launcher hurts because I use that key to switch between
workspaces. Anyway, I'm used to creating my own primitive launcher and
attaching it to the top panel. I can't do that with Unity. In addition,
adding self-compiled applications (I always compile Emacs from source)
to the Launcher requires more steps than before, and I have no idea how
to ensure such applications are recognized by the Dash.

As I see it, the fundamental problem with Unity is its lack of
customization options. This is a serious design flaw, very serious. The
ability to customize easily should be one of the primary considerations
of desktop designers. Adding customizations options later is a
fundamental mistake. The Compiz Settings Manager should be included by
default at the minimum. It is fine to set things up one way for
beginners, but everyone has different preferences and desires and, this
being Linux, they should be able to set things up according to those
preferences as much as possible.

I've read that studies were done to determine what most people prefer in
regard to such things as the placement of the menubar of an application.
So fine, the mean preference was determined. But what is the standard
deviation? I suspect that it is large and that most people would like
something that is at the very least slightly different. I've also read
that efficiency studies were done regarding certain operations. But
efficiency does not equal usability. You can make people work
efficiently but you can't make them like it.

When I am able to customize Unity so that it isn't Unity anymore, then I
might use it. But Xubuntu is looking really good right now.

Scott Randby