FreshUbuntu

A developer that is used to other OS, feels confused when he uses popular open source tools for developers.


[0 votes] Solution #1: Another developer could help him
We need a platform where an (quite) expert developer could offer himself to help another developer with his first steps.
The platform could help the right person to find each other, by means of various criteria: language, where they live (think about time zone), what kind of program they want to develop (GUI/CLI, GTK/QT, ...)

NILFS is a file system which greatly improve performance on Solid State Drives.

NILFS is included in the kernel since 2.6.30 release.

SSD market is booming.

Maybe ubuntu installation could suggest NILFS file format if the computer drive is a SSD.

See: http://linuxmag.s3.amazonaws.com/i/articles/7345/Postmark_small.png
(from : http://www.linux-mag.com/cache/7345/1.html)

[3 votes] Solution #1: Propose "optimise performance" option
If an SSD is detected, an option "optimise disk performance" could be displayed at install.

It could be checked by default.

For advanced user the information "NILFS file system" must be displayed.

I think it would be great to make a big release on this date.
It would be the "Ubuntu Super 10"!!!
10 for the date
10 for the quality
...

Ubuntu 10.10 released on the 10/10/2010, at 10:10 am sounds great. It's a shame that we're not in the 1000s ;)


[18 votes] Solution #1: Release Ubuntu 10.10 on October the 10th 2010
Nothing else to say

[18 votes] Solution #2: Release when ready
It doesn't matter if it's released on 10th if got blocker bugs. Release is when its done.

I quite like new theme, but there is one missing think.
Previously there was application icon (in the left top conner), which was excellent visual anchor for many users, which just simplifies window navigation.

PS: This idea have nothing to do with min/max/close buttons.


[20 votes] Solution #1: Add application icon next to the window title
Add application icon next to the window title

When trying to launch a command with Alt+F2, if the program could not be found, there is only an error message. The user who wants to launch a program which hasn't been installed yet has to :
* Open synaptic or software
* Make a search
* install
* ...

And if it wasn't found, then, the user have to know the right sources of information, for installing a new repo, or a compiling a software.

[0 votes] Solution #1: Dialog box which propose to install the software
There should be a dialog box which would propose to install the software (or possibly one in a list).

For example:
* One hits Alt+F2 and tries to execute the command gimp
* On Lucid, this command has disappeared by default
* A dialog box pops-up and says :
"The program Gimp isn't installed yet on your system, but is provided by the package 'gimp'. Do you want to install and execute it now ?"
* If the user clicks on yes/Ok, a summary of installations is shown.
* Then apt-get installs the package and launches the command gimp.

What's more, if nothing was found on the repository, there should be a message either :
* inviting the user to search on ubuntu documentation sites for an alternative repo or way of installation.
* or listing command names which could have been misspelled.

This would have several benefits on well known softwares :
* No need to launch synaptic, or software store
* No need to perform a search
* A disappeared software from a new release of ubuntu could be quickly installed again.
* In general, a better information given to the user and a better user experience.
* Extend the system in place for codec/drivers/language/ff plug-ins to software and gain in homogeneity.

[PS] Excuse my bad English, I'm French and if I made mistakes, please mention it, thanks !

[7 votes] Solution #2: Dialog box which propose to install the software
There should be a dialog box which would propose to install the software (or possibly one in a list).

For example:
* One hits Alt+F2 and tries to execute the command gimp
* On Lucid, this command has disappeared by default
* A dialog box pops-up and says :
"The program Gimp isn't installed yet on your system, but is provided by the package 'gimp'. Do you want to install and execute it now ?"
* If the user clicks on yes/Ok, a summary of installations is shown.
* Then apt-get installs the package and launches the command gimp.

i am always annoyed by file extentions, and as a new (k)ubuntu user, i always want to disable viewing file extentions, but i realized it currently is impossible. could you please make this an option.

[-24 votes] Solution #1: add an option in Dolphin/Plasma workspace to hide extentions
add an option in Dolphin/Plasma workspace to hide extentions

When traversing the file system in List View in Nautilus, a frequent mode for me is to double click folder names to enter them (another mode is to single-click the small arrow to expand the tree, but that is not part of this idea).

e.g.: while in /home/Me/, i double-click 'Documents' to enter the Documents directory.

To return to the previous directory (i.e. to return to /home/Me/) I currently can do these things: press the 'Backspace' key on the keyboard; use the location field above the pane (in either button or text form); and use the tree listing in the side pane.

These are all good choices, but require a change of mode: to change from double-clicking in the pane area, to single-clicking elsewhere, or typing.


[-11 votes] Solution #1: A double-click in empty pane area in List View

My idea is that a double-click in an empty area of the pane will also return to the next highest directory. This action is a natural complement to double-clicking a directory to enter it, and becomes a very fast means of moving up and down the tree.

