unity-design team mailing list archive

["appi2012@xxxxxxxxx" <appi2012@xxxxxxxxx>]

On Fri, Mar 11, 2011 at 4:15 AM, Gian <zappete@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Hello everybody,
> that's my first time posting here, so hi! :)
>
> I think the proposed solutions of a 2-sided launcher have a great advantage
> over the current implementation: currently on large monitors the places
> shortcuts may end well below the dash, because the launcher is full of apps.
> This spatial separation hides their connection to the dash. Showing them on
> top when the dash is open stresses their role of dash places shortcuts.
>
> I couldn't resist to draw my own mockup: instead of flipping the launcher,
> you could make the Places Shortcuts drop down from above when the dash is
> displayed (see attachment).
>
> the advantage i see is that one is still able to perform window management
> tasks (such as switching to some window) while the dash is open. I think
> that this is really crucial, because it means that one can have full control
> on both the dash and the launcher just by pressing <Super>. This also makes
> it less important to learn the differences between the launcher and the
> dash: after all, they both allow you to launch applications.
> Moreover, with the current "fade and slide on bfb" animation, the user may
> be tempted to *click* on the bfb, instead of reaching the top-left corner,
> in order to display the launcher. It would be  disappointing for him/her to
> find out that all the apps have just gone away from it!
> Also note that I left Trash, Removable Devices and Workspaces at the
> bottom, because they are not related to the dash and do not need to stay
> close to it.
> The advantage of not displaying the places shortcuts on top all the time is
> that people will likely (and hopefully :) start to code tons of custom
> places (People, IMDb, ...), each with its shortcut. Moreover, it's nice to
> have the most used application (say, the web browser) at the top, easily
> recognizable, when you start your computer: especially for new users!
>
> By the way, I really like how Unity is shaping up: I miss it when I switch
> back to 10.10 ;)
>
> Best,
> Gian


+1
This idea makes a lot of sense - its low on the movement (and hence
distraction), but accomplishes what's necessary, decluttering the launcher
and making the place shortcuts useful again.