11.04

[Chris Robinson]

>From: Joel Pickett <jpickett at une.edu.au>

>Sent: Fri, 8 April, 2011 10:00:47 AM
>Subject: Re: 11.04

>I've been using Unity/Ubuntu 11.04 as a dual boot with Windows 7 for about
>3 weeks now (since it's successfully booted/installed on my machine). I'm
>loving Unity, however it did take some getting used to and will still take

I'm feeling in the minority here.  :-)

>some time to become a ninja at all the keyboard shortcuts. I'm now using

Which is also one of the problems I have with the Unity concept - a GUI whose 
most efficient mode of use is the keyboard... and is so counter-intuitive that 
you need a list of instructions and time to become familiar with them.

Don't get me wrong, I have no problems with keyboard shortcuts, but in this case 
they are required since the alternatives can be quite painful.  Also consider 
those with disabilities - I've seen people who have trouble with ninja type 
multiple key combinations, but they get to be able to slide a mouse around and 
click pretty good.  Yes, there's sticky keys, but _I_ wouldn't like to have to 
rely on them.

>multiple desktops, since most of my application use is full-screen using
>the global menu. I'm finding that I don't really need to use the File Edit

I also found that Unity forced me to use multiple workspaces where I never have 
before.  It isn't that it makes things easier, but that it's better than the 
alternatives...  And the most efficient method of switching is still a keyboard 
operation though I have not problem with mouse method.

Now open Nautilus in one workspace and an application in another, try to to 
drag/drop a file into the application.  ;-)

Another thing that Unity is not handling gracefully at the moment is 
applications that have several data windows open.  Selecting the application 
only selects either the first window or the last used one.  There's also 
applications that have several panel windows themselves, and one or more quite 
often get left behind.

In it's current incarnation Unity also looks like a Mac screen that's been draw 
with crayons.  I'm not really hung up on the appearance but at least with 
classic interface the lack of style is unimportant - I can show friends an 
impressive demonstration of what Ubuntu can do.

It was these frustrations that spoiled the Unity/11.04 experience for me, enough 
to try some other distros and ultimately to decide to stay with 10.04 LTS for 
the time being.  Hopefully Unity will mature into something usable for me, but 
it's going to take some real genius to overcome its shortcomings.  Roll on, 
11.10

Chris.