Contributor Götz - Ubuntu brainstorm

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Contributor Götz

nautilus search -open containing folder

Written by kpfd the 28 Aug 08 at 09:28. Related project: Gnome. New

when you have used search to find a file in nautilus you can (like in WinXp) right click and open containing folder. as it stands i have to go in properties and find where it is then copy and paste this into the address bar.

140
votes

4
votes

See the 7 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 24 Jan 13 at 14:58) >>

bring post-install configuration to Kubuntu

Written by Primož Papič the 23 Jan 09 at 23:09. Related project: Kubuntu. New

I think Hardy Heron was the last Kubuntu with post-install
configuration feature where you could configure your KDE to act as MAC, Windows or KDE.

KDE4 should bring back this feature. There are all the feasibilities to make it look like any of these and more systems.
I decided that a solution will propose which system it would look like.

-26
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Solution #2: "Redmond" look

Written by Primož Papič the 23 Jan 09 at 23:13.

In KDE3 you had an option to configure your system to behave like the Windows. Meaning double click and more...
Many say KDE4 looks like Vista so it shouldn't be so difficult to reproduce it. Also it could have a panel on the left / right side that would behave like Dashboard...
And Crystal theme was ported to KDE4 so it could be a default
windows decoration if this would be chosen.
and instead of folder view as a widget you would have it as a containment.

This is a quick screen-shot to relay my idea better you should not take this as an actual look of this configuration is just for better visualisation.
(Maybe I'll compile crystal windows decoration theme and make another screen-shot if you like)

-26
votes

Solution #3: MAC look

Written by Primož Papič the 23 Jan 09 at 23:31.

This is also a KDE3 feature, that is available in KDE4.2.
There is bespin for KDE4.2 that also contains XBar widget that is more or less the same thing as universal menu on the top panel in OS X.
So if user decides to use this the bespin windows deco and XBar on a top bar would be added.
This would have also a folder view as a containment.

Here is a screen-shot of Bespin with XBar, for easier visualisation.

-18
votes

Solution #4: Gnome look

Written by Primož Papič the 23 Jan 09 at 23:49.

Sometime ago I had to much time and I decided to try and make my KDE4.2 look like Gnome.
I was quite pleased with the result, even though there were some things that I couldn't reproduce.

My screenshot of KDE looking like Gnome.
A bit of explanation:
The first 4 icons are Lancelot set to show categories.
These icons are: programs, computer (places), contacts and documents. In future the Lancelot might be able to show only those that you choose and text instead of icons.
The plasma theme is Aya that "emulates" the system colours.
the colour is Skulptue Chocolate.
I took for reference this screen-shot of Ubuntu.

31
votes

13
votes

See the 3 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 20 Jan 13 at 19:22) >>

"New in repository" synaptic category

Written by ga6ri3l the 18 Jun 08 at 16:12. Global category: Installation. Not an idea

There should be a new in repository synaptic category (or something), to advertise for newly ported packages.

49
votes

See the 4 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 21 Nov 12 at 16:47) >>

Kubuntu needs a good browser

Written by Primož Papič the 21 Feb 09 at 20:45. Related project: Konqueror. Not an idea

I don't use Konqueror for many reasons.
But mostly because it renders some pages badly or it isn't supported.
Let's take a look at this site. Koqueror dosen't renders the ascii captcha correctly. Screenshot:

And there are other very popular sites that are not completely supportd (like GMail).
Which can be "fooled" to think Konqueror is some other browser. But user dosen't want to tweak the browser they just want to use it.
There are other options to consider.
(I know that there are other similar ideas to this, but I think that this tries to solve problem differently than others)

18
votes

25
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3
votes

Solution #3: Use Arora instead of Konqueror

Written by Primož Papič the 21 Feb 09 at 20:57.

