[ubuntu-art] Glass panels - just a thought

[Chuck Huber]

On Fri, 2006-09-01 at 12:32 -0700, Troy James Sobotka wrote:
<snip>
> Is there something that we could do with the panels
> that is a little more what 'Ubuntu' seems to represent -- 
> Earthy, Human, Real, Grounded, Communal, etc?
> 
<snip>
> 
> There might be something to run with as defining Ubuntu
> _against_ those cliches.  Where the two commercial 
> operating systems are about money, fast cars, and those
> other trivial symbols of 'worth', Ubuntu offers us
> real _worth_ on many more levels.  In terms of a marketing 
> approach, it certainly has a powerful underpinning.  Thoughts?
> 
> Perhaps a little pondering on the subject could lead
> us to a very trademark and distinctive resolution?
> 
> Sincerely,
> TJS

I remember that when Solaris 10 came out...users(at least in my office)
were wondering what desktop Sun was using because with only one panel at
the bottom of the screen, it resembled MS but worked differently than
KDE. Little did they suspect it was Gnome because with a few cosmetic
changes Sun made it seem very different.

Running Solaris 10 with a widescreen monitor convinced me that an entire
panel devoted to the window list(bottom panel) was overkill so for the
past year I've been using Ubuntu with just one panel at the top of the
screen.  I still have four desktops in the switcher so there is ample
room for the Window List and everything else I regularly use.  That's
not to say that this setup would be perfect for EVERYONE, but people
with 30+ different apps open all the time can easily add another panel.
That's the beauty of Linux.

Recently there has been a lot of effort put into the Gnome menu design
which looks like it will lessen the amount of real estate it requires on
the panel which would reduce the need for two panels even more.

So in my mind, one glassy top panel for Ubuntu would offer a unique look
that just happens to work considerably well.
-- 
Chuck Huber <chuck at lagunadata.com>