The Taming of the Unity (a recommendations)

[r_avital]

This is for those humans who want to use an operating system, rather than spend their lives studying one. And an unstable one at that.

First, there are alternatives to Alt+F2 functionality, that will open up a small window to invoke an executable. Gnome-do is the most famous, there are others with a much smaller footprint.

Second, a collection of panel indicators that actually work (calendar, classic menu launcher, load and sensor indicator, etc..

Last, The Taming of the Unity, a qhick "how-to," to maintain your sanity, including using a panel/taskbar, for those of us too dumb to be content with a launcher/dash.

Best line: "Make [the launcher] automatically hide till summoned (lol, seriously, dude. You’re not going to be summoned EVER AGAIN.)"

I've tested all of these in 13.04 Ubuntu default session (no "fallbacks") - Except for one app for which the tar.gz is no longer available, and one of the indicators (weather) that kept crashing on my end, they all work fairly well).
[FWIF, my launcher behaved quite nicely, stable, the auto-hide worked well, then it stopped showing up no matter how far I try to "push" against the left edge of the screen. CCSM fixes work, until they don't, about 3 minutes later. So comforting to know this entire unity concept was created for the sake of having a single mobile and desktop environment for future Ubutu-Edge users. All 31 of them.]

[Toz]

This doesn't appear to be a support request. Moving to the Cafe.

[kostkon]

First, there are alternatives to Alt+F2 functionality, that will open up a small window to invoke an executable. Gnome-do is the most famous, there are others with a much smaller footprint.

Actually, ALT+F2 works just fine. That particular post you are linking to is really old when, corrent me if I'm wrong, unity lacked the launch program combo functionality.

Second, a collection of panel indicators that actually work (calendar, classic menu launcher, load and sensor indicator, etc..

Another, maybe more comprehensive, list is being kept here on askubuntu.

[deadflowr]

Unity's pretty unwild to begin with.
Except for some indicators, which seem interesting, everything else mentioned feels like it would be adding gasoline to the fire.
Making the system more bloated than it should be.
An easier fix would be to just use a different desktop interface.
One that suits ones preferences.

[Linuxratty]

An easier fix would be to just use a different desktop interface.
One that suits ones preferences.

This is true and variety is the spice of life after all!
\(\
(='.')
o(_”)”)

[r_avital]

Actually, ALT+F2 works just fine. That particular post you are linking to is really old when, corrent me if I'm wrong, unity lacked the launch program combo functionality.

Well, I went directly from Lucid to Raring (two separate machines), skipped over everything in between, so you might have a point there, as I never saw the earlier versions of unity. However, the grun that I'm using now is a small, simple, powerful enough for me, clean little window with memory and auto-completion, not the big, take-up-half-the-screen deal that unity gave me by default on Alt+F2.

Another, maybe more comprehensive, list is being kept here on askubuntu.

Ah, thank you for that link! Bookmarked!

[r_avital]

An easier fix would be to just use a different desktop interface.
One that suits ones preferences.

Absolutely true. If one existed.

The only thing that comes close (other than alternatives like xubuntu or mint, which have their own issues), is Gnome-Fallback. And fallback is, after all, fallback. No one knows how much longer it will be supported. No one has been able to tell me if it will even be included in the next LTS.

[deadflowr]

Absolutely true. If one existed.

The only thing that comes close (other than alternatives like xubuntu or mint, which have their own issues), is Gnome-Fallback. And fallback is, after all, fallback. No one knows how much longer it will be supported. No one has been able to tell me if it will even be included in the next LTS.

Yeah, but in the same sense, we don't know how long the above methods will be supported either.
And it could be one bad library file away from another cinnamon and gnome3.8 debacle, borking up anyone who has chosen to go one of those routes.

[buzzingrobot]

Someday, maybe, I'll understand why a panel -- a horizontal row of icons -- is so much better than a dock -- a vertical row of icons.

I am, though, in no real hurry to get there.

[craig10x]

Someday, maybe, I'll understand why a panel -- a horizontal row of icons -- is so much better than a dock -- a vertical row of icons.

I am, though, in no real hurry to get there.

It isn't better, but they seem to think it is

What's that old expression...oh yeah...Same Difference