UI idea with a mock up

[cptnapalm]

On occasion, I have complained about how most, if not all, user interface elements in Linux (and the BSDs too) are primarily clones of Windows or Mac OS stuff.

So here is my mock up of something which begins to be different:

http://ubuntuforums.org/gallery/data/500/new-ui-mockup.png

The menus are colored so that they are distinctive (I would have made actual buttons but I'm artistically challenged).

The left vertical panel could be replaced by something dock like, should that prove to be a better idea.

The pixels given up horizontally are made up for vertically. This, I think, is a good trade off because most used applications (web browser, word processor, etc) have more need for additional vertical space than horizontal space. For example, the size of the url space in firefox is obnoxious. Cutting it down to something more sensible allows for the menu portion to be moved which results in space savings and grants additional readable area for any given web page. By hacking down the size of the top panel and moving the window border to the absolute top of the screen, additional vertical viewing area is gained. The only cost is a minor loss in horizontal space which is normally wasted anyway.

I'm feel myself beginning to ramble, so I'll stop now.

[justin whitaker]

Interesting. I like it in a "getting things done" sense, since it maximizes screen real estate for the running application.

Some of the choices are odd...the date and time should be on the sidebar, I think, with the other prominent system information.

The off button in the lower right corner also seems oddly placed. I think there is too great a possibility of hitting the off switch when clicking on a window placing it there.

Nice work though.

[cptnapalm]

The time bit was actually something I thought of after I had pasted it there... but I really am lazy so I just left it :)

Hadn't thought of the possibility of accidental click on the logout button. When I put it there, it was because I was not going to have a taskbar, but some sort of dock/taskbar hybrid. But I was too lazy to do that, so in the taskbar went.

The big thing is to get something new going on. Whether or not any of this becomes a new GUI, I don't care. Just that Linux and the BSDs really need to start thinking about making something better than what is available, not just yet-another-clone. If this contributes even in a minor way, then that is good for me.

One possible solution to the accidental logout which you pointed out would be to eliminate the taskbar, drop down the bottom of the app to the bottom of the screen, gaining a bit more screen real estate for the app, but hack off part of the bottom bit of the app for the recycle bin and the pager.

Speaking of the pager, we need a new one.

[bobbybobington]

While not a redesign of the ui, I have had an idea of a new ui for a file manager. It consists of a graphical tree representation of your files and folders, with perhaps using aiglx to do smooth animations and effects. Imagine apple's frontrow on steroids except as a filemanager and you control it with your mouse & keyboad instead of a remote.

[darundal]

Interesting. However, the workspace switcher should be in the sidebar (since you can't drag a window from one workspace to another, Horizontal or vertical alignment don't mean all that much...) and the date and time placed where the switcher currently is. Also, you should remove the App-Launcher, and put the deskbar where the time and date currently are (the deskbar can launch apps and commands). Obviously, this also allows for the removal of the search icon you have in the sidebar (don't remember if that is search dictionary or computer, either way the deskbar does both). Also, in the sidebar, you should definitly have the update icon, notification panel, as well as the trash icon. Also, interesting idea, perhaps a launcher area that shows a couple of the programs you use more often, so you don't have to go hunting through the menus to find them. Also, out of curiosity, what would this look like without an app running (just at the desktop)?

[cptnapalm]

Workplace switcher: I initially thought of putting it in the sidebar, but decided to keep it there 1) I'm lazy 2) I thought of a GL way of using it. mouse over explodes it so it can be used to move stuff around, but with live thumbnails instead of the blank boxes we have now. Not full screen; maybe 1/4 screen.

Sidebar: I just threw a bunch of stuff onto the sidebar. No real rhyme or reason behind the inclusion of any particular apps. The idea for it is rather like that for WindowMaker/NextStep: a place to slap info and small apps that should always be available. Date and time should be on the sidebar as justin pointed out. That would be where the update stuff and whatnot would appear.

Taskbar: I'm thinking that a taskdock might be a good idea. Have it start centered and grow from there. More iconified but with text and explode on mouse over.

How about the on/off button heads to the lower right, thus making the corners on the right side of the screen have similar functionality: top right to close app, lower right to close session. If that is to be the case, then the workplace switcher would have to move. Bottom left corner?

[FFred]

Some interesting ideas. However maximizing a window is quite rare in Unix desktops from what I've seen. (maybe less so with people with a Windows background).
I know I only do it with very few applications (a few image browsers for photos, graphic MDI packages with large images, Scribus, sometimes PDF readers... that's it I think)