To quote their site:
"Arora is a simple cross platform web browser. Currently Arora is a very basic browser whose feature list includes things like "History" and "Bookmarks". When using Qt 4.4 Arora does not have support for netscape plugins, but if you use qt-snapshot then it will work. But it is small, less than 10,000 lines of code, very fast, lean, mean and loads of fun to hack on. Arora and QtWebKit is developed to be cross-platform using the Qt library. It was originally created as a demo for Qt to help test the QtWebKit component and find API issues and bugs before the release. An older version can still be found in Qt's source code in the demo/browser directory. Arora works on Linux, OS X, Windows, FreeBSD, and embedded Linux using Qt Embedded."

Screenshot of captcha of Brainstorm in Arora:

As you can see it renders it perfectly.
But the down side of Arora is that it's a very basic browser nowhere near to Firefox or konqueror.

49
votes

Solution #4: Use Firefox Qt

Written by Primož Papič the 21 Feb 09 at 21:23.

A good thing with Firefox Qt is that everybody knows Firefox, so nobody won't be asking themselves where is the browser.
But Firefox is deeply in development and at least I don't know how far did it came.
I do have it installed, but for me it seems just like a normal Firefox, so I can't say.
It suffers from all the known "bugs" under KDE.

14
votes

-49
votes

8
votes

3
votes

Solution #8: backport "Konqbrowser" from KDE-neon

Written by Primož Papič the 23 Feb 09 at 20:00.

Those that have KDE-neon installed can check by themselves.
IN KDE-neon Konqueror is "re-named" in Konqbrowser and so far I have yet to find a bad thing about it.
Here is a screenshot of Ubuntu Brainstorm captcha that was "mis-rendered" in old Konqueror.

Also the GMail seems to work well. But this is just a quick overview. I have to use it more to see if it works good...

14
votes

See the 15 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 11 Nov 12 at 11:30) >>

What is keyring good for?

Written by Richard.Kolodziej the 26 Aug 08 at 22:26. Related project: Gnome. New

Lets forget that I really don't know what a (or "the") keyring is good for and look at the other people who cannot set their computer up by them self.

I don't remember on which occasions I was asked, but the question was something like: "Would you like to add this password to your keyring?"
Or different: "Enter a new password to the keyring."

"No, I don't want to enter a new password, I already have a password! Why do I have to create another one?"

I am sure that there is a good reason for keyring to exist but it wasn't explained to me. I know, I am supposed to look it up on the internet but here comes the idea:

It would be great if there was a short explanatory sentence about keyring - what it is good for and why I have to write another password - when I'm being asked for a keyring password.

114
votes

See the 14 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 18 Oct 12 at 03:25) >>

Ubuntu should offer to autoremove unused packages

Written by scavenger the 26 Jul 08 at 10:30. Global category: System. New

Ubuntu should offer to remove software I once used and now forgot to remove. Graphical apps that show up in the menu I don't forget that much, but I usually install whole shiploads of cli apps that I think I need, which makes my PC slower.

To realise this, Ubuntu should take notes of every app that's started, excluding system apps (echo, ls, cat).

49
votes

See the 7 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 25 Aug 12 at 02:30) >>

Provide mechanism for automatic FGLRX installation

Written by dokers the 28 Feb 08 at 18:49. Global category: Graphics. New

It would be nice for a mechanism that would automatically retrieve the newest FGLRX driver from AMD/ATI and install it, including the configuration of the xorg.conf file.

28
votes

See the 5 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 7 Jun 12 at 12:50) >>

Need a CD/DVD burner that has no bugs and just works

Written by miwaypet the 3 May 09 at 03:22. Related project: K3b. Not an idea

Brasero is too buggy. Has a track record of not working well with different CD/DVD burners. Throws too many errors. Rejects good disks.

K3b is too heavy. Would mean porting all the big KDE libs. Not feasible.

I am submitting my idea as a remedy for the above situation.

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1220
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Solution #7: K3b and Brasero together as one.

Written by cracken226 the 14 May 09 at 16:40.

Install both versions of these burning programs into main distro for user compatibility with Gnome and Kde base file, while Gnome stays as default environment. So Kde base files would be an advantage, as these files are in advanