How to get the bottom taskbar in Unity to switch between applications?

[Hotshot5000]

I upgraded to 11.04 and the default desktop is Unity. I started like two apps and apart from the stupid idea of moving the menu to the upper taskbar I realized that I cannot switch between applications since there is no bottom taskbar. So how do I get that taskbar in Unity? I want to be able to switch between applications just like in classic gnome in one click, fast and easy.

[r-senior]

You can. Click on the icon in the launcher. If the launcher isn't visible, move your mouse extreme left and it will pop out from the edge of the screen. The running applications have a white arrow on the left side, the focused application has a white arrow on the right side.

You may also want to use Compiz Config Settings Manager to adjust settings on the Unity Plugin. For example, you can change the icon size, set the launcher to be visible all the time rather than autohide, and you can also have running applications backlit (highlighted) in the launcher.

EDIT: At your leisure, you may want to look at some of the HOWTOs and videos.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1742326

[Hotshot5000]

I find the autohide feature of the left panel annoying. I mean I have to wait for it to appear and then scroll down to the app and click it. Waaaay more complicated than the simple all opened applications on the taskbar click on which you want to bring in front. Is this supposed to be an improvement over the previous gnome 2.3 or just some experiment by some crazy programmers?

I switched back to gnome classic. If they are putting manpower into this new interface then this whole distribution is headed down the drain. There are many bugs to be fixed in the 2.3 gnome. They haven't finished those and they are already moving on? Does nobody see that it's more complicated now to do what was easy in previous version? And why is that panel in the left? What if I want to move it to the bottom? Is this even possible?

[r-senior]

I find the autohide feature of the left panel annoying.

You can turn the autohide off, as explained above.

Is this supposed to be an improvement over the previous gnome 2.3 or just some experiment by some crazy programmers?

In short, Gnome 2.x is not being developed (unless someone takes it on). The Gnome project has gone for Gnome Shell as its interface but Canonical didn't like the lack of customisation options for Ubuntu branding. Unity is a response to Gnome abandoning the old panel interface that the world has become accustomed to since 1995. It is a work in progress, a first cut.

There are many bugs to be fixed in the 2.3 gnome. They haven't finished those

"They" are not one entity or corporation. Canonical have developed Unity. Gnome maintained Gnome 2.3 but are now focusing on Gnome Shell. It's not a simple matter of "them" and "us".

And why is that panel in the left? What if I want to move it to the bottom? Is this even possible?

It is not currently possible. The reasoning behind being at the side is that monitors are wider than they used to be.

Mark Shuttleworth discussed the lack of configuration this week and it suggests that more configuration is probable in the future.

“Why did you decide to make [Unity] less customisable”

In Unity, we have a very tight set of options. Part of that is because it’s a 1.0, and we wanted to focus on the things people will most enjoy and most need; part of that is because we know every option has a high cost, and not every option is equally used.

[ajgreeny]

I find the autohide feature of the left panel annoying. I mean I have to wait for it to appear and then scroll down to the app and click it. Waaaay more complicated than the simple all opened applications on the taskbar click on which you want to bring in front. Is this supposed to be an improvement over the previous gnome 2.3 or just some experiment by some crazy programmers?

I switched back to gnome classic. If they are putting manpower into this new interface then this whole distribution is headed down the drain. There are many bugs to be fixed in the 2.3 gnome. They haven't finished those and they are already moving on? Does nobody see that it's more complicated now to do what was easy in previous version? And why is that panel in the left? What if I want to move it to the bottom? Is this even possible?

+1
I think, however, we are beginning to be part of a minority, and from what I have seen on this forum, a lot of users seem to like the unity desktop, or in other cases the gnome-shell of gnome 3. I can only get either of those to work on my netbook, not my desktop nor laptop, so I have no idea what will happen when the classic desktop of gnome 2 goes totally from the gnome stable; what then will those two machines default to?

If the classic desktop does disappear completely, as is being suggested for 11.10 or 12.04, I shall look elsewhere, though I hope still to stay with the ubuntu family, as I now know and understand the setup of the systems and how everything works. Either Xubuntu or Lubuntu are top of my options at the moment.

[Hotshot5000]

I agree it's just that I feel that if you cannot make application switching instant then something is just very wrong about the interface. It seems to me that this is just change for the sake of change. It just does not improve anything and makes things worse. Plus you need to learn to do what you knew to do well for 10 years now. If they made it default it means that they recommend it, which is just unbelievably wrong in the current state. This interface could and does scare newcomers.

I also heard that the classic gnome will no longer be an option in the next Ubuntu version so these guys are shoving down our throats a stupid interface that is worse than what we have (had). I wonder what are they trying to accomplish or if it's just a joke.

Also is there any petition to sign so the guys working on this at least know the opinion of the users?

[Carborundum]

I find the autohide feature of the left panel annoying. I mean I have to wait for it to appear and then scroll down to the app and click it. Waaaay more complicated than the simple all opened applications on the taskbar click on which you want to bring in front. Is this supposed to be an improvement over the previous gnome 2.3 or just some experiment by some crazy programmers?

I switched back to gnome classic. If they are putting manpower into this new interface then this whole distribution is headed down the drain. There are many bugs to be fixed in the 2.3 gnome. They haven't finished those and they are already moving on? Does nobody see that it's more complicated now to do what was easy in previous version? And why is that panel in the left? What if I want to move it to the bottom? Is this even possible?

You can create a normal gnome panel and customize it however you want, even if you use Unity. Just enter the command "gnome-panel" in the terminal. If you want it to launch at startup, put the command in Startup Applications.

[r-senior]

I agree it's just that I feel that if you cannot make application switching instant then something is just very wrong about the interface.

It is instant. Just click on the icon. You can have the launcher always visible or autohide, just as with the panel.

The area where some people find it deficient is with multiple instances of an application or the fact that the launcher is common to all workspaces but switching between different applications is one click - exactly the same as with the panel.

[mtangoo]

Super Key [Windows key]+W and you have open and active (unminimized) app in screen. Just click the one you wan or just use <---- and ----> keys and return key

Stefano

[ajgreeny]

Super Key [Windows key]+W and you have open and active (unminimized) app in screen. Just click the one you wan or just use <---- and ----> keys and return key

Stefano

But that is still more long-winded than a single click in the panel, isn't it?

I prefer to use the mouse to move from app to app, rather than two keyboard keys and then the mouse.