Netbook Edition & Gnome Panel

[MrFSL]

I am starting this thread to get other folks opinions regarding gnome-panel and and Ubuntu Netbook Edition.

This post is follows on from here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1441634&page=2

I cannot believe that the gnome-panel is now locked down in the Netbook Edition. I have read (via google) many ways to "fix" this issue but I am particularly disappointed with the situation.

I use the Netbook Edition on an eeepc 1000. The first thing I do after installing is uninstall maximus, remove the Window Picker applet, and replace them with gnome-globalmenu and dockbarx. This gives me a pretty awesome experience that allows me to combat the low vertical resolution.

After reading this : https://wiki.ubuntu.com/DesktopTeam/Specs/Lucid/DesktopUNESession I am even more disappointed. If gnome-panel is buggy and you don't have time to fix the issue prior to the release then why are we "swapping" bugs?

This is total regression and calling it a 'design decision' does not change that fact one bit. What's next?.. Trash won't empty... we'll say its by design --- All nautilus windows are read only... Don't worry its deliberate, but GIMP is working! --- firefox burns your freaking house down while screwing your wife... (you get my point?)

Please don't break the way a thing is supposed to work just because it doesn't work for your particular application. AND would someone please fix gnome-panel!

[zenlunatic]

I agree it sucks. I dont use bluetooth, nor facebook and all that stuff that the indicator applet is for. Plus I miss my weather applet. Very disappointed at this.

[skrimpy]

I agree this is really stupid. From a design standpoint it makes no sense and I can't figure out any rational for it. If I want a cluttered panel bar, I get one. If I want a minimalist one, I get one. That's why I use Linux. So I can have what I want.

This smacks of Windows 7 Starter edition and "you can't change your desktop background." Stupid "design" choices really made for no good reason.

I couldn't deal with not having control over my own panel. I used the workaround. I want a terminal launcher on my panel because I use the terminal frequently, and I want to launch it even when another window is maximized.

My husband isn't nearly the Linux geek that I am but he likes running UNR on his netbook. He simply wants a weather widget on his panel bar... that's it. I fixed his too, so he could have the weather widget he had before he upgraded to Lucid.

I really think this was a dumb choice and can't figure out the rational. Are you trying to protect people from their own design choices? Don't. Ubuntu is Linux. For... human beings.

Human beings want to choose their own panel bar applets. Don't lock them up and pretend to be a designer. Just say it plain and simple - you're being elitist and made a bad choice.

[MrFSL]

Thanks folks, its good to know I am not the only one that feels this way.

I had just demonstrated UNE (Karmic) on an ASUS 1000 to a group of tech folks from work. After Lucid was released I downloaded the ISO but didn't get to it for a day or two. When I did I posted this thread --- and can you believe I already had a guy from work ask, "Why can't I change the bar at the top?"

Argghhh... well he'll not being using Ubuntu on his Dell mini. Sux.

[maharaja2]

I agree this is really stupid. From a design standpoint it makes no sense and I can't figure out any rational for it. If I want a cluttered panel bar, I get one. If I want a minimalist one, I get one. That's why I use Linux. So I can have what I want.

This smacks of Windows 7 Starter edition and "you can't change your desktop background." Stupid "design" choices really made for no good reason.

I couldn't deal with not having control over my own panel. I used the workaround. I want a terminal launcher on my panel because I use the terminal frequently, and I want to launch it even when another window is maximized.

My husband isn't nearly the Linux geek that I am but he likes running UNR on his netbook. He simply wants a weather widget on his panel bar... that's it. I fixed his too, so he could have the weather widget he had before he upgraded to Lucid.

I really think this was a dumb choice and can't figure out the rational. Are you trying to protect people from their own design choices? Don't. Ubuntu is Linux. For... human beings.

Human beings want to choose their own panel bar applets. Don't lock them up and pretend to be a designer. Just say it plain and simple - you're being elitist and made a bad choice.

Have you used this "fix" or some other?
http://www.webupd8.org/2010/05/how-to-add-remove-applets-from-gnome.html

[Synt4x_3rr0r]

WTF? That was seriously the most stupid "design choice" I've ever had to experience. It removed my configuration so some applets were removed and some added, re-arranged the applets, and then locks it all down so that I can't change it without doing some half-assed hack?!

This is NOT why I use Linux. Don't f***ing mess with the users settings damn it. And don't lock it down either. Do you think we are babies that can't use a computer or wtf?

I don't get this at all, and its things like this that made me switch to Arch Linux on my laptop. Arch's installer didn't work with my netbook though, so UNR had to do, and I really liked it. But things like this makes me wish that Arch would release a newer installer.

I don't know why I write this here though because the Ubuntu devs don't really seem to care about their advanced users anymore.

