Unity poster (feedback please)

[Paddy Landau]

I have just seen in the latest Ubuntu Weekly Newsletter a rather pertinent comment about the usability problems of Dash for the newcomer to Unity.

Hmm...

I think that a post-script to your poster (perhaps a second page?) with a brief list of "how to find" would be an ideal addition.

Or maybe just a link to the Ubuntu On-line Tour?

[Mr. Picklesworth]

Looks good! Nice work.

A few things:

• Under Global menu, you say "It is hidden until you mouse over the top bar or press ALT-F10." Isn't Alt-F10 the shortcut to maximize a window? I think you mean just F10, or Alt, but not both at once.
• Completely unimportant, but under HUD you have "See Desktop Guide" while under Launcher you have "See the Desktop Guide."
• I like that you're promoting the desktop guide in this. Offline help has improved tremendously since the last LTS, and it deserves the attention at this point.
• Just so you know, the top bar is called the "menu bar." That wasn't being used consistently in 11.10, but that's being sorted out now. You aren't really doing anything wrong as it is (after all, it is also the bar at the top of the screen as far as any new people are concerned), but you might find that useful if you don't already know :)

[Alan F]

A couple of points

1 Unless a guide such as this is kept constantly up-to-date with each version of Unity it would quickly lose favour.

2 Is it not a condemnation of Unity that such basic instructions will be required by many users to find out how to do what should be very simple tasks?

[acimi66]

It looks good.

[santosh83]

2 Is it not a condemnation of Unity that such basic instructions will be required by many users to find out how to do what should be very simple tasks?

Not on that score. Unity looks to have it's share of bad points, but the necessity for basic instructions isn't one of them IMO. It just means it's different from the existing desktop paradigm, just like most big advancements in any field are likely to be quite different from their forerunners!

What is worrying though is, from reading these forums, I'm getting an impression that Unity is designed to discourage customisation and fine-grained configuration for the sake of uniformity and being idiot-proof. Lack of configurability might be fine (indeed advisable) for a tablet/smartphone interface, but surely not on desktops!

[keithpeter]

Hello All

Thanks for feedback, below is the link for version 2 of the poster.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/8403291/1204-poster-3.pdf

(Yes, the file name has a 3 in it, don't ask )

Specific changes/feedback

@ubuntu27: Press and hold Windows/Super/Meta/Mod4 key shows the lovely keyboard shortcut screen on my large monitor on the PC but not on the netbook (1024 by 600). Is that just my netbook? Can anyone else confirm different behaviour on small screens? I'm also going to have to decide on what I call the key that is usually between the Alt and the Ctrl

@Paddy Landau: I'll read that link properly and perhaps devise a 'side b'. Thanks very much for sharing the article. I'll pop the online demo link in when I change the terminology over the weekend.

@Mr. Picklesworth: On all my systems, Alt-F10 does the same as F10, but to be on the safe side, I have used F10. I am using a UK keyboard. I'll have a think about what I call the thingy at the top over the weekend, I think I will need to support the conventions used in the documentation that Canonical provide as they emerge. I have rendered references to the Desktop Guide consistent. Thanks for proof reading here, very valuable.

@Alan F: I take point 1. This is specifically a guide for 10.04 -> 12.04 people. I'm interpreting the concept of an 'interface freeze' in 12.04 to mean the affordances provided by Unity now are what will be provided for the whole life of 12.04. I'm sure future Ubuntu cycles will develop those affordances, but I'm assuming that they will not automatically arrive in the LTS installation. Point 2 has been answered well by santosh83. Omlettes, eggs &c

[jerrylamos]

Imagine you have just come back to work one Monday morning. You remember vaguely the IT manager said something about an upgrade over the weekend. You log in and you see the 12.04 desktop instead of the 10.04 one.

Do you think I should make accessing the Ubuntu Desktop Guide more prominent? (Search me why it isn't in the Launcher to start with, its excellent).

I sure DON'T care for the BIG PURPLE SPLAT right in the middle. I've been on ubuntu (and some other linux since Dapper Drake Beta). Clearly takes the cake as the WORST. No idea what impression Mr. Shuttleworth is trying to convey.

Jerry

p.s. I am able to "use" Unity-2D. Certainly is a big relief when I switch to lubuntu or lynx or meerkat to do some utility work. Haven't tried xubuntu lately since I like lubuntu just fine. I presume development will drop lubuntu because it doesn't look like a smartphone or apple ipad with all their limitations.

[Paddy Landau]

I'm also going to have to decide on what I call the key that is usually between the Alt and the Ctrl

The name is "Super". After some discussion a long time ago, the wording tends to be "The Super (or Windows) key" or some variation thereof. Does anyone know what it is called on a Mac?

Perhaps you could use wording like: 'Windows or Mac ("Super") key'. Or call it the Super key and use an asterisk with a footnote: "The Super key is the Windows or Mac key".

On all my systems, Alt-F10 does the same as F10

On my system, Alt-F10 toggles between maximise and restore. I also have a UK keyboard.

You've created a brilliant poster, Keith. Canonical needs more simple design ideas like this. Thank you for your contribution.

[Paddy Landau]

I sure DON'T care for the BIG PURPLE SPLAT right in the middle. I've been on ubuntu (and some other linux since Dapper Drake Beta). Clearly takes the cake as the WORST. No idea what impression Mr. Shuttleworth is trying to convey.

Purple is the new branding for Ubuntu. I personally feel that it is a poor choice -- calm blue, I think, would have been better, but it's what it is. It works well on a TV, though, I find.

[JHCKX]

Won't you get questions about how to launch apps that aren't on the launcher? That's a weak point in Unity in my opinion, too much clicking just to get some work done.

Sure you won't switch to Gnome-classic? A lot less to explain that way.