Changing Location of Launcher

[beercoder]

Hi There,

Under Natty Narwhal, Launcher is introduced with Unity desktop. Is there any way to change the location of this Launcher?

Cheers
BeerCoder

[sikander3786]

Not yet. We hope this option might be included in Ubuntu 11.10. Changing the launcher from left to right might need you to move your scrollbars to the left and moving the launcher to the bottom might make it look like regular Gnome. Thats why I think they didn't include it.

[beercoder]

I dont agree that changing launcher from left to right will require scroll bars to move to left. Launcher hides itself when you have any application active. Looking like regular Gnome - its choice of individual on what they wan to look and like, so I guess there should be someway to change the location of Launcher. I guess its simply missed out

[coffeecat]

I guess its simply missed out

I don't believe it was simply missed out. Unity had to be developed from almost nowhere to where it is now in less than 6 months, and what they have achieved in the time is remarkable. (Unity in Maverick doesn't really count except for some basic design concepts because it was based on mutter and Unity in Natty is based on compiz.) I think sikander3786 is right to hope that the ability to move the launcher will come in 11.10. If we see as much added to Unity in 11.10 as was developed in 11.04, we'll see an extraordinarily good user interface.

However, while the launcher remains unmovable, may I offer a thought - something that only occurred to me recently. If you speak a language whose written version goes from left to right, it makes a lot of sense to have the launcher, window buttons and global menus on the left. Which they are. The application menus read from left to right so they need to be towards the left of the panel. With the menus at the left, it's logical to have the launcher and buttons there to minimise mouse movements.

Now that I've got used to it, I prefer it this way and wouldn't move the launcher even if I could. Indeed, I prefer it so much that I tried moving the dock on my Mac Mini desktop to the left. Looked odd, but made sense in the same way because MacOS buttons are on the left as are the panel menus.

Of course, none of this applies if you speak a language written from right to left. I would be interested to hear what a speaker of, say Arabic, makes of the Unity desktop as it is now.

[beercoder]

I don't believe it was simply missed out.

When I say simply missed out, it does not mean "left out". I agree with cofeecat and shikandar that it will come with 11.10. Actually am hoping that it will come as a part of some intermediate updates.

I dont speak RTL language, but in that case it makes lot of sense on what you mentioned and that is one of the reasons why launcher location should be customizable. Another reason is simply the choice. On my MBP, I use doc at the bottom and I'm pretty happy with that and I'd like to have the same on my Ubuntu too.

For the records, I love Unity and how its shaping up, so no doubts/questions on its power and ability.

[gryspnik]

No matter what their "explanation", I think it is insane that the user does not have the choice to place the launcher (as everything else) wherever they please! Customizability is the epitome of Linux. I want to have the launcher on the top and I don't want anyone to tell me where it's best.

In windows (!!!) and OSX (!!!) you are allowed to place it wherever you want. Canonical has started becoming really dictatorial and is going completely against the spirit of Linux. It's quite a shame.

When I say simply missed out, it does not mean "left out". I agree with cofeecat and shikandar that it will come with 11.10. Actually am hoping that it will come as a part of some intermediate updates.

I dont speak RTL language, but in that case it makes lot of sense on what you mentioned and that is one of the reasons why launcher location should be customizable. Another reason is simply the choice. On my MBP, I use doc at the bottom and I'm pretty happy with that and I'd like to have the same on my Ubuntu too.

For the records, I love Unity and how its shaping up, so no doubts/questions on its power and ability.

[cariboo]

Side from the fact that this thread is over a year old, your complaint, won't be heard by Canonical by posting here. Thread CLosed