Ubuntu Panel Replacer - Mockup / Idea

[BradwJensen]

This is a mockup idea BASED off "Avant Window Navigator" which I started in Photoshop.. (not finished). Also, icons & wallpaper are made by others, not me..

Purpose:
It's purpose would be to replace both panels on Ubuntu Linux, Keep things Simple/Easy, and Save Space; while keeping ourselves moving in a forward future direction..

How it works:
On the left of the Dock you would have the System Icon, when u click the System icon you get a bubble with your 'Programs and preferences' in them like shown in the attachment.. When you click something in the Bubble, like "Internet" the contents in the bubble would change to show all of your internet applications with which you could launch from that bubble..

When you type in the search of the bubble, the contents in the bubble would change to what it found in the search til' you hit the clear search button, in which you would be taken back to the main "Programs & Pref's" menu.

When you open/run a program - that programs icon is then displayed in the middle of the dock.. anything open, minimized, or in the tray would show up on the middle of the dock to indicate to you that it is a running application..

The right of the Dock would be for things like a trashcan, date/time, and weather..

The dock can be set to auto-hide to save even more space when working.. when one clicks an app icon of something already running on the dock you would be switched to that application on whatever workarea that application is located on..


When you get an email or update available, a small text or window like the bubble with text in it would popup somewhere on the screen stating you got something new and some info about it quickly, then it would auto minimize to the dock.

Also there may be a Icon next to the 'System Icon' on the dock for 'Places' with a bubble filled with place like 'home' & 'file system' and so on; which when u click those a Nautilus window would open to that folder. Maybe u can choose to have a nautilus folder open or for it to open the folders contents in the bubble..


The way it's layed out and runs makes it a bit dif from AWN but it's Very Very close to the same thing..
This is just steps further and would make Ubuntu a lot Simpler, easier, and kool..
It would set a big standard for other OS's to copy or work around.

[gsiliceo]

I think you should post your idea in the AWN Launchpad page
https://answers.launchpad.net/awn/

[Merk42]

I like the interface aspect of it, but visually I'd say it looks way too similar to Leopard.

[BradwJensen]

I like the interface aspect of it, but visually I'd say it looks way too similar to Leopard.


So,
This is about functionality.. Not about copying leopard. The difference between leopard and this is leopards dock is for launching apps from the icons directly on the dock, this has menus in it for launching apps/keeping things sorted, and then the icons on the dock are for apps that are running.

It's like all of your panels in one simple to use, good looking dock that can be set to auto-hide. and have effects for funn if one wants them. It's cleaner, and besides, mac has a panel at the top which this would allow us to not even have to have ONE of those.

Thanks though! :-)

[Merk42]

So,
This is about functionality.. Not about copying leopard. The difference between leopard and this is leopards dock is for launching apps from the icons directly on the dock, this has menus in it for launching apps/keeping things sorted, and then the icons on the dock are for apps that are running.

It's like all of your panels in one simple to use, good looking dock that can be set to auto-hide. and have effects for funn if one wants them. It's cleaner, and besides, mac has a panel at the top which this would allow us to not even have to have ONE of those.

Thanks though! :-)

I just meant it looked too similar to Leopard in that it was centered, didn't take up the whole bottom row, and specifically to Leopard looked more like a shelf than a panel.

I realize the bubble thing is different and I like your ideas for the interface in that aspect. I just think the dock by itself (when no bubbles are present) needs to be visually different from Leopard.

[BradwJensen]

I just meant it looked too similar to Leopard in that it was centered, didn't take up the whole bottom row, and specifically to Leopard looked more like a shelf than a panel.

I realize the bubble thing is different and I like your ideas for the interface in that aspect. I just think the dock by itself (when no bubbles are present) needs to be visually different from Leopard.

Alright.. Sorry.
We'll we could always have more diff themes for it, and it could be made to be positioned anywhere on the screen..

[smartboyathome]

It looks good. I have a small screen ( 1024x768 ), though, so if you could make it look good on that small of a resolution (which I have yet to do with AWN), I would use it.

[gruvsyco]

Not sure if you've seen cairo-dock (http://developer.berlios.de/project/showfiles.php?group_id=8724&release_id=13619)... I like it's sub-docks idea a lot. The one thing I find missing from you single dock idea, and the reason I still have a top bar on my system is the systray. I know there was/is one for AWN but frankly I don't like the way it works currently... if it worked more like cairo-dock's sub-dock I think it could be more useful.

I do like some of your ideas for functionality though.

[Supremacy]

i like the idea. It seems well thought out. just wondering, where abouts would the clock go? or you still workign on that? i guess GDesklets could be used for that

[BradwJensen]

It looks good. I have a small screen ( 1024x768 ), though, so if you could make it look good on that small of a resolution (which I have yet to do with AWN), I would use it.


We'll your's and mine's screen width's are the same so that should be fine.. and height wise it looks like it should be alright.. Maybe when u'd have a lot of stuff in the bubble, there can be a scrollbar on the right?

[LuisAugusto]

It's beautiful, I really like the concept, it kinda remind me Raptor menu for KDE 4

[Merk42]

i like the idea. It seems well thought out. just wondering, where abouts would the clock go? or you still workign on that? i guess GDesklets could be used for that

Look to the left of the trash can.

