unity-design team mailing list archive

[James Jenner <james.g.jenner@xxxxxxxxx>]

On 5 October 2011 02:13, Matteo Pagliazzi <matteopagliazzi@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> I think that the blobal menu isn't really a problem for most of us for a
> simply reason: most of the apps doesn't really use the menu as an important
> part of the design but they preferr toolbars, button...
>
> Only a few, but important, apps still use the global menu first LibreOffice
> but for it the app menu isn't activate.
>
>
Have you seen how the global menu affects Gimp? I know there is a new
version coming for the Gimp that unifies all the windows (this will remove
the major problem with the global menu) but it's my understanding that a lot
of people like the multiple window approach that the Gimp uses.

The problem is that if you have a window selected that is not the image
window, you loose the global menu, because the global menu is tied to the
main window of the Gimp.

The only solution I've seen is to disable the global menu for the Gimp, but
that doesn't remove the problem. I also would have thought that there are
other applications that utilise the multi window approach that are not
docked or use a MDI approach.

So I think it's not as simple as saying that there are no issues with the
global menu, in my mind the three issues (two are related) are:

1) Large screens (mine is 30") the traversal for using the mouse when you
have multiple windows open is painful
2) Multiple applications displayed at same time, have to select the
application before one can use the menu for it (more obvious on large
screens like mine)
3) Multiple window based applications like the Gimp only allow the global
menu if the main window is open, but selection of any button on a pallet
will cause that window to have focus and thus the global window for the main
window is not available.

I'm not saying let's get rid of the global menu, I'm just saying that there
are a few issues out there that tend to be missed on the focus of more
portable and small format screens. Which, from my point of view, is half the
reason for the design decisions in Unity (minimise screen utilisation by
reducing the footprint of various things).

Cheers,

James.