Dash

[VietCanada]

I don't understand the Dash.

Let's try a thought experiment.

I work in an office. I need a file. I go to the file room open the cabinet titled 'games' and pick the game I want.

That's the old way. This is the new way-

I need a file. I go to a file room and knock on the door. I enter an empty room and a voice asks me what I want. I can't answer that except that I want to look at the selection of games. So I go to the next door and knock. I wait while somebody inside runs around and grabs five or six files at random. I wait longer while this same person then grabs 5 or 6 other files from other offices because they are popular at other offices. The door opens I enter into a foyer rather than the file room and see these ten files lying on the floor. I go to the actual door to the file room and knock on that door. When I enter I find every file lying on the floor in alphabetical order. So I walk around the room looking for anything that might be a game. I open some to check. After a while I find a game I'm familiar with and exit the file room but I have no idea what all the games are, which is why I went to the file room in the first place.

What is the facination with Dash? I just don't get it. Take all the nicely organized files out of their properly labelled folders and toss them all into one big folder. I don't understand how anyone can think this is better. I thought organizing all the files into folders was a big improvement. So getting rid of them until a new generation can rediscover the value of organizing files into properly labelled folders is what? Can anyone explain this?

[cariboo]

This isn't a support question, moved to Ubuntu, Linux and OS Chat

[deadflowr]

The dash isn't about looking through the fifty games you have, but getting to the one game you want to run.

Why fumble through x amount of folders looking for something, when I have a secretary who I tell what I want and gets it instantly.

If I forget the game I want, the dash application menu has filters to limit the categories.

And by default, the most recently used are always up front, so you don't have to keep repeatedly going through those x amount of folders looking for it.

[VietCanada]

The dash isn't about looking through the fifty games you have, but getting to the one game you want to run.

Why fumble through x amount of folders looking for something, when I have a secretary who I tell what I want and gets it instantly.

If I forget the game I want, the dash application menu has filters to limit the categories.

And by default, the most recently used are always up front, so you don't have to keep repeatedly going through those x amount of folders looking for it.

None of this helps me when I just want to see what games are on my PC or what video or audio programs are available. System programs. It's only useful if I like Aislerot, only play aislerot and don't mind typing aislerot everytime I want to play a game. Personally I think it's easier, faster and more intuitive to click the dash button then click on Games and then click on Aislerot. If I want to actually explore my new OS and see what's been installed and check things out well, that functionality is lost with the introduction of Dash.

As for your secretary you now pay her much more each time she gets a file for you, that's become more expensive. She has less time available for other tasks while she is hunting down a file in Dash. IOW you have lost some productivity because one task now takes longer than it used to.

[VietCanada]

Imagine your newspaper dispensed with organizing files into well labelled folders. You like sports? Well now you have to search the whole newspaper looking for sports stories. They may be arranged alphabetically but this doesn't help you if you don't know the headlines does it?

[roly33]

It's easy enough just to find what you want in Dash & then drag it onto the Unity dock so you can find it

241947

In the attached Screenshot I've got all my most used apps Locked to the dock for easy access, & only need the Dash for finding apps that I don't use that much.

Dash has been in Ubuntu since the introduction of Unity, but the first versions listed all your Apps with an All button to expand the list, it's only been introduced in recent versions of Ubuntu the new way of searching for Apps and only show the most recent apps by default. Mac OSX uses a similar thing but you don't have Dash but have an Apps folder in Finder with all your Apps in.

If you type Games in the Search field it will list all your Installed games along with a suggestion of games that you can Install.

Roland

[VietCanada]

It's easy enough just to find what you want in Dash & then drag it onto the Unity dock so you can find it

241947

In the attached Screenshot I've got all my most used apps Locked to the dock for easy access, & only need the Dash for finding apps that I don't use that much.

Dash has been in Ubuntu since the introduction of Unity, but the first versions listed all your Apps with an All button to expand the list, it's only been introduced in recent versions of Ubuntu the new way of searching for Apps and only show the most recent apps by default. Mac OSX uses a similar thing but you don't have Dash but have an Apps folder in Finder with all your Apps in.

If you type Games in the Search field it will list all your Installed games along with a suggestion of games that you can Install.

Roland

Thanx for the advice. I do do that though. I get rid of all the Libre office stuff that I don't use and add software I use all the time. What I am missing though is the ability to explore. I don't create a lot of DVDs or CDs these days but when I wanted to in the past it was very simple to open the audio/video folder and look at what was there and try some stuff out. I can't do that anymore. I have to look on line for what I want and then check and see if I have it installed or not. The search function is absolutely useless unless you know the name of the software you are looking for. Which is just such an obvious absurdity.

I type 'games' into search and I get Aislerot plus about five suggestions. I want to know what's on my machine. I'm not installing anything without some research. Hence the suggestions are a waste of time. And where do they come from? Does search go online to find them everytime I use it? That takes time and is expensive in countries where you have dl limits.Do you know what a song is about and whether you'll like it just by its title? Of course not, you have to listen to it first. Music is a bit different however since you'll have a clue by knowing who sings it.