[Supremacy]

Look to the left of the trash can.

lol. i guess last time I looked it wasn't there. looks nice. keep going with it.

[OCTOG3N]

why though? It's like putting the Vista start menu inside the Leopard dock. It looks to much like something KDE would try to do. I'm all for a dock in ubuntu. mac os x's dock is really cool but I think a single dock and nothing else would be extremely counter intuitive. It's a nice idea though.

[polax]

I think your idea is really pretty cool.

It is intuitive - and no I don't agree that it apes OS-X Toolbar, similarities exist but your idea of displaying the menu based on the image selected has a lot of positives.

Most importantly - people who are new to Linux can really begin using the same without worrying about browsing through a new cascaded menu structure.

Keep up the good work - and let me know when i can download the same for my terminal.

[Sn3ipen]

I realy like this idea:) It would be so great to have in my beloved AWN:)

[Aiello]

Holy roflcopters! I want that!
Is this simple an idea, or is this being developed?

[Sn3ipen]

The latest version of AWN have something that look like the windows start menu but its still not the same.

[wolfprintAG]

Very nice - it would be nice if the team could put out menu and such like that or least have the option to do them ourselves (meaning without 3rd party add-ons). - thats just my opinon - anyway great job keep going

[newbie2]

http://blog.wired.com/monkeybites/2007/11/todays-screensh.html
:popcorn:

[smartalecks]

i'm really liking all these mockups, bradwjensen! they are great :)

[hellion0]

Looks decent. I hope the plans call for it to be skinnable to do away with the "OMG Leopard ripoff!!!" argument.

[BradwJensen]

Here i added a thread on an AWN page!!
Lets watch and see what happens..?

Please Support the idea if you like it. :-)

Link:
http://www.planetblur.org/hosted/awnforum/index.php?shard=forum&action=g_reply&ID=1340&page=1&isLive=true

[boteeka]

This looks awesome! Perhaps we will have Gnome itself with a similar look when it hits "ThreePointZero" in the future - will not gonna happen tonight.

So, besides that I *really* like that look (the style, not necessarily this dark theme), how exactly does this improve upon the classical menu concept? I mean in Gnome there are three main menus which I can navigate simply by clicking once the menu and then the submenus simply fold out automatically when I hover the pointer over them, whitout a click. But with this "bubble over the dock" thing I need to click once the main menu, then a submenu, then the item I wanted to click. This is three clicks with one level of submenus, and add one more click with each level. The classical menu needs to be clicked once to open it, and once to select the item, all the level navigation is automatic with a mouse pointer hover. Maybe it's a matter of what everyone likes, but for me the classical solution seems simpler, although not as good looking.

There is one more thing that is interesting. There is an undeniable fact that wide screens tend to be more popular then standard 4:3 screens. Taking that into account there is simply more space on a screen horizontally than vertically, especially on the wide screens. So why is everybody trying to introduce a dock horizontally, want to take up even more place? Because a dock is the most useful if is always visible and other windows do not cover it, so the height of the dock is wasted. Wouldn't it make more sense if the dock would be vertical on the left or right edge of the screen? Horizontal space is cheaper than vertical! Besides, if the dock would be on the left side, and would fold out to the right, it would be much more intuitive as people are used to read from left to right (if that does not apply to you, consider it inversed, RTL).

Anyway, this mock-up looks great, really. Quite like AWN. Maybe you guys should sit down and discuss with the guys over at AWN.

[t3chb0y]

wow that's awesome :P

[razor7]

I support the idea...go ahead!

[razor7]

Have yo placed your idea here?

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/

[smartboyathome]

Have yo placed your idea here?

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/

Shouldn't place it there. Not everyone likes docks, and since Apple patented them, it might get us in trouble.

[razor7]

I dont see any truble on posting the idea in the brainstorm site...at the end, it will be a decision of the QA team to work on it or not.

[MNICY]

its a good idea. :)

For people who are like "Leopard RIP OFF!!!!"..., so what?
Its a good idea, so I see no problem with copying it =/

Personally I hope someone makes something similar to the Windows 7 taskbar for linux :D

That the thing about Linux: choice :)

[Merk42]

For people who are like "Leopard RIP OFF!!!!"..., so what?


since Apple patented [docks], it might get us in trouble.

Or we could, you know, come up with our own ideas and innovate.

[Darso]

[...] Taking that into account there is simply more space on a screen horizontally than vertically, especially on the wide screens. So why is everybody trying to introduce a dock horizontally, want to take up even more place? Because a dock is the most useful if is always visible and other windows do not cover it, so the height of the dock is wasted. Wouldn't it make more sense if the dock would be vertical on the left or right edge of the screen? Horizontal space is cheaper than vertical! [...]

Yeah, that is pretty true, but there's a solution for that. I use Cairo-Dock and I've been there but there's an option for the dock so it doesn't cover the windows you I'm using unless I pass my mouse through the area the dock would appear if I was to put in on auto-hide. The dock's always there but it doesn't get in the way when I'm working on something.

[Fzang]

Please don't revive dead topics...

[Argama]

Think I already saw it once, realy great idea / concept would make much possible with only little space. Somthing wich I love...

(bad english... late..;)