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Single menu bar for Ubuntu

markshuttleworth.com

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Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#51

Post by rbanffy »

hammerdr wrote: post #33
rbanffy wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A screenshot of a Lisa would do nicely too. I am happy this is only for the netbook version. It's a usability nightmare when you have a 30" monitor (or a couple big ones). Actually, with two monitors, OSX becomes pretty disorienting.

Usability metrics and studies disagree with you. It's a pretty basic usability heuristic that states click targets on the edge of the screen are much more usable than floating targets.

OTOH, click targets on the wrong screen are torture.

I spend all my desk time on a multi-screen setup, with the built-in screen and a big monitor on its side. Having program launchers and a taskbar (or dock) on a specific screen is not as bad, but having to click on something on screen 1 to do something with a window on screen 2 is just painful.

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#52

Post by xtho »

rimantas wrote: post #47
xtho wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't consider copying a single menu bar as it is used on Macs since 1984 as an innovation. I detested the single menu bar on my Mac classic and I always thought the Windows way were preferable -- back then I was a Mac user. And I always found the arguments that Mac zealots put forwards in favour of the single menu bar, were ridiculous. And this post reminds me much to much of the justifications of back then. Those…

There's nothing ridiculous in Fitts' law.

It is for notebook (incl. netbook) users who hardly ever use the mouse/trackpad.

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#53

Post by maggit »

xtho wrote: post #45
tuxychandru wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Care to elaborate? Apple's products and Ubuntu are entirely different in how they are managed. While Apple's is an almost entirely closed ecosystem, Ubuntu's is almost entirely open. What's wrong with someone trying to innovate in the PC desktop space?

I don't consider copying a single menu bar as it is used on Macs since 1984 as an innovation. I detested the single menu bar on my Mac classic and I always thought the Windows way were preferable -- back then I was a Mac user. And I always found the arguments that Mac zealots put forwards in favour of the single menu bar, were ridiculous. And this post reminds me much to much of the justifications of back then. Those…

> But they shouldn't dislocate it from the window to which it belongs.

In almost all cases on Ubuntu Netbook Remix, the window is maximised, so the menubar would still be attached to it. This is a part of Shuttleworth's argument.

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#54

Post by maggit »

xtho wrote: post #52
rimantas wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's nothing ridiculous in Fitts' law.

It is for notebook (incl. netbook) users who hardly ever use the mouse/trackpad.

Just for reference, so we can all agree on what consitutes Fitts's law:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts_law

----

"Fitts's law is used to model the act of pointing", which means it might be less relevant for netbooks, but it still doesn't make it ridiculous.

In other news, Fitts's law is totally irrelevant to the point Shuttleworth is making. The problem he is trying to address is that of screen real estate.

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#55

Post by slmbrhrt »

I have to confess that I've been using gnome-do in Docky mode for the last few weeks and I've only greatly enjoyed it. I have a few small suggestions, like a digital clock perhaps, but so far it's been solid gold.

I'm all for going where Apple has and then going past them in terms of UI decisions like this.

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#56

Post by fortybillion »

wmf wrote: post #40
zephjc wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

OTOH: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law

I wonder if the differences of opinion here are due to different mouse acceleration. Ideally you should be able to hit a global menu with a small mouse movement even on a large monitor, but with improper acceleration it would be more work.

Which is why I don't understand Apple's terrible default mouse acceleration profile. On a 27" iMac, even set to "fast" it's 2 swipes of the mouse across the desk to go corner to corner.

It's one of the few areas of OS X that I consider broken by default and needs a 3rd party tool to fix (made more difficult by the Magic Mouse requiring its own drivers).

Re: Single menu bar for Ubuntu

#57

Post by DavidSJ »

tome wrote: post #48
DavidSJ wrote: post #35

There are outstanding questions about the usability of a panel-hosted menu on much larger screens, where the window and the menu could be very far apart. Fitt's Law means that, in the relevant respect, the edge of the screen is always closer to your mouse than just about anything else.

Fitt's Law does not say edge elements are close to the mouse. It says edge elements are large. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law

By "in the relevant respect", I meant "in time".
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