When I want to know what I can install I go to the software centre. That is a different task and a different interest with entirely different motivations than wanting to know what is installed on my machine. Combining the two makes no sense to me. It just wastes time and potentially money as well. I haven't liked dash since its introduction. As I've said it's just putting all the files into one big bucket instead of neatly organizing things into easily found folders. I think organizing things for the dash should be an option for the user if no one wants to do it in the OS.

And what's up with the 5 icons on the bottom of the big empty window that opens when I click on dash? Is that an 'A' for all? Music, photos and videos should list what I have on my machine, that would be useful but they don't. So what's the point? I have firefox if I want to go online and search for things. I need something that simply lists what's on my PC in an organized fashion rather than someone dumping a box of stuff on the floor which includes other people's things and saying it's maybe, possibly in here somewhere just use your ESP to divine the name of it.

[grahammechanical]

You are about four years late with this kind of complaint. And that is as polite as I can get to be after seeing posts like this again and again. I keep hearing that Linux is about freedom. Well, we have the freedom to choose the distribution we like but unless we are a developer we can only choose from what we are given. We are not paying customers. We get what we pay for. And we do not pay enough to tell community developers what they should do.

[cortman]

Just don't use Unity.
Simple as that.
Try [L|X|K]ubuntu instead.
Or better yet, Crunchbang. :)

[VietCanada]

Just don't use Unity.
Simple as that.
Try [L|X|K]ubuntu instead.
Or better yet, Crunchbang. :)

I use Mint Mate. I keep checking back with Ubuntu to see if they have fixed their problems yet so I can use it again. Apparently I'm wasting my time.

[stinkeye]

I use Mint Mate. I keep checking back with Ubuntu to see if they have fixed their problems yet so I can use it again. Apparently I'm wasting my time.
You are wasting your time if you don't take the time to learn how to use it.
You can easily turn off search suggestions, online search and uninstall any dash lens you don't find useful.
eg I just have the home, applications and files lens and the home lens only shows recent files
and recent applications.
241956

Want to see what's installed by categories....open the application lens and choose a filter.
Seems fairly simple to me.
241955

[Perfect Storm]

+1 for what stinkeye said.
And for those who want menus after menus or want to keep a collection of some stuff (I do this for my games), I suggest installing 'drawers' for Unity. It's in the software Center (13.04).

http://ubuntuforums.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=241958&stc=1&d=1367258593

[MadmanRB]

The dash is very keyboard oriented, not mouse thus is the primary issue with it.
I do with categories were open by default though reducing a few clicks for newcomers.

It needs more rainbow
http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20130307050703/mlp/images/4/4b/Rainbow_Dash_Wonderbolt_fantasy_cropped_S1E3.png

[VietCanada]

'Drawers' is a good idea except I have to figure out what each of pre-installed programs is. But it's doable. Just because something is new doesn't mean it's better. 8-tracks were new once. So were the 'Bay City Rollers'. The Bay City Rollers on 8-track. I am very frustrated. It's maybe like buying a new car and finding a joy stick instead of a steering wheel. I can't use a joy stick to drive. None of my friends can either. But the pilots who designed it absolutely love it. They are ecstatic in fact. When I complain I'm told that joy sticks are the future man. Get with it. Every car is going to have a joystick from now on. Move on you ludite. It's very insulting, presumptuous and not even ball park acurate. It is possible to make something new and people don't like it. Especially when new means that things that everyone liked about a thing is now gone with no explanation.

For me the dash is an annoyance. I have yet to see a rational explanation for it. I do see work arounds so clearly others have problems as well. My biggest issue is with seperate X screens. But that is another thread.

I like the look and feel of 13. It's quite nice. I'd love to use it. But too much functionality has been lost or hidden or requires work arounds to regain. If I could use X screens I'd probably have figured out how best to fix the dash to suit me. But I can't and it's integral to how I've used my PC for a decade. Change is change. There is no dictionary on Earth that defines change as better. No thesaurus that lists better as a synonym or antonym of change. Those words have entirely different meanings. Before you tell me that unity is better, the future and I'm a ludite buy a dictionary. Change is not better. It's just change. Users and customers will tell you if it's better or not.

[Tamlynmac]

VietCanada

I really think cortman said it best - use a different distro. If your using Mint and are dissatisfied, try one of the distros listed by cortman. I prefer Xubuntu - personal choice.

IMO learning something new is great, but for many it's more about repetitive production and what best meets/fits their needs. I would suggest that instead of coming here to complain, you simply investigate new Ubuntu releases and accept that they either meet your expectations or not.

I suspect this response you made to cortman is probably accurate.

Apparently I'm wasting my time.
But, I also suspect you've already ascertained that based on the responses to this thread.

Good Luck

Just my $0.02

[VietCanada]

I really think cortman said it best - use a different distro. If your using Mint and are dissatisfied, try one of the distros listed by cortman. I prefer Xubuntu - personal choice.