[-1 votes] Solution #2: Use Mouse Gestures
Self-explanatory.

[-3 votes] Solution #3: Show ..
Even if .* files are hidden, show .. as first icon.
(As an option, of course)

Dear Ubuntu Guys,

For some time now, Multi-buntu is my distribution of (free)-choice.
I admire your thoughts that resulted in your latest "new design brand" called light as said in the wiki.

But more and more people are just having the slight feeling that "your" new design is a "way to close" imitation of the Aqua theme of Apple Macintosh's OSX.

Here you can compare the two UIs together:
http://digitizor.com/2010/03/06/is-ubuntu-having-an-identity-crisis/

With comparing that you'll have to state that a "frappant" similarity (intended or not) between the two exists.

Why I am pushing so hard.
I deeply admired your thoughts behind "human" and the whole ubuntu philosophy. But: With "Light" somebody could think (longterm user) that you skipped your ideals and transformed them into something like mainstream.

Especially with GNOME Shell is so much more possible. Please reconsider this when you launch a "new" Design that looks like the one of a BILLION Dollar Company (Iphone, IMac, Ipad) etc...

Many thanks in advance...

(if some of the point are simply not true (or anymore true) please forget this post immediately.)

Yours truly (from Germany) Andreas_P

[9 votes] Solution #1: Try to figure out something new and not similar
Because the GNOME Foundation has many good ideas,
just ask them to get some inpiration.

Different Panel Layouts, Different Titlebars (not that similar)
GNOME HIG Guidelines perhaps (integrated into this)...

[-1 votes] Solution #2: Change wallpaper and color of the top panel
By changing the wallpaper and the color of the top panel, I think it may look sufficiently distinct.
And change the windows buttons placement to the right and bring back the bottom panel.

i have seen that you can set icons for files with specific extensions, yet, as a user who is still warming up to ubuntu,i miss the feature in windows where you could go in the settings of a file and change the icon for just that specific file without having to have every file that has that specific name with that specific icon (for example have a file in my home folder titled Test.ext with icon 1 and another file in my documents folder with the same name using icon 2.) i noticed you could do this with folders but would truly appreciate the ability to do this with individual files.

[-9 votes] Solution #1: Change the icon system
edit the icon system so that, under the settings, you have the ability to change the icon for the individual file and not neccesarily any files with the same name and/or extension

[1 votes] Solution #2: add file icons to the .directory
the .directory file contains the icons for folders right? why not add the icons for files into that?

[0 votes] Solution #3: make a .icons file
we have a .directory file for icons for folders, why not make a .icons (or other similar name) that would allow us to set icons on individual files inside a folder.

The newer themes for Lucid make no colour distinction between the menubar and the titlebar. Check any picture of a window with the new themes for Lucid and you'll see the amazing waste of vertical space.

Also new in these themes is the feature that a window can be dragged by both its titlebar and its menubar. Makes sense, since it's a big fat single colour area.

Widescreens are more and more 16:9, which makes them vertically shorter. Vertical space is becoming more and more precious.

Isn't it time to merge both the titlebar and the menubar?


[55 votes] Solution #1: Merge titlebar and menubar in a single bar
Merging both bars in one will save vertical screen space and won't affect the way we use the windows now.

There's actually no need for more than the three buttons (minimize, maximize, close) since the window menu can be accessed by right clicking on the window's title or no-menu area.

When the window is too narrow for displaying the full title, we can provide a tooltip showing it in full. Also, developers would be careful by choosing what to display as a window title. Name of the application is usually unnecessary (we know what the application is, we launched it...) and usually only the document name is important.

How to technically doing it is out of the scope of this idea (I'm not a developer). Maybe it's just about removing the titlebar altogether (or reducing it to 0 pixels) and add the title and control buttons to the menubar.

[-5 votes] Solution #2: Merge title and menu bar + remove status bar too


Merge title and menu bar like on the screenshot . To see the menu again the user has to click on the “Menu/Options” button in the left corner. Also remove the status bar and replace it by a mouseover information that will appear after a half second – like it is in Lucid right now for the Places menu.

[1 votes] Solution #3: A keyboard shortcut to show/hide the menu bar
It would be nice if for example the menu bar showed when I press Alt, Alt+M or one of the Fx keys. And there should be a small button in the title bar doing the same thing as the keyboard shortcut.

F-Spot imports extremely slow, as it reads every file from the disk, creates a preview, adds it to the list and then goes to the next. There is no way to skip a file from being imported.

[1 votes] Solution #1: make this dialog much more intelligent
At first, the dialog only lists (without preview!) all the files in the folder. Now (!) start to fetch the previews starting with the _newest_ one (as that has better chances to be the one you want).

