Newbie question: Where's the menu???

[AlexBooton]

Hi,

I'm just getting started with 12.04.

I'm sure this has been discussed b4 but WHERE'S THE @!!#@ MENU?

OK, I suppose the Unity approach is fine for some; but I think new users will be shocked by the lack of a menu.

Even for myself, I don't appreciate having to use the keyboard to open applications that are not on the "start bar" (or whatever you call it).

So isn't there a basic system menu lurking somewhere?

Thanks,

AB

[kdane4]

Hi,

Its the top left button, with the Ubuntu logo on it called dash home..

[dFlyer]

Dash Home is the menu, it should be the very first icon on the launch bar. Click the second icon located on the bottom if the Dash Home and select Filtered results. Very simple. The easiest thing to do is just type the name of a program your looking for and it will pop up.

[fbicknel]

I had a little trouble getting used to Unity myself. And even though it's not the answer you are looking for: try pressing and holding the Super key.

There's a menu for you ... but it's a Unity menu that tells you what all the keys do. They do some pretty neat stuff. (My current favorite is Super + W)

At first I put all the apps I wanted to start on the slide-out menu on the left side of the screen. But more and more I'm using Super + type in the first part of what I want to do.

Fingers never have to leave the keyboard.

[bogan]

Hi!, AlexBooton,

You Posted:

I'm sure this has been discussed b4 but WHERE'S THE @!!#@ MENU?

You are right, it has, many times.

Log in to Gnome Classic (No Effects) and the old style Menu is there top Left.

[You may need to install gnome-session-fallback from Ubuntu Software Center.]

Alternatively install' ClassicMenuIndicator' and you can have the classic menu from a topbar Icon even in Ubuntu unity 3d. [gOOGLE IT.]

Chao!,bogan.

[Linux_junkie]

Hi,

I'm just getting started with 12.04.

I'm sure this has been discussed b4 but WHERE'S THE @!!#@ MENU?

OK, I suppose the Unity approach is fine for some; but I think new users will be shocked by the lack of a menu.

Even for myself, I don't appreciate having to use the keyboard to open applications that are not on the "start bar" (or whatever you call it).

So isn't there a basic system menu lurking somewhere?

Thanks,

AB

I am assuming from your comment about the lack of a menu that you have never used an operating system prior to Windows 95. Previous versions of Windows to Windows 95 did not have a menu and you had to run your apps simply by clicking on the icon in the appropriate window.

[AlexBooton]

Hi!, AlexBooton,

Alternatively install' ClassicMenuIndicator' and you can have the classic menu from a topbar Icon even in Ubuntu unity 3d. [gOOGLE IT.]

Chao!,bogan.

ClassicMenuIndicator works like a charm!

I now have my menus back!

At the risk of asking a silly question: Why doesn't Unity include this out of the box?

Thanks,

AB

[AlexBooton]

I am assuming from your comment about the lack of a menu that you have never used an operating system prior to Windows 95. Previous versions of Windows to Windows 95 did not have a menu and you had to run your apps simply by clicking on the icon in the appropriate window.

Actually, w/o revealing my age, I go back way b4 that

I guess this is going to get me badly flamed; but if someone had said to me

"We have this great new GUI. It's better than Gnome and KDE and guess what. IT WON'T HAVE A MENU!"

My response might have been "You're kidding. Right?"

AB

[philinux]

Since the query has been answered, thread moved to recurring discussions.

12.04 Desktop guide.

[zombifier25]

Actually, w/o revealing my age, I go back way b4 that

I guess this is going to get me badly flamed; but if someone had said to me

"We have this great new GUI. It's better than Gnome and KDE and guess what. IT WON'T HAVE A MENU!"

My response might have been "You're kidding. Right?"

AB

It does have menus. Right click menu, application menu, the System menu... you name it

OK, back to topic... most modern user interfaces nowadays are moving away from the traditional, "Start Menu" like menus. Just look at GNOME, Unity, and now the upcoming Windows 8. I'm not to comment on whether this change is good or bad though, but I do prefer the Dash to the traditional nested menus, since you don't have to dig though a pool of menus to find the apps I want (when I have to get out of Unity for a while and try out others WMs, I feel kinda lost at the menus).