IMO learning something new is great, but for many it's more about repetitive production and what best meets/fits their needs. I would suggest that instead of coming here to complain, you simply investigate new Ubuntu releases and accept that they either meet your expectations or not.

I suspect this response you made to cortman is probably accurate.

But, I also suspect you've already ascertained that based on the responses to this thread.

Good Luck

Just my $0.02

I appreciate your 2 cents. I appreciate any respectful reply. I am using Mate 13. But I like using the latest and greatest. Mate 14 doesn't have seperate X screens either unfortunately, But Nvidia offers it so somewhere it works. I'm stuck using an old and aging OS because the 'new' ones just aren't as good. I'm in regression hell. LOL

Eventually I'll get no more updates and lose the ability to use the latest and greatest software.

If I don't speak up about an issue that concerns me then who?

[stinkeye]

There will be compromises on the unity desktop because focus has switched to smart phones and tablets
where the greatest opportunity lies.
If you can't make it work for you don't use it.
After all the unity interface is just a compiz plugin.

There are features of unity I really like and others not so much, so I do what I've always done
and change it to suit me.
eg
I prefer using kupfer for launching applications rather than the dash.

If there was a feature of unity that I loathed and couldn't change then I would just use the gnome-fallback session or another desktop.

P.S. Want that old style menu.....

sudo apt-get install classicmenu-indicator

[VietCanada]

There will be compromises on the unity desktop because focus has switched to smart phones and tablets
where the greatest opportunity lies.
If you can't make it work for you don't use it.
After all the unity interface is just a compiz plugin.

There are features of unity I really like and others not so much, so I do what I've always done
and change it to suit me.
eg
I prefer using kupfer for launching applications rather than the dash.

If there was a feature of unity that I loathed and couldn't change then I would just use the gnome-fallback session or another desktop.

P.S. Want that old style menu.....

sudo apt-get install classicmenu-indicator

Thanks for that. I've copied and pasted it into my Ubuntu Usefall Install Info file. Alongside purging Pulse and numerous stuff from the Video thread here. But what I really need is seperate X screens. When that's resolved I can use Ubuntu again. I started a thread about and got some good advise but unfortunately none of it works yet.

I use a PC at home and a laptop at work. I have a phone with it's own OS already installed, I have no use for a pad. I see no value in having the same OS on everything. All the eggs in one basket kind of thing. I'm always dual booting something on my PC. I put what works on my laptop. I don't need an update or upgrade totally f-ing up my job, you know what I mean? Ubuntu 11 would have done that if I had blindly upgraded to it. I connect my laptop to TVs on the job. Losing seperate X screens isn't fatal to my job but it's a lot more work and less efficient if I can't take private notes on my laptop while displaying what I want on the TV. But actually watching a movie while playing a game bugs me more. I've been able to do that on MS and Ubuntu for over 10 years. Then it broke. No explanation. No talk about why or the issues. just gone. I hate that. At least MS and Apple gave warnings that they were going to try to excercise control over what their customers put on their computers. I'd hate to have to go back to that environment just to be able to enjoy the PC I paid for. Any idea what the issue is with seperate X screens?

[Tamlynmac]

VietCanada
If I don't speak up about an issue that concerns me then who?

If your "OK" with receiving responses similar to those in this thread, then I can't envision any reason why you shouldn't. Awareness, only applies to being unaware and for the most part I doubt many responding here are unaware.

If your needs require the newest and most recent releases of everything, one must consider that (at some point) they may be disillusioned. Especially, when said newest doesn't include their preferred options. Or, lacks basic requirements they believe are critical. As your preferred requirements may not coincide with those of the devs/other users.

Good Luck and hope you find a solution that you can live with.

[VietCanada]

If your "OK" with receiving responses similar to those in this thread, then I can't envision any reason why you shouldn't. Awareness, only applies to being unaware and for the most part I doubt many responding here are unaware.

If your needs require the newest and most recent releases of everything, one must consider that (at some point) they may be disillusioned. Especially, when said newest doesn't include their preferred options. Or, lacks basic requirements they believe are critical. As your preferred requirements may not coincide with those of the devs/other users.

Good Luck and hope you find a solution that you can live with.

I've seen a couple newspaper reports that MS is acknowledging the problems with putting out a phone, pad touch screen focussed OS when so many require a PC based OS. They are putting out something called 'Blue' as early as this fall. They're spinning it as improved responsiveness to the market but one suspects the sudden, unexpected and dramatic drop in new PC sales coinciding with the release of MS8 has resulted in presssure for them to fix it.

Hopefully Ubuntu can respond to the world wide criticism of this dated, restaurant cash register approach to an OS. One ignores customers and users at their own peril. How does word processing software do on a touch screen? Especially a monitor on an office desk. I just can't imagine it.

[stinkeye]

Windows 8 is an attempt by MS to use their PC dominance to push into the tablet smartphone market using
similiarity and familiarity of the metro desktop. That's why you can't boot straight into the old desktop.
So when you see an MS phone or tablet your supposed to choose it over others because your familiar with metro.