Ubuntu 14.04 Brings Back Menus In Application Windows 255
sfcrazy writes "Canonical is bringing back menu integration with application windows. In 14.04 there will be an option for users to enable menus in application windows. That's a huge u-turn from Mark's stand on Global Menus which upset a lot of Ubuntu users."
Focus follows mouse (Score:5, Interesting)
As a big fan of focus-follows-mouse, this will finally make Ubuntu at least *usable*, if not pretty. FFM is in direct odds with global menus.
Bonus points if they label the configuration settings "be like a Mac" and "be like every other computer on the planet". Maybe this signals the end of the continual macification of Unity?
Merge window buttons and menu bar? (Score:4, Interesting)
I've never understood why we can't get the window-manager and the application to play nice, and share one bar. Usually, there's plenty of space horizontally, and too little vertically. So, why not have the combination of: ....... "The window title goes here" ....... _ [] X
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Oh thank god (Score:3, Interesting)
It is more compatible than you think (Score:4, Interesting)
FFM is not actually fundimentally incompatible with focus-follows-mouse. Gnome 3 works around it by providing an option called 'focus-change-on-pointer-rest'. It works extremely well on a trackpad because you general lift your finger once the pointer is over a window. With a mouse, it gives a slight lag because your hand isn't as steady.
Why does this work well with global menus? Because when you use global menus, you throw the pointer to the top of the screen, using fits law.
The reason I use FFM to begin with is because I hate having to aim and make sure I hit a tiny widget or make sure I don't accidentally click a link on a webpage when trying to give focus to the window. Having menubars in windows is an extension of that problem. I would probably care less if mouse motion was actually one-to-one, but it isn't.
Re: Nice to have the choice (Score:1, Interesting)
Oh, I can use it and Metro too... that doesn't make it designed to work efficiently on desktop computers.
Let me see
Gnome/KDE/Windows Start Menu
1 or 2 clicks to see almost everything thats installed on the system
2 or 3 clicks to run one of those applications
Unity
Searching, typing, filtering, trying to ignore ads and knowing what you're looking for... 14327942 clicks and keys pressed.
Ubuntu was supposed to be user friendly for those who wanted to leave Windows, Unity is plain stupid for application management. Even Metro is better and I really hate it. I was considering using Ubuntu again (the last one I used was 9.04 and didn't pay much attention to its development after that) but after looking at 13.10 I wiped it after 25 minutes... 5 minutes wtf-ing about the interface, 5 minutes looking for the installed applications and 15 min trying to give it a chance while being creeped out by the ads... no thanks, it is a dangerous OS for the average user.
Re:OLD? Stupid crap still on 10.7 (Score:5, Interesting)
Note it's been a while since I've used OSX more than some trivial playing with the newer touchpad in a Macbook Air, so I've refrained from commenting on more recent things.
This said, the post a couple above yours was specifically about *older* versions of Mac OS and I think that's still relevant.
Fitts' law indicates that the most quickly accessed targets on any computer display are the four corners of the screen
The problem with the Fitt's Law argument is it only makes sense if your computing experience ends with clicking that menu item.
For instance, if you now have to move the mouse to the window, it's now maximally far away from your cursor and not near a screen edge, and Fitts Law says you just made things a kazillion times worse.
And if you want to interact with two windows (eg. copy from one, paste in another, using menus), you've added another step to switch which menu is available. Admittedly, virtually the whole world has figured out the keyboard shortcuts for cut, copy, and paste, since those are some of the most universally useful commands.
This all means that hot corners and hot edges for the mouse should be reserved for the sort of interactions that are fairly universal between apps, and which logically terminate a sequence of actions. For instance, closing an app (debatable because of accidental clicking, but common), switching to another app that's behind the current app, that sort of thing.
Mac OS has supported multiple mouse buttons for at least 16 years.
It was supported but not really seriously encouraged until more recently than 16 years. But yes, it's an out of date argument now. Just...not 16 years out of date.
Left Window Controls
I don't believe either your argument or the GP's. I'm very skeptical that it's "easier" to move up and to the left with your right hand rather than up and right, which is directly away from you rather than going across your body. But frankly, a mouse is not hard enough to use to justify left vs. right in any way. Window control positions are basically arbitrary (so long as they are in a consistent place within the OS, eg. corner of the window as we've all settled on).
General iOS crap
Integration with touchpads is great. Removing always-visible scrollbars removes needless clutter.
Touchpads are not iOS. I can see how they might seem related, but it is a fundamentally different interaction model when you're operating on a device distinct from the screen. Minimizing input delay is not as important, pinching takes on a different aspect, different opportunities exist simply because your hands aren't covering the viewport, etc.. Don't get me wrong -- I think improved touchpad support is great. I just don't think it has all that much to do with "General iOS crap". I guess maybe the fact that people were trained on iOS to perform certain gestures?
Re:OLD? Stupid crap still on 10.7 (Score:5, Interesting)
ubuntu is a steaming turd because they tried to remove the scroll bars, I see freaking Chrome and Firefox also doing this stupid trick as well on all platforms.
It makes me want to beat developers with a sack of doorknobs.
Re:It is more compatible than you think (Score:2, Interesting)
There's experience with that, it's called RiscOS. The mouse buttons were called "Select", "Adjust" and... "Menu".
And it worked like a charm.