Also add an option to stop loading the previews (useful, if the one needed as the "mark to start" was found). For importing only the files selected should be imported. If none or all are selected, all are imported.

Sometimes you need to produce versions external or just imported them from another PC. Then this files are their own pictures in F-Spot; there is currently no way to merge them.

[-7 votes] Solution #1: entry "merge" in the context menu
Add an entry "merge" to the context menu if multiple images are selected. Afterwards ask, if the user is sure and how to name the added version(s) each after another. If files are named according to f-spot scheme (with the bracked), then use this name as the proposed name for that image version.

Smartphones are really moving forward in integrating with social services. My Android phone syncs with Google, Facebook, Twitter seamlessly and brings all my contacts together.

Ubuntu has been moving forward with its attempts to be integrated with cloud services and most of this functionality is offered from installation, but people new to Ubuntu might not be able to find all this functionality straight away as it can be scattered around in different applications (such as gwibber and empathy, which new users won't recognise)

This would be an extra step in giving Ubuntu a unique identity, other desktop operating systems can not offer this kind of integration from the get go and would give new users a positive first impression of Ubuntu.

[4 votes] Solution #1: An optional wizard that shows on first run of Ubuntu to gather information.
I think it would be fantastically useful if upon first start up of Ubuntu a wizard could come up (with a simple 'cancel' and 'Do not show this again' option for those not interested and is then placed under preferences) where you can tell it as much (or little) information as you wish such as your email address, location, IM accounts as well as give you the opportunity to connect with Facebook, Twitter, Last.fm, Flickr etc.

Then Ubuntu could take this information to automatically sync your desktop with these services, in ways such as:

Bringing your contacts together in the address book
Adding the IM accounts to Empathy
Adding Social networks to Gwibber
Allow viewing albums from social networks in a photo manager
Enable scrobbling on Last.fm
Set the weather corresponding to the location.

It could even be done through Ubuntu One so that simply logging in to Ubuntu One on another computer could offer the option to import the settings.


I believe this is a great method because it will allow new users to Ubuntu to set up all of their networks and really give them an initial wow when they start to use Ubuntu and everything is already there for them, but will not intrude on people who are not interested in this kind of service, they can just cancel the wizard and move on with no repercussions.

On my laptop, I have a grand total of 4 Nautilus scripts. They are: Root File Manager, Root Text Editor, Terminal Here and Convert Audio File.

I probably use the Convert Audio File most. I love it because it has a really simple step-by-step GUI interface that is really un-scary. I installed it using a command line tool. Sadly, that would scare off a lot of potential users.

There is also a huge market for other mini-scripts. Things like resizing images for emails, search inside a folder, converting videos, to install a relevant program (for a specific file type), and editing metadata.

We should make a better use of the extensible nature of Nautilus and have lots of scripts available.

[34 votes] Solution #1: Include a Nautilus scripts section to the Ubuntu Software Centre
Have a repository in the Software Centre that has lots of scripts, descriptions, and screenshots. They should install easily, with the option to install to the whole system (requiring root access) or just to the current user.

There should also be a very easy interface to manage the scripts. Possibly separate to the Software Centre store, it should be able to change the name of the script, have a 1-line description of the script, activation of various scripts, and launch the Software Centre to install more scripts. Under an advanced button, you should also be able do directly edit the script content and function.



[55 votes] Solution #2: extensions manager in nautilus
like in firefox, nautilus should have an extensions manager able to improve the experience of the user by the installing of plugins (script) provided by ubuntu's repors.

[4 votes] Solution #3: Allow adding custom entries
Allow users to add context menu entries (filtered by MIME type, if necessary) that call usual shell scripts.

Most tasks _can_ be done with one or two simple commands, no need to write complicated plugings. Just bind scripts where you want them.

While uninstalling some programs to save disk space .. other than knowing the Open Office consumes about 300MB, Firefox is big, documentation directory is big, and Gimp is 50MB .. there is not an easy way to see that by uninstalling program "X" it will save how much disk space.

No way to sort/know which programs are the largest space consumers on a disk.

[running baobab on root / and playing detective can get some of this teased out; but not easy for regular users]

[31 votes] Solution #1: Synaptic - colum to show estimated space consumption
Synaptic will report during install of a new package how much disk space will be consumed after unpacking. So the data is stored somewhere already, just need to report it.

Add a column in Synaptic that shows estimated space consumed by an installed package. Enhance with estimates for other programs not installed yet. Further improvement is to show the additional dependent programs that are required for a particular package:

package ..this file size ... dependencies size
X ............ 1kb ............ 2GB

If these columns will be compute intensive, add an option button to turn on the columns (with a warning to go get a coffee with the first run).

