[hoary] initial usability reactions

[George Farris]

On Tue, 2004-16-11 at 22:02 -0800, ubuntu-users-request at lists.ubuntu.com
wrote:
> maybe it's naive  of my part, and like you said earlier, I'm really
> not a newby at computers and graphical interfaces, but I think that
> this decision to put icons or not on the desktop is up to the user, in
> the same category than the colour of the background, the window theme,
> etc. Ubuntu provides something neutral and simple  and it's up to the
> user to add more as they wish, when they wish.
> 
> With that said maybe the example of KDE is a nice one: at least on KDE
> 3.1 on Mandrake, you have a setting, easily found in the desktop
> background preferences,  to turn on and off icons on the desktop. 
> Maybe in Ubuntu it could be on (or off) by default, and one right
> click would give access to that setting. And everyone could switch
> from one mode or the other very easily.

OK, Here is an issue.  Where does a new user find the place to enable
icons on the desktop?  I know it's in the config tool under Nautilus but
new users don't.  Also, If a user decide to remove the top panel and
doesn't want the menu applet on the bottom, they have now lost the
ability to access those services unless they are on the desktop.

Either Ubuntu needs to provide a clear, easily found option for setting
these or they should be on the desktop to begin with.

Just my (CAN)$0.02  worth:-)

-- 
George Farris   farrisg at mala.bc.ca
Network and Technical Services
Malaspina University-College