unity-design team mailing list archive

[Michal Strba <faiface2202@xxxxxxxxx>]

Hello. I really like new things in oneiric like dash button in laucher, new
alt-tab, etc. But one isn't very good and that's DASH. It still isn't clean,
tidy and simply usable.

For the first we have to define what is dash for:

   1. FINDING AND LAUNCHING APPS
   You can find app by name or by category. New users probabbly doesn't know
   the names of the applications so finding by category is very useful.
   Currently, categories are bit unusable in dash because it doesn't shows only
   categories that exists (you have apps "in" it) but it wants to show all
   categories. That's not good. For example when you have installed some
   windows software through wine you don't see Wine category and it's lot
   harder to find windows applications, wine setting, etc. In GNOME 2 (and also
   Xfce, etc) it's done the best way. You have "Categories" and "Some
   shortcuts" for example for USC, Terminal, etc. "Some Shortcuts" are in unity
   represented by the launcher (launcher is of course lot better then "Some
   Shortcuts"). So dash need to contains categories. It can add most frequently
   used applications but not apps aviable for download. USC is for installing
   apps, not dash. It makes it only more unusefull.
   2. SEARCHING FOR FILES
   Currently it's done not good way because there are separed types of files
   ("Music", "Documents"). Don't you want to make a music player or document
   viewer integrated to dash?!?! Look for example at spotlight in mac, how it
   is useful.

The geniality is in simplicity. Do not add function, add function, add
function..... It isn't the way.

With dash you also need to open storage devices as well as with "Places"
menu in GNOME 2. I think that dash need to contains this three "tabs": Apps,
Places, Search. Guess what is for what! ;-)