Compiz and tabs?

[woodyg]

I left Ubuntu for Xubuntu because there no longer are any tabs for navigation between documents/applications. Using some keyboard combination to jump between documents/applications simply is a big step backwards in my opinion as overview now is completely missing and navigation now is less straight forward.

I did however recently come across someone who claimed that tabs might be achieved through Compiz somehow. It was never explained how, so I'm a bit lost at the moment. How can I do that? I can't find anything in CompizConfig Settings Manager... I would love to be able to implement tabs in Ubuntu. How can I achieve this?

[Copper Bezel]

Do you mean the kind of tabs used in a file manager or web browser, or do you mean the keyboard-based Alt+Tab application switching (which should be enabled by default in almost any distro)?

There's another kind of "tabbing" provided by Compiz, but it's unrelated, more to do with "grouping" windows.

[woodyg]

Do you mean the kind of tabs used in a file manager or web browser, or do you mean the keyboard-based Alt+Tab application switching (which should be enabled by default in almost any distro)?

There's another kind of "tabbing" provided by Compiz, but it's unrelated, more to do with "grouping" windows.

I mean the old fashioned kind of tabs (that now has appeared in web browsers), not the keyboard based switching/tabbing.

[Copper Bezel]

Do you mean the task bar The bar at the bottom that lists open windows?

If so, you can revert to that style of task switching by logging out and selecting the "Ubuntu Classic" interface at the bottom after selecting your user account and before entering your password.

[woodyg]

Do you mean the task bar The bar at the bottom that lists open windows?

If so, you can revert to that style of task switching by logging out and selecting the "Ubuntu Classic" interface at the bottom after selecting your user account and before entering your password.

Yes, that is what I mean. I am however under the impression that the Ubuntu classic option will disappear at some point in the future, and if that is the case then I can as well move to a different distro straight away, rather than just putting off the inevitable.

But can this "tab effect"/task bar be achieved with Compiz, or was the person who told me this misinformed?

[Copper Bezel]

Yes, I think there might have been a confusion of terms. There's nothing like Classic mode's task bar available in Compiz; it's Compiz that actually draws the Unity interface. However, the task bar panel will remain an option for the foreseeable future, as it's available (to install) in an upgraded form in Gnome 3, which ships with the next version of Ubuntu.

[woodyg]

Is there a taskbar that works under Unity that I can install? I have been searching but not found anything...

[Krytarik]

Is there a taskbar that works under Unity that I can install?
Well, at least in Natty 11.04* you can run Gnome Panel concurrently to Unity. Therefore just add "gnome-panel" to your "Startup Applications". Then just remove its upper panel.

Hopefully, it will be displayed above the top panel of Unity, or if it's below, you are able to find a pixel of it, so that you can use its right-click menu to remove it. Otherwise, you would need to use "gconf-editor" for that (path: "/apps/panel").

*It seems like it's possible in Oneiric 11.10, too; with the Gnome Fallback Session installed.

Greetings.

[woodyg]

Great! :P I just moved the top gnome-panel (which otherwise cover any close/minimise window button) down to the bottom and deleted the left one, and I have my tabs displayed just like it should be. I think I may actually move back to Ubuntu when 11.10 is out. Thanks a million! :grin:

[woodyg]

:( Well, that didn't last long. Have been trying out 11.10, and it seems the gnome-panel isn't compatible with Ubuntu 11.10. Looks like it will be XFCE for the foreseeable future for me...

[Copper Bezel]

Install gnome-session-fallback, log out, and select it from the menu when you log in to get the Gnome Panel back. = ) It's a little different, particularly in modifying its settings, many of which are accessed on Alt+Right Click.

[woodyg]

gnome-session-fallback would give me some sort of Ubuntu Classic, or am I wrong? In that case it's a dead end anyway, as one may suspect that option to disappear in the near future. Can as well move to a completely different solution straight away then, e.g. XFCE. If someone has a different solution to this, I would love to hear it.

[Copper Bezel]

Yes, it's similar to the Gnome 2 desktop, but written against the GTK3 libraries and with some tweaks and enhancements. It's Gnome's fallback interface for the near future, and it's very unlikely to disappear, honestly, in the entire Gnome 3 cycle. It's certainly not just going to disappear one day in your 11.10 install. = )

There are a number of alternatives, though. Hell, you could just use a Gnome session with xfce4-panel, if that's what you're going for. = )