In Ubuntu Lucid 10.04 Alpha3 we have a new default theme, however the Minimise, Maximise and Close buttons have been moved from the top right, to the top left.
(see the image at the bottom)

This was a poor choice for the following reasons...

- If clicking at the top menu (File , View, Help etc) the close buttons are VERY Close, accidents can happen.
- There used to be a tiny dot in the top left, which had in its menu, Min, Max, Move, Always on Top, and Close (So why move the Min, Max, Close buttons to the left?
- Migrating Windows and Mac users will be used to having them at the right, which is a huge usability jump)

Changes like this should be an optional choice, while it is possible to manually edit the theme, it should not be the default for an LTS release.


src: http://blog.daviey.com/blogroll/anything-but-the-buttons.html



[198 votes] Solution #1: Move the Min, Max, Close buttons back to the Right for the 10.04 Release.
Move the buttons back over to the top right for the final Ubuntu 10.04 release.

[103 votes] Solution #2: bring back the old order (min - max - close)
here there's a problem, who use it like in the left uses the order (max-min-close), who use it in the right uses (min - max - close).

1. it's very annoying to have this order changed
2. the visual get broken due the contour of the buttons

[-10 votes] Solution #3: Mirror for the left
I think it is most intuitive if the buttons are ordered the same in relation to the window center ("To close, click the outermost button"), so

Right: min-max-close

relates to

Left: close-max-min

[-165 votes] Solution #4: Why not have them on both sides?
I think having the buttons on both sides would also be a viable option. I understand that this would detract visually from the simplicity, but maybe if the buttons were subdued until the mouse hovers over the bar?

(I feel less than confident about this solution, but thought it needed mentioning.)

[106 votes] Solution #5: let's user choose,
In xubuntu, user cas can choose where are the button on the titlebar.

[-86 votes] Solution #6: Drag & Drop
It can be movable so the user could change it intuitively

[54 votes] Solution #7: By default have it in right,but include option in theme, customize, to drag&Drop
Well the title pretty much says it...Default is to have it on right, but to include an option in "Change Desktop Background" >> Theme >> Customize, to move the buttons to a user defined position.

[3 votes] Solution #8: make the alignment theme-dependent
There are some themes that look better when the buttons are placed on the left side (like Ambiance, Radiance and Gorilla) and there are some themes that look better with the buttons being on the right side (like Glider, Human, Clearlooks or SphereCrystal).

So i propose to set the default alignment depending on the chosen theme and make it easily switchable.

The current way to change the alignment of the buttons back to the right by typing
gconftool-2 --type string --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout "menu:minimize,maximize,close"
is a bit tedious.

[7 votes] Solution #9: Put Close button in the corner
Put Close button in the corner - depending on chosen solution will be left or right corner or window.

[7 votes] Solution #10: Do not change
Leave it as it has been. This is not an Enhancement. It's trying to take Linux Gnome and turn it into some OSX BS. We like it the way it was.

I'm amazed about how Ubuntu's boot time has been improved through the last releases. I like Lucid's new splash design, but I'm roughly able to see it during boot. After GRUB menu is displayed, the screen remains black for a while during kernel initialization so this "black" period seems difficult to be eliminated. After this stage, the splash screen is displayed for less than 1 second. Then, gdm login screen is loaded.
This gives a too flickering boot experience.

[6 votes] Solution #1: Remove boot splash on fast boots
When a Pc boots in less than 10 sec, boot splash start loosing it's sense.
I think it will be a good idea to remove boot splash (just black screen) in this cases. Boot time analysis could be done from previous boots.
However, boot splash should still be displayed when tasks like filesystem checks are performed.

If I want to have all my notes backed up (synchronised), I must remember to do it by myself. Let the application do it by itself periodically.

[7 votes] Solution #1: Choosing the synchronisation period in Tomboy
Users should be given an option to choose how often their notes should be synchronised automatically using selected method.

For the installation many users use the CD. At live boot you can configure the network to fetch many packages during installation.
Before the installation, at reboot all settings are lost, and many users had to reconfigure the network.
For example, do you remember the wpa key?

[77 votes] Solution #1: Save the configuration
During install, the installer can store the connection settings in the "new" installed system. At reboot, the network is ready to go!

[10 votes] Solution #2: Don't automatically save configuration. Add choice to.
What If you are like me (& I know some who are), and you like to see what the liveCD environment can do by adding tons of stuff. & then once you see how cool or messed up you can make it, you decide to install it anyways. Wouldn't you like a FRESH install without saving your mistakes and learning from them when you start Ubuntu from the HDD? I think it would be a cool choice to save the configurations that you made to the system, but why not just WRITE DOWN THE WPA KEY?!

I have mine saved in a secure location. that way, I can just get the piece of paper, and type it in. It isn't that difficult to type.