If you're left-handed, you're screwed with Unity.

[spielball]

Two weeks ago, a friend of mine got curious when she saw my Ubuntu running.<snip>. As she is totally used to Windows 7, I had my doubts when she insisted to make a dual-boot for her. So I installed Ubuntu on her machine. Now two weeks later she came to me and told me about her experiences. As expected, she ran into a lot of problems, because Unity just isn't intuitive. Nevertheless, she fiddled her way through and I tried to help as much as possible.

But there are two things that remain a major drawback for her. And they are the reason why she wants to get rid of it again:

1. Unity doesn't provide any support for left-handed people. For her, it's a pain to have the window buttons on the left side. I looked for a tweak, but for maximized windows there is no solution.

2. She wants the launcher on the right side of the screen. Also, there is no way to do this.

With Unity, Canonical perverted the concept of user friendliness into something worse than MS' Windows or Apple's Mac OS X will ever be. I wonder where Canonical's usability engineers learned their profession. Designing a GUI should always also include left-handed people. But Unity is discrimination of the worst kind.

[TBABill]

I agree with you that the launcher should be able to be moved, at least between left or right sides of the screen. But, I don't say that because it should accommodate right or left handed people...we all use the same Windows and Mac OS and they're all configured for "everyone". I don't see how the launcher being on one side or the other affects someone who is right or left handed differently.

With the window buttons I think that's just something that is part of Ubuntu now because of how the buttons must fall when a window is desired to be closed, minimized, etc. It can't be on the right because of the panel configuration, unfortunately, so for anyone who grew up with buttons to the right it causes quite a bit of aggravation during the adjustment period. This also is questionable in relation to right/left handed people. In MS Windows they've always been to the right. Since I'm right handed and that feels very comfortable to use, wouldn't it make sense that having them to the left would feel more natural to her? Probably not and it is likely just that it is so different than what she is used to that it feels "wrong" like it still does for me at times when I race the pointer up to the right only to realize I went the wrong way.

I don't see how Ubuntu devs are "discriminatory" based on how those two aspects of the GUI operate. I don't really like either aspect, but I don't think it was done to leave a group of people without the same usability as another. It's certainly worthy of some discussion, but to blame it on any form of discrimination seems to be off the mark.

[kurt18947]

Are left-handed people a "protected" group in Germany? In the U.S. you only have a chance of making a discrimination claim of you're a member of a "protected group". Having said that, I use Gnome 3 shell because it can be modified more easily though I don't know about moving the launcher bar. In shell you can install extensions that can show traditional menus & a 'places' menu. How about using Docky or Cairo Dock or something like that? There is in 12.04 some sort of editor for Unity, called I think "My Unity". I haven't used it so don't know anything about it but I guess the complaints about the inability to modify Unity have been heard.

[donato roque]

I disagree.
I happen to believe in the opposite. Unity provided the left-handed a right super-key and a left super-key to be used by left handed people like me.
If you want to use the mouse. then what does it matter if the launcher is located to the right side or the left.

[donato roque]

You should be concerned about making such statements about women, it could be received as 'sexist'.

More important than your alleging discrimination against left handed people.

[neu5eeCh]

The launcher can now be moved to the bottom of the screen.

However, if she wants all the benefits of 11.10 without the Unity desktop, she can install the Cairo Dock session (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1885315). This is a what I did. My dock is on the right (where, IMHO, it belongs) and I have no panel (and have no use for a panel), though if you insist on having one, Cairo Dock can be configured with a very nice panel.

[spielball]

Since I'm right handed and that feels very comfortable to use, wouldn't it make sense that having them to the left would feel more natural to her? Probably not and it is likely just that it is so different than what she is used to that it feels "wrong" like it still does for me at times when I race the pointer up to the right only to realize I went the wrong way.
Actually, she had an Apple computer many years ago already. She told me that she never really got used to having window buttons on the left side. But back in the days of Windows 95, a Mac was still the better alternative. And the old Mac OS had only the close button on the left. Also, when she saw my Ubuntu, she wasn't aware of that issue anymore, blinded by Unity's fancy & shiny looks.


It's certainly worthy of some discussion, but to blame it on any form of discrimination seems to be off the mark.
Well, that's how it feels to her. That's what she told me. Obviously, for left-handed people the world looks a lot different than to right-handed people. For example, when she was a kid in school, learning the alphabet etc., she was forced by the teachers to write with her right hand. This was common practice in the German school system til the 80s. And she needed a re-training for her left-hand when this system was finally abandoned. Not to mention the psychological side effects it has when you're forced to use the wrong hand, while your brain functions the other way round. So clearly, this is discrimnation. Also, she has to spend much more money than other people when she buys items for her daily needs. Because items for left-handed people cost more, e.g. scissors etc.

