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besson3c · May 17, 2011, 10:21 PM

I'm wondering if anybody is interested in discussing these new UIs?

For starters, here is a little Gnome 3 video:

YouTube - GNOME 3: Accessing Apps Quickly

I'm not a fan of Desktop Linux in particular, but being an advanced user and somebody interested in usability I always get a kick out of looking at this sort of stuff. Using this video as a starting place, the app launcher thing is very Spotlight-like, except Spotlight is pretty slow for me. If it weren't, I can see how using your keyboard as a means to launch apps might make sense.

I know that people in here are quick to critique and dismiss Linux WMs in general, and are quick to point out how much better OS X is. Please treat this as simply an academic exercise, I don't really care to debate which platform has the best UI, but for the record I happen to think that that title does go to OS X. It's interesting to read that the next version of Unity that will be included in the next version of Ubuntu will feature dock icons being able to show status, a feature of the OS X dock for years. Obviously OS X is frequently copied in not only Linux WMs but also Windows.

So, I'm not suggesting that anything here is "innovative", but like I said, it's kind of interesting seeing a different take on efficiency. I say efficiency because clearly Linux based WMs are primarily targeted for advanced users who are generally more interested in speed and productivity rather than making everything brain-dead obvious for Grandma. I certainly appreciate the latter, but I think these sorts of discussions will get more mileage out of them discussing the former, because Linux obviously needs a number of things before it is Grandma friendly (although it arguably isn't as far off as some might have you believe).

With all of these caveats made, is anybody interested in discussing these UIs? I can provide more examples if the one above is not particularly interesting...

Big Mac · May 17, 2011, 10:35 PM

It looks like it's very Mac-inspired. I think it's nice as far as XWindows environments go. The launcher on the left side looks especially similar to the Dock. And the Exposé-type interface that shows the app icons looks like it's something Apple would be likely to implement in a future revision to Lion's new iOS springboard-inspired launcher.

I sometimes use Spotlight to launch applications (particularly applications that aren't in the Dock and are more than one level deep in my Applications folder.) I agree it can be slow, though, and it's particularly annoying when it slows to a crawl after just typing a couple of letters in because of the live search functionality that I wish could be adjusted to have a short delay before the search starts. I think another big reason why Spotlight is slow for launching apps is because it's also pulling up results for all other file types and isn't narrowly focused on applications. The Windows Menu search function has the same drawback for app launching (and Windows is even worse because sometimes it won't find apps you know are installed just because their shortcuts aren't currently in the Windows menu). It seems like Gnome's Spotlight-like app launcher is focused on application launching.

Warren Pease · May 17, 2011, 10:43 PM

Was hoping to try it out but Unity is not supported in VMWare Fusion

aside from the apps being on the left—my dock is on the right—it's similar to my setup. I do use spotlight as an app launcher—slow on my mini, but fine on my air.

From a UX perspective, I think having the "spotlight" input and it's subsequent results on opposite sides of the screen a little disconnected. Your eyes would have to move from left to right to make sure that you've typed in something correctly—I'm a fast typist, but mostly with the backspace key—and then choosing the correct app from the results.

It's not clear if you can use arrow keys to select the options or not, but I'd rather use the arrow keys than move my hands to the mouse/trackpad.

besson3c · May 17, 2011, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Big Mac

It looks like it's very Mac-inspired. I think it's nice as far as XWindows environments go. The launcher on the left side looks especially similar to the Dock. And the Exposé-type interface that shows the app icons looks like it's something Apple would be likely to implement in a future revision to Lion's new iOS springboard-inspired launcher.

I sometimes use Spotlight to launch applications (particularly applications that aren't in the Dock and are more than one level deep in my Applications folder.) I agree it can be slow, though, and it's particularly annoying when it slows to a crawl after just typing a couple of letters in because of the live search functionality that I wish could be adjusted to have a short delay before the search starts. I think another big reason why Spotlight is slow for launching apps is because it's also pulling up results for all other file types and isn't narrowly focused on applications. The Windows Menu search function has the same drawback for app launching (and Windows is even worse because sometimes it won't find apps you know are installed just because their shortcuts aren't currently in the Windows menu). It seems like Gnome's Spotlight-like app launcher is focused on application launching.

