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Thread: Launcher placement annoys me

  1. #11
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    I don't know how to install all those alternatives. I'd like to stick with what comes out of the box, because it's backed by Ubuntu meaning it will work. I don't want to install some other desktop environment and then find out I can't run this or that in it, or it will be a nightmare to update and maintain later.

    And @mastablasta, most websites are designed to fit on a half 1920 width monitor. Responsive design is not yet mainstream.

    I tried hidden, but it doesn't work right or feel right.

    At the end of the day the launcher placement should be up to the user. Telling them they are locked in one choice is not good enough.

  2. #12
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Quote Originally Posted by argvar View Post
    I don't know how to install all those alternatives. I'd like to stick with what comes out of the box, because it's backed by Ubuntu meaning it will work. I don't want to install some other desktop environment and then find out I can't run this or that in it, or it will be a nightmare to update and maintain later.

    And @mastablasta, most websites are designed to fit on a half 1920 width monitor. Responsive design is not yet mainstream.

    I tried hidden, but it doesn't work right or feel right.

    At the end of the day the launcher placement should be up to the user. Telling them they are locked in one choice is not good enough.
    Nobody is telling you you're locked into one choice; several options have been recommended to you.

    "I'd like to stick with what comes out of the box" and "launcher placement should be up to the user" are conflicting statements. Isn't it wonderful we have the choice of certain desktop environments that are designed by usability experts to provide sane defaults for the average user who just wants everything to work, as well as desktop environments that provide a blank slate for users who like to customize and tinker?

    ps You can press Alt- or Alt+ to resize any web page to fit your screen.

  3. #13
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    Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty Tahr

    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Quote Originally Posted by argvar View Post
    I don't know how to install all those alternatives. I'd like to stick with what comes out of the box, because it's backed by Ubuntu meaning it will work. I don't want to install some other desktop environment and then find out I can't run this or that in it, or it will be a nightmare to update and maintain later.
    Changing desktop environments isn't the same as changing operating systems. It shouldn't affect what programs you can and cannot run.

    As for support,
    LXDE - default for Lubuntu, a formal member of the Ubuntu family [metapackage: lxde]
    XFCE - default for Xubuntu, also a formal member of the Ubuntu family [metapackage: xfce4]
    KDE - default for Kubuntu, formerly a formal member, still well supported [metapackage: kde-plasma-desktop or kde-plasma-netbook]
    Cinnamon & Mate - defaults for Linux Mint, a well-supported fork of Ubuntu [metapackage for Cinnamon: cinnamon]
    Gnome3 - successor to Gnome 2, which was the default for Unity. Gnome 3 is still well supported. Gnome 2 is not. [metapackage: gnome]

    With the exception of Mate, all of the above are included in the Ubuntu repositories, and can be effortlessly installed via the software center by simply finding and installing the metapackage I have indicated. Installing mate is only slightly more involved, as it requires adding a PPA.
    Jane, stop this crazy thing!

  4. #14
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Thanks but no thanks, I want my system to be configured so it's easy to maintain, I don't want to hack it to get what I want.

    Why is it that whenever there's a trivial issue in Linux, you need like to configure the whole system totally differently? Get a new windowing system, get a new compiler and kernel, configure this and that. Not the friendliest approach.

    I want to believe the launcher will eventually be permitted to be placed at the bottom, anything else is just absurd.

  5. #15
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    This has been gone over several times before. I see no reason why it shouldn't be moved to Recurring.

  6. #16
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    Ubuntu 22.04 Jammy Jellyfish

    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Bump to recurring as this isn't a support request.

    Quote Originally Posted by argvar View Post
    Thanks but no thanks, I want my system to be configured so it's easy to maintain, I don't want to hack it to get what I want.

    Why is it that whenever there's a trivial issue in Linux, you need like to configure the whole system totally differently? Get a new windowing system, get a new compiler and kernel, configure this and that. Not the friendliest approach.

    I want to believe the launcher will eventually be permitted to be placed at the bottom, anything else is just absurd.
    It's been discussed before. The justification for the launcher being on the left is that there is more horizontal screen real estate than there is vertically. Also, it's a part of the brand. The Ubuntu TV and Phone will have the launcher in the same place.
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  7. #17
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Quote Originally Posted by CharlesA View Post
    It's been discussed before. The justification for the launcher being on the left is that there is more horizontal screen real estate than there is vertically. Also, it's a part of the brand. The Ubuntu TV and Phone will have the launcher in the same place.
    My desktop isn't a TV or a phone. Why treat it as such? This is such a huge mistake.

    As for the horizontal screen real estate vs. vertical screen real estate... if this were true then why is there a horizontal bar at the top that is 90% empty most of the time and seems to serve no role other than displaying a couple of icons?

    The design decisions are really questionable.

  8. #18
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    Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial Xerus

    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    The horizontal bar (panel) on top is a global menu so when you have a web browser open, you aren't losing any space on the top at all (have you noticed that?)

    Right, your desktop is not a tv or phone but if you have a fairly modern computer screen, i would assume it has a wide screen configuration and is not square, so the screen real estate is kind of lends itself toward having the unity dock on the left....My friend has an Imac and the Mac's dock is not even as large as the unity dock and is auto hidden but he STILL moved it over to the left side of the screen anyway (he says it makes more sense...and he has a choice)...

  9. #19
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    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    Quote Originally Posted by argvar
    Why is it that whenever there's a trivial issue in Linux, you need like to configure the whole system totally differently? Get a new windowing system, get a new compiler and kernel, configure this and that. Not the friendliest approach.
    You don't, and those suggestions about switching to a different DE are potentially helpful, but probably not what you need here.
    If you want the Launcher to take up less horizontal space, you can actually reduce the icon size to be arbitrarily small. Install CompizConfig Settings Manager from the software center and find the Unity plugin, then dial down the "Launcher Icon Size" in the Launcher tab. For most apps, the compact scrollbars help with the two-up arrangement (saving about 30 px, I guess?) but, of course, none of the web browsers support the compact scrollbars.

    And yes, the top panel does, in fact, save vertical space for most apps, because it puts the indicator icons and the menu bar on the same row, along with the titlebar for maximized windows. Just count the pixels, as it were.

    I don't have any problem with having two browser windows up on my 1080p display - that's the main reason I got it - but I auto-hide the launcher, so. (I don't honestly find it very useful for switching applications.)
    I know I shouldn't use tildes for decoration, but they always make me feel at home~

  10. #20
    Join Date
    Jun 2007
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    Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin

    Re: Launcher placement annoys me

    This post continues my post #9 (get rid of Unity).

    After removing Unity the top panel/bar serves me well as a launcher. For example, to place Firefox there just drag the icon of Firefox in the application drop-down menu to the top panel. I can place about 15 icons in the top panel which is enough for me (need only Firefox, Skype, SimpleScan, LibreOffice, Gimp, Screen Capture, FTp client, Amaya, Codeblocks IDE and Nemiver).

    To remove an icon from the top panel press Windowkey+Alt and right click.

    Ken
    P.S. I am using Ubuntu 12.04, but I think Unity can be removed/disabled from version 11.04.

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