It's just that it sounds kind of hypocritical to her when Canonical's tag line is: "Linux for human beings". I guess that's what made her blood boiling a bit. Anyway, I'll suggest her to install Kubuntu instead :)

[spielball]

However, if she wants all the benefits of 11.10 without the Unity desktop, she can install the Cairo Dock session (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1885315). This is a what I did. My dock is on the right (where, IMHO, it belongs) and I have no panel (and have no use for a panel), though if you insist on having one, Cairo Dock can be configured with a very nice panel.
Thanks a lot for that hint. I'll have a look into it.

[cthom]

a bit strange :s

i'm left handed and haven't found the layout at all inconvenient. i also use emerald themes which put the window buttons on the right hand side (while being on the left actually suits me better!). the panel being on the left is, again, something i prefer. each to one's own i suppose ;)

[sirkeith]

I am left handed as well and find the Unity lay out quite usable. But my mind adapts fairly quickly and I think a lot of people want things to remain the same. My wife hates change and will fight to the bitter end to keep things the same. <grin>

[3Miro]

Ubuntu tweak should let you move the windows buttons and you can put the launchers to the bottom:

https://launchpad.net/~tualatrix/+archive/next

I am not sure your friend is really having problems because of her left-handedness. Western handwritten languages that write left to right heavily favor right-handed people. However, how can a computer interface favor handedness? She can reverse the mouse and she can have whichever hand she prefers on the mouse and whichever hand she prefers on the keyboard. I am right-handed, but I don't find left/right buttons or left/right launchers to be anything more than something to get used to. It is irritating before you get used to it, but I fail to see the connection to handedness.

[spielball]

Don't bother anymore! I switched to Kubuntu. And so far, I'm happy with it. I can have a panel/dock whereever I want -- with a few simple clicks. And with icon-tasks -- which will merged into KDE 4.8 -- it's awesome.

[VanillaMozilla]

There are alternatives, and almost any of them would be better. There's fallback mode or classic mode or whatever it's called today, which she may prefer. There's also KDE. Some people use XFCE, but I find it cartoonish.

[Frogs Hair]

Ubuntu Tweak works well for moving window buttons as stated above . I use the right oriented Gnome Shell , E17 , Win 7 , and the left oriented Unity .

I often switch desktop environments during the course of the day so I am not habituated to have anything in the same place anymore . E17 allows the placement docks/shelves on any side of the screen as with most dock applications . The Gnome shell has a dock extension which appears on the right.

I think moving Unity launcher may become an official option , it only took one release before movement bottom was possible . As stated the are many alternatives to Unity .

[KdotJ]

Irrelevant. I bet people didn't moan and say "Oh Microsoft have put the start button on the left hand side of the screen, they hate left-handed people"

If she is coming from Windows, the left hand side for task management is the norm. I understand about the window buttons, but that's down to it not being familiar.. not because she is left handed.


Ubuntu != Windows.

[topsites]

It also discriminates heavily against blind people because they can't see it at all!

[tlcstat]

Greetings,

It's just that it sounds kind of hypocritical to her when Canonical's tag line is: "Linux for human beings". I guess that's what made her blood boiling a bit. Anyway, I'll suggest her to install Kubuntu instead

I'm more intrigued by the fact that there is someone that knows what goes on in someone else's mind and how they feel than anything else. Weird!

Reality in most of our world happens from left to right. Doesn't matter if the person is right or left handed. Take for instance three ring binders. The left handed tell me that it is a pain to sign something in a binder because the rings get in the arms way. Yet a right to left document is not provided for these people. I doubt that Mark has a solution for the problem. Sit tight though, I am sure that the Unity bar will be further developed.
tlcstat

[KdotJ]

It also discriminates heavily against blind people because they can't see it at all!

LOL that made me laugh


Take for instance three ring binders. The left handed tell me that it is a pain to sign something in a binder because the rings get in the arms way. Yet a right to left document is not provided for these people.

I totally agree with this. People I'm sure have read the title of this thread and suddenly thought "Oh yeah.. I've never realised that before" but it makes no difference whe you think about it. People forget that left handed people have always been left handed... it's not something they have to suddenly grow used to. If they have learnt how to use Windows... they can learn Unity. In my opinion it's just a case of familiarity, and that many people do not like change.

Now, all we need is for someone to invent a left handed coffee mug...

[tlcstat]

Greetings,

Now, all we need is for someone to invent a left handed coffee mug...

What we really need is a programmable coffee mug so that we can put the handle on either the right or left side. My bet is that Mark or someone else will include the option to put the handle on the bottom.
tlcstat

[KdotJ]

Greetings,


What we really need is a programmable coffee mug so that we can put the handle on either the right or left side. My bet is that Mark or someone else will include the option to put the handle on the bottom.
tlcstat

I hope there will be an option to install a different handle if we don't like the one it comes with...

[rg4w]

I'm part of the ~13% of the population that's left-handed, and I have no problems with Unity. On the contrary, I rather like it.

Yes, it can take some getting used to if you've used other DEs, but that's independent of handedness.

[tlcstat]

Greetings,

I hope there will be an option to install a different handle if we don't like the one it comes with...

Else, use a Gnome 2 coffee mug with no handle at all.
tlcstat