New Unity Mockup

[ZarathustraDK]

This mockup is partly based off aaantoine's ideas from this thread (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1741839)

Now, before you have a meltdown about the social tools, read the text and notice that their position is configurable, and that the tools themselves are not obligatory but optional as plugins.

So with no further ado...

FIRST ITERATION

The "embedded" social tools would replace the current Empathy/Qwibber combo, making the choice of having it voluntary. Currently it seems like Empathy and Qwibber are there because people might want them, but not big enough to be useful because people who don't want them would object to it.

Mockup v1 (full resolution) (http://fav.me/d3fi12q)

The rest is pretty self-explanatory.

SECOND ITERATION

Based on the feedback here is a revised version. This one assumes nothing good will come from the global menu except saving vertical space when a window is maximized. The global menu will still "exist", but it is only visible when a window is maximized. Other non-maximized windows behave the classical way.

Mockup v2 (full resolution) (http://fav.me/d3fkdc6)

[el_koraco]

Embeddable monstrosities - hell no!

[ZarathustraDK]

Embeddable monstrosities - hell no!

They're optional, not default.
It's just the idea, not anywhere near the final design.

You get cake for substantiated criticism.

[NormanFLinux]

I kind of like it.

The idiots in Canonical never looked at popular docks like Cairo and Docky.

I mean what could be simpler - a configurable dock that's easy to understand right?

Unity needs more work before its ready for prime time.

[nickleboyblue]

So, what happens to the top panel when a window is full screen? resizing and making it look nice is going to be difficult to do. Why not make the top left and top right into two independent objects? That would make resizing a lot easier, though what to do when they get so long they collide...

I like the mounted media idea. I don't like the right-click on the dash button idea, because bringing up the classic gnome menu... that won't look good over Unity, and that functionality is already built in anyway, though the UI needs a little polishing to make it more efficient. Instead of bringing up the classic menu, I think it should bring up a menu for modifying the dash itself, and for modifying the Unity Launcher.

Also, inside of the applications place, I think that there should be a way to right-click on a launcher and change the command associated with it. That way, if a program doesn't work with the normal command but does with some other command, it would be easy to fix it's launcher.

Also, I think that all windows that are not maximised should not use the global menu bar at all unless there is only one window open, and even then I don't think they should use it. I think it's a great idea for maximised windows, but it's annoying having to select a window before you can access it's menus. That adds one click for every time you do that, which, for a programmer, means a lot of clicks.

[el_koraco]

They're optional, not default.
It's just the idea, not anywhere near the final design.

You get cake for substantiated criticism.

Ah, I thought you meant Empathy would be optional. The one thing that drove me off Gnome Shell, aside from the annoying zoom in zoom out window management, is the irritating built in messaging.

[ZarathustraDK]

So, what happens to the top panel when a window is full screen? resizing and making it look nice is going to be difficult to do. Why not make the top left and top right into two independent objects? That would make resizing a lot easier, though what to do when they get so long they collide...

I wouldn't know what to do if they collide, could be a problem on smaller resolution screens, but that'd be a problem either way. Otherwise maximizing works like it does now, the titlebar merges with, or gets overlapped the tray-icon.


I like the mounted media idea. I don't like the right-click on the dash button idea, because bringing up the classic gnome menu... that won't look good over Unity, and that functionality is already built in anyway, though the UI needs a little polishing to make it more efficient. Instead of bringing up the classic menu, I think it should bring up a menu for modifying the dash itself, and for modifying the Unity Launcher.

The menu I'm after is already in the app-finder-lens, it even opens up dash when used, it might as well be up there and save some space for launchers. I have this strange feeling that lenses are simply dash-functions that have yet to be incorporated into dash :)


Also, inside of the applications place, I think that there should be a way to right-click on a launcher and change the command associated with it. That way, if a program doesn't work with the normal command but does with some other command, it would be easy to fix it's launcher.

