Ubuntu 12.04 LTS removing unity and installing GNOME

[Liam Proven]

On 5 June 2012 04:44, Rashkae <ubuntu at tigershaunt.com> wrote:
> I don't personally like moving the application  menus to the top of the
> screen.  Admittedly, this is something I could just get used to, and 'would'
> have proven useability benefits to using the screen edge for infinite
> pointing space...

There are many ways of doing this on different OSs. Windows puts menus
in a horizontal bar in the window; MacOS and GEM in a horizontal bar
at the top of the screen; AmigaOS and Unity in a hidden bar at the top
of the screen; RISC OS in a context menu summoned by a special mouse
button; NeXTstep in a vertical, cascading tree at top left of the
screen.

People tend to get very wedded to the way that they are used to, or
the first way that they met. Really, at the end of the day, it's not a
hugely big deal. With a bit of practice you can get used to any
arrangement.

Secondly, menus seem to be going away. MS is banishing them in favour
of "ribbons", Ubuntu in favour of the HUD, touchscreen apps in favour
of iconic pop-up bars or something and in most cases no menus at all.

> I say "would" be cause any perceived theoretical benefit
> gets completely eliminated when the menu hides unless you move the mouse
> pointer to unveil it.  I don't know what genius thought that would be a good
> idea, but it shows right there in two minutes exactly how little though to
> usability actually went into Unity.

It is very poorly /discoverable/ but actually once you've discovered
it, it makes little difference to /usability./

Seriously. You only need to know where they are. It makes /no/
difference /at all/ to how you actually access them.

> 2: I'm a compulsive multi-tasker who has grown used to having a dozen
> virtual desktops, several of them filled with several windows.  A task
> bar/dock that doesn't keep my desktops separate is completely useless to
> me.

I am a compulsive multi-tasker with multiple apps on multiple
desktops. I find a taskbar that does not show me all my apps, no
matter which desktop they're on, utterly unusable.

No, seriously, I mean it. I merely throw this in to show you how one
person's mileage varies. I can't stand to use a system which requires
me to memorise which desktop an app is on, or hunt through them all
for my app. I *need* them all in my task switcher - that is what it is
*for*, after all - and the *OS* to remember which app is on which
desktop and switch to the one I need.

> Those are the only 2 issues I ran into before giving up on Unity.  #2
> especially is a complete showstopper.

That's fine. It's clearly not the desktop for you (or, if you will
forgive me a little teasing, you are not flexible enough to adapt to
it!)

May I suggest that you write up what desktop you *do* choose, and why,
and blog it and promote it so others can benefit from your
discoveries? And if you migrate to another *buntu or something, that
you then help out that project?

-- 
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