Have you clicked on the wrong thing since the window control switch?

[plun]

Nope, and I'm a high sensitivity mouse user.

Well then....

gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout --type string "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

[darkstaar]

If I were Mark, instead of saying "It was my choice because I prefer it that way, but I'm open to switching it..."

A GUI method (under 'Appearance') of switching would have been the preferred method of doing this for those like MS (Mark Shuttleworth) that "prefer it that way" but it's probably too late to implement this in Lucid.

Of course, for those of us who are familiar with Linux in general and Gnome in particular, it's not a big problem to fix but for new and less-experienced users...

Slightly off topic: Just imagine if the other MS (MicroSoft) did this with their next OS release. We'd all be ROTFL, predicting the downfall of Windows and Microsoft, and declaring that the solution to Bug #1 was at hand.

[23meg]

Regardless, even the things you ask for aren't entirely relevant. Ubuntu, because of the download-burn-install-configure distribution system it predominantly relies on, is mainly the realm of power users, so there does have to be a bit of projecting what someone might do (most average users cling to familiarity of interface than power users do). Power users are far more likely, after clicking the wrong thing a few times, to go into gconf-editor and switch it back themselves.

That's a strange point coming from you, aysiu. Don't you usually cite in discussions of "ease of use" how people who can successfully install Ubuntu fail at many basic configuration tasks? Isn't the multitude of "How do I switch the controls to the right?" threads even in the development branch testing forum, enough of an evidence that the gconf-editor "solution" is neither discoverable, nor supportable? (Edit: maybe not, but it's one data point to consider.)

Why not just provide the data that they have, then? What's wrong with transparency in an open source project that claims to be a community-based distro?

Nothing, and not just for the sake of transparency.

The real problem is that there's a certain disconnect between most of the UX&D team at Canonical and the broader community (that's to be expected with a new team of this kind with no real precedent). There's also no real community extension of that team, the way there are community teams around most other Ubuntu-related teams at Canonical (Desktop, Server, QA, etc.), and no set of guidelines or community structures defining how people can work with the team.

I'm working on both problems as we speak.

What could possibly be more "skewed" than the ability to choose whether or not to submit "statistics" in Synaptic?

Popcon data is both completely unrelated to this topic, and isn't claimed to be very useful for decision making by anyone.

[uRock]

I never clicked the wrong button. As soon as I installed Lucid, again, I found one of my own posts and utilized the signature. I am against keeping buttons on the left.

I must add that I am currently using Windows because the last update killed my Ubuntu and I don't have time to reinstall.

[MacUntu]

Well then....

gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout --type string "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

Yeah, that was my first reaction to this change but I've gone back to default. I'll wait a little more before deciding. So far I have no problems with the left side.

[megamania]

I never clicked the wrong thing, but after a while I switched to the old settings (right side, minimize-maximize-close).

I didn't really care about the control buttons being on the left or right side of the window, but I didn't really like the sequence. Having the "close" button on the inside and maximize before minimize doesn't make sense in my opinion.

[aysiu]

That's a strange point coming from you, aysiu. Don't you usually cite in discussions of "ease of use" how people who can successfully install Ubuntu fail at many basic configuration tasks? Isn't the multitude of "How do I switch the controls to the right?" threads even in the development branch testing forum, enough of an evidence that the gconf-editor "solution" is neither discoverable, nor supportable? (Edit: maybe not, but it's one data point to consider.)

I'm trying to give Mark the benefit of the doubt here. The fact that a sizeable but small group of power users can't even figure out the gconf-editor trick is just more evidence of this switch needing real justification.

The real problem is that there's a certain disconnect between most of the UX&D team at Canonical and the broader community (that's to be expected with a new team of this kind with no real precedent). There's also no real community extension of that team, the way there are community teams around most other Ubuntu-related teams at Canonical (Desktop, Server, QA, etc.), and no set of guidelines or community structures defining how people can work with the team.

I'm working on both problems as we speak.

Glad to hear you are.

[Matticus]

I didn't actually click the wrong button more than a few times when I kept maximising windows I wanted to get out of the way. But I did keep clicking nothing.

I have used a computer for so long now and I know the close button is the top right corner, so without really looking I just move the mouse over there and click. It threw me off when nothing happened, I have changed back to using an older theme and buttons on the right.

Surely giving the user a choice would be a very easy peice of code to implement, a button which runs the code that many people are already using. Also giving the user the option of which order the min and max buttons are in would be as easy as having 2 button icons for each and choosing between them when the user selects it.

[ElSlunko]

One thing I wonder is if the devs use buttons much at all. My opinion isn't a strong one probably because I don't use buttons much. I'm a double click title bar or ctrl+w (alt+f4 in some cases) kind of guy. The only button I use on occasion is the minimze button. However even that one I don't use often because I usually leave all windows up & use the Window Picker or alt+tab.

[katie-xx]

I voted other.
One of the things I value about Ubuntu is the ability to configure to my own tastes and desires.
If I didnt like the control position I would just change them.
As I have done

Kate