Agree, there should be a more nitpicky way of configuring launchers. For now, if you start a program and it crashes on you, then you have no way of docking the program because it'd be gone before you get to configure its launch options.


Also, I think that all windows that are not maximised should not use the global menu bar at all unless there is only one window open, and even then I don't think they should use it. I think it's a great idea for maximised windows, but it's annoying having to select a window before you can access it's menus. That adds one click for every time you do that, which, for a programmer, means a lot of clicks.

I'm also unsure of where they're going with the global menu. If the current implementation is "it", then I'd rather be without. Maybe it'll make sense if they have other UI-changes up their sleeve, just like moving the window-buttons to the left makes sense now because they'd otherwise collide with the tray-icons when maximized, in the end saving us a row of space. But yeah Gimp and Cinelerra are quite confusing to use right now.

[screaminj3sus]

The resizing top panel would be totally pointless unless you have a HUGE monitor. With the global menu and indicators both taking up space up there still you might as well ahve the full panel, you won't really be able to utililize the extra space. Plus mximized windows already integrate with the panel. This idea would just end up as a usability nightmare. Other ideas are good.

[ZarathustraDK]

The resizing top panel would be totally pointless unless you have a HUGE monitor. With the global menu and indicators both taking up space up there still you might as well ahve the full panel, you won't really be able to utililize the extra space. Plus mximized windows already integrate with the panel. This idea would just end up as a usability nightmare. Other ideas are good.

I got a 1920x1080 screen, not small by any means, but not exactly huge either. With the Firefox globalmenu on I have about 1100x25 pixels worth of blank panel I can't interact with in any way.

I'm kinda hoping they'll drop the global-menu, or pull a beast of a rabbit out of the hat and surprise me with oneiric. The maximized fullscreen window is nice, but that can be done without the global menu.

[NightwishFan]

The idiots in Canonical never looked at popular docks like Cairo and Docky.
Doesn't the developer of one or both work on Unity? :rolleyes:

[NormanFLinux]

I've tried both Cairo and Docky... very good docks that be easily configured and adding programs is a matter of dragging and dropping on the dock. The few that can't be added that way, you can input the info into a custom launcher and choose the appropriate icon.

So why can't Canonical make Unity into a decent/dock launcher? We're not asking for much!

[Johnsie]

No need for insults etc. If you've got a feature you want implemented then bring it up at http://blueprints.ubuntu.com

Also, join the testing of Ocelot and GIVE FEEDBACK

I don't think whining here several months after a feature freeze will fix anything.

[ZarathustraDK]

I have updated the OP with a second revision based on the feedback.

Tell me what you think. ;)

[aguafina]

:KS You know it's all gone wrong when people start doing mockups.

[Docaltmed]

I've tried both Cairo and Docky... very good docks that be easily configured and adding programs is a matter of dragging and dropping on the dock. The few that can't be added that way, you can input the info into a custom launcher and choose the appropriate icon.

So why can't Canonical make Unity into a decent/dock launcher? We're not asking for much!

Start your application. Right click on the launcher icon for that program. left click on "Keep on Launcher." Done.

If you want to move it click & hold, and move it where you want it.

You can do the same thing with custom launchers.

[speedwell68]

Ok, at the moment Unity is only optional, but when it becomes the default will I be able to disable it and run the dock of my choice? Currently I am a fan of AWN, would I be able to ditch Unity in favour of AWN?

[ZarathustraDK]

Please stay on topic, it's not like there's a shortage of dock- or Unity-vs-TheWorld-discussions out there out there.


:KS You know it's all gone wrong when people start doing mockups.

That's how interfaces come together like it or not. It's not like KDE 4.6 just popped out of the blue. Anyway, different topic, different thread.

[as2000]

no need for insults etc. If you've got a feature you want implemented then bring it up at http://blueprints.ubuntu.com

also, join the testing of ocelot and give feedback

i don't think whining here several months after a feature freeze will fix anything.


Thank you...