Unity 8 Continues Working Towards Proper Desktop Support

[rikkinho]

hm

Which Ubuntu version will have Unity 8 by default or at least considered stable?

15.10

16.04 default

[Guest]

I can't work well in Gnome 3.

• I need a minimize/maximize button
• I need to be able to see the open applications for easier ALT+TAB-ing and just switching in general.
• It doesn't actually keep any of my display settings. I'd tell it to extend one way, or just duplicate and it would always revert back

.

Not sure if it'll help, but for Minimizing; you can right-click the titlebar and click Minimize. For maximizing, it's the same, but I just drag the window to the top of the screen to do it.

Alt-tab can be fixed up with the Alternatetab extension. It shows a preview of the application on Alt-tab. Can also be set to not switch between apps on different workspaces.

Not sure why your display settings wouldn't be saved. I've tried GNOME 3.14 on openSUSE Tumbleweed and Fedora 21, and GNOME remembers and respects my monitor arrangement (haven't tried dupe/extend though).

[TheSoulz]

Not sure if it'll help, but for Minimizing; you can right-click the titlebar and click Minimize. For maximizing, it's the same, but I just drag the window to the top of the screen to do it.

Alt-tab can be fixed up with the Alternatetab extension. It shows a preview of the application on Alt-tab. Can also be set to not switch between apps on different workspaces.

Not sure why your display settings wouldn't be saved. I've tried GNOME 3.14 on openSUSE Tumbleweed and Fedora 21, and GNOME remembers and respects my monitor arrangement (haven't tried dupe/extend though).

The only real solution for this is using gnome-tweak-tool, i hate how Gnome and Elementary are doing this kind of ridiculos choises that make no sense at all.
Im using a desktop i want a "desktop" that inculdes desktop icons and minimize/maximize buttons along with the gnome dash should be a dock (can be fixed with the extension "dash to dock").

[RahulSundaram]

The only real solution for this is using gnome-tweak-tool, i hate how Gnome and Elementary are doing this kind of ridiculos choises that make no sense at all.
Im using a desktop i want a "desktop" that inculdes desktop icons and minimize/maximize buttons along with the gnome dash should be a dock (can be fixed with the extension "dash to dock").

I don't want any of that. Thankfully they are preferences in GNOME Tweak Tool. Let's not go around calling preferences of others ridiculous choices.

[Delgarde]

Alt-tab can be fixed up with the Alternatetab extension. It shows a preview of the application on Alt-tab. Can also be set to not switch between apps on different workspaces.

Yeah, that's the *one* thing that I just have to use shell extensions for. Pretty much everything else is fine, but the default Alt-tab behaviour is just crazy...

[TheSoulz]

I don't want any of that. Thankfully they are preferences in GNOME Tweak Tool. Let's not go around calling preferences of others ridiculous choices.

Well in my opinion they'r ridiculous.
I would even go as far as saying is a worst then the idea of windows 8 metro (start) on the desktop.

[Doodzor]

I can't work well in Gnome 3.

• I need a minimize/maximize button
• I need to be able to see the open applications for easier ALT+TAB-ing and just switching in general.
• It doesn't actually keep any of my display settings. I'd tell it to extend one way, or just duplicate and it would always revert back.

And I have issues with Unity as well. A good example is if you're playing a game in Steam, and Unity groups the game with the chat with the steam window (which Unity would always show as being minimized and not closed), ALT+TAB doesn't work so well. Also, Google Chrome with Google Hangouts has the same problem, where you'll try to ALT-TAB to Chrome and the chat window will be grabbed. I get that there's (ALT) + (~) but that's for switching within the same grouped windows. And of course the other issue is that it isn't as snappy as Unity 2D.

I really, really liked how Crunchbang handled multiple virtual desktops and program windows in that regard with Openbox and Tint2

The first two are trivially fixable. The Gnome tweak tool has options to include min/max buttons on windows. And then extensions are really easy to activate and one of the most popular ones leaves the application dock portion of the dash visible at all times like a more traditional dock/taskbar. Number three I also have problems with in certain applications and I'm not sure if it's a bug or intended behavior.

[TheSoulz]

The first two are trivially fixable. The Gnome tweak tool has options to include min/max buttons on windows. And then extensions are really easy to activate and one of the most popular ones leaves the application dock portion of the dash visible at all times like a more traditional dock/taskbar. Number three I also have problems with in certain applications and I'm not sure if it's a bug or intended behavior.

This is what i mean, see...
Lot of people do not like the choises gnome did.
I looks like a tablet UX blown up and even then having desktop icons and a dock would still make it more usable.

Gnome already as a 1st login "tutorial" thing why not add a button to "i prefert a desktop expirience"?
Gnome 3 as been getting better but these are ones of the main flaws it refuses to adress for whatever reason the DEVs told themselfs.

[Doodzor]

This is what i mean, see...
Lot of people do not like the choises gnome did.
I looks like a tablet UX blown up and even then having desktop icons and a dock would still make it more usable.

Gnome already as a 1st login "tutorial" thing why not add a button to "i prefert a desktop expirience"?
Gnome 3 as been getting better but these are ones of the main flaws it refuses to adress for whatever reason the DEVs told themselfs.

You can also just use the Gnome Classic setup from the login page which does most of what people who don't like Gnome Shell want already. It's also worth noting that some things take getting used to. I thought I'd be annoyed by no desktop icons. Don't miss them at all now. Desktop stays clean. I put things in there proper place to begin with and I don't have to minimize what's open to find it because that's the only way to get to the desktop. Same thing for the visible dock vs. dash launcher. I really thought I'd be annoyed at the hidden dock like how I always hated windows taskbars set to autohide. Don't miss it at all either. I don't need a complete catalog of what's running on screen at all times. If I'm even thinking about it then I've already stopped thinking about exactly what I'm working on so hitting the super key isn't taking me away from my work. I do absolutely have to have the places taskbar menu extension installed. That's the only thing that I think was a really dumb decision about the default setup. Without it it takes too many clicks to open up your home folders or bookmarked folders. That's been my experience anyway.

[cynical]

And I have issues with Unity as well. A good example is if you're playing a game in Steam, and Unity groups the game with the chat with the steam window (which Unity would always show as being minimized and not closed), ALT+TAB doesn't work so well. Also, Google Chrome with Google Hangouts has the same problem, where you'll try to ALT-TAB to Chrome and the chat window will be grabbed. I get that there's (ALT) + (~) but that's for switching within the same grouped windows. And of course the other issue is that it isn't as snappy as Unity 2D.

If the windows are grouped together, (like Hangouts + Chrome) and you are trying to use ALT+TAB to get at a specific window, all you need to do is to initiate the switcher, tab over to the grouping of windows, and sit there for like half a second; The result is that it then goes directly into the grouping and lets you tab between those until you cycle out of the last window and back into the main switcher. Another alternative is to use the arrow keys to navigate in the switcher. Left and right obviously move you horizontally while up and down take you in and out between the main switcher and the window groupings.

I agree with you about the comparative snappiness of Unity 2D. That will come back with Unity 8, and probably with lots of bugs.