[alSee]

It seems like Billy paid someone in Canonical.
It were "holy wars" in our office between Windows-users and Linux-users. I used to show every one: "Look, I can do anything with my netbook desktop, place icons, weather widget to the place I wish, window switcher, multi-desktop switcher etc." But after the recent update Windows-lovers are laughing at me: "Where are your desktop swither or CPU load indicator or clipboard manager that you praised so much? Your Ubuntu has no advantage over Windows!" And I have little to argue.
I hated MS for "We don't care what you like, eat that we give you. You like XP and don't want to buy Vista? OK, we'll stop support your new MB in XP. We don't care if you object."
Now Ubuntu dev. team did the same. "We don't care that you prefer some applets and don't want the others. Eat that we give you." Thanks to Lucid developer team.
The bad thing is I can't roll back to Karmic without losing my personalizations. Don't tell me that I could avoid updating. I carefully read Release Notes and there were no red capitalized warning that I would lose all my applets.
I'll likely give up with Ubuntu as it breaks my freedom.

[liquidate]

It is true that this is really stupid and it probably shouldn't have been released this way, but this is o reason to stop using ubuntu! Go here: http://maketecheasier.com/unlock-gnome-panel-in-ubuntu-netbook-edition-une/2010/04/25 and follow the directions and it will be fixed! And in a few weeks or months a better fix will come out.

[Goatrancer]

Yeah Im totally annoyed by this.. why even have a netbook edition if the fix is to revert to GNOME and then make it look like the netbook edition? I dont get the logic that they had to lock the panel so that users would have the option of reverting to GNOME if the wanted to. The whole reason I got downloaded and installed the UNR was because I have a netbook with a tiny screen and I wanted something that would work nicely on it right out of the box. And now I also find out that the UNR version of lucid is not a LTS.. quite irritating.

I wouldn't have even upgraded until I knew more but that an update screwed up my Karmic UNR install (getting stuck in fsck at startup) so I figured "oh what the hell, if im gonna have to start from scratch I might as well go with the LTS even if I'm adopting a little earlier than I would have preferred"
Arrrg had to vent a little there..

[alSee]

Why? Is it possible that different sessions have different release types? I can chose to login to Gnome or UNE in GDM on startup. And do I get LTS or non-LTS Ubuntu version respectively?

[Goatrancer]

I based what I said on what I read in another thread, maybe it was incorrect. In any case I can't answer your question, I have no idea.
edit: I got the notion from this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1416560&highlight=lucid+unr+panel)

[relic70]

One can set Gnome as the default desktop with "Login Screen Setting" from the System Administration panel.

There you can choose your default session as Gnome, Ubuntu Netbook Edition, xterm or the Netbook edition 2D.

Very simple.

Hope this removes some of your frustrations. It removed mine. Now I can set my desktop as I wish on my Dell Latitude D420.

[Goatrancer]

I was hoping to just stick with netbook remix and have full functionality. I don't see the point of having netbook remix if I have to use regular gnome and then reconfigure it to look like UNR.

[steve19137]

I was hoping to just stick with netbook remix and have full functionality. I don't see the point of having netbook remix if I have to use regular gnome and then reconfigure it to look like UNR.

ya, go figure. it almost wants to make me use kde. almost.. (yes, i do have something against kde. it screwed my desktop!)

[MrFSL]

You all make some great points - I am very glad I started this thread.

I recently saw a news announcment (sorry no link) demonstrating the future design for UNE. It looks like the Ubuntu folks are planning a lot of interesting things for the future. This is good and I look forward to what might be coming down the pipe in the future.

In the meantime I have left Ubuntu and went back to Debian. Its hard to believe that it has been almost 5 years since I switched to Ubuntu. I really hope that the Ubuntu devs and decision makers learn something from this release. Unfortunately it seems that Lucid is getting such good press (due to the new look and feel) that I don't think any lessons will be learned. I won't hold my breath but it sure would be nice to have an official announcement from the Ubuntu folks saying --- yeah, we messed up --- it was supposed to be an LTS edition --- we should have listened to our community --- we knew regresssion was bad and shouldn't have done what we did... again please lets not hold our breath.

I am grateful for the Ubuntu community and what that has meant for Linux. I am using some Ubuntu metapackages to help make decisions on what debian packages to install etc. and this is indicative of just how good a job the Ubuntu folks have done in the past. I can't wait to see what Ubuntu offers in the future, but the 1 thing I hope to see more then anything else is Ubuntu reverting back to its roots and original philosophy.

[TexDaddy57]

I was brand new to ubuntu, and Linux. I have an msi wind u100 that I installed 10.04 netbook remix on. That god awful panel thing ran me off!! I'm going back to windows. at least with that I know I can make "some" visual changes to my desktop.