Yeah, since I don't think there is a Spotlight equivalent in Ubuntu and based on this demo it looks like this is focused on apps, which probably makes it faster. I don't understand why if a lot of people use Spotlight as an app launcher why Apple couldn't cache these apps or something so that they pop up immediately, giving them priority over other stuff which requires a search through the Spotlight DB...

besson3c · May 17, 2011, 11:21 PM

Originally Posted by Warren Pease

Was hoping to try it out but Unity is not supported in VMWare Fusion

aside from the apps being on the left—my dock is on the right—it's similar to my setup. I do use spotlight as an app launcher—slow on my mini, but fine on my air.

From a UX perspective, I think having the "spotlight" input and it's subsequent results on opposite sides of the screen a little disconnected. Your eyes would have to move from left to right to make sure that you've typed in something correctly—I'm a fast typist, but mostly with the backspace key—and then choosing the correct app from the results.

It's not clear if you can use arrow keys to select the options or not, but I'd rather use the arrow keys than move my hands to the mouse/trackpad.

How is Unity not supported in Fusion? It is the default WM in the latest Ubuntu, which should work just fine in any VM environment.

I agree with you on the positioning of the search tool and how use of arrow keys would be desirable. I'd be willing to bet that you can arrow around the list though, cause Linux guys tend to like using their keyboards for as much as possible.

besson3c · May 17, 2011, 11:29 PM

Gnome 3 info and screenshots:

GNOME 3 | GNOME

Athens · May 18, 2011, 12:02 AM

I use spot light for starting apps like that already.

exca1ibur · May 18, 2011, 01:00 AM

I use spotlight for app launching most of the time and it is pretty much instantaneous.

I use Ubuntu at work and I haven't really dug into it too deeply. Most of my apps I have customized on the dock or running on other screens. I use one screen for all my terminals and one for browsers, for testing.

Lateralus · May 18, 2011, 01:05 AM

I still can't figure out how to install/uninstall applications under Linux, so the awesomeness of the desktop environment is a moot point.

besson3c · May 18, 2011, 01:10 AM

Originally Posted by Lateralus

I still can't figure out how to install/uninstall applications under Linux, so the awesomeness of the desktop environment is a moot point.

In the case of Ubuntu, apt-get remove, or whatever the package management GUI is called these days...

Sealobo · May 18, 2011, 01:11 AM

spotlight?

mattyb · May 18, 2011, 02:33 AM

^Its what people who haven't found Quicksilver use.

exca1ibur · May 18, 2011, 09:27 AM

Wow, I haven't used Quicksilver since 10.1

mattyb · May 18, 2011, 04:54 PM

Originally Posted by exca1ibur

Wow, I haven't used Quicksilver since 10.1

Poor you.

The Godfather · May 18, 2011, 06:56 PM

Energy is spent in eye candy, when it should be spent in only hardware acceleration of the classic desktop and leave it there. Perhaps design some UI that will not steal CPU and pixels from cramped netbook users.

Warren Pease · May 18, 2011, 07:31 PM

Originally Posted by besson3c

How is Unity not supported in Fusion? It is the default WM in the latest Ubuntu, which should work just fine in any VM environment.

The first dialog that popped up when I installed 11.04 was that Unity wasn't supported with the hardware. I've found that some of the fancier things, Compiz for example, only works running natively and not in an emulated environment

besson3c · May 18, 2011, 09:55 PM

Originally Posted by Warren Pease

The first dialog that popped up when I installed 11.04 was that Unity wasn't supported with the hardware. I've found that some of the fancier things, Compiz for example, only works running natively and not in an emulated environment

You probably just need to install the proprietary ATI/NVidia driver via the Hardware Drivers control panel.

besson3c · May 18, 2011, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by The Godfather

Energy is spent in eye candy, when it should be spent in only hardware acceleration of the classic desktop and leave it there. Perhaps design some UI that will not steal CPU and pixels from cramped netbook users.

Unfortunately, hands are tied there.

The hardware acceleration requires better ATI/NVidia drivers, which have always been a weak spot (similar to how Flash has always been a second hand citizen on the Mac). Recently there has been commitment to an open source driver that will eventually gain 3D acceleration, but for now it is just 2D.

Whether or not hardware acceleration works or not with your video card and how well it works right now is determined by driver support. If you have an ATI card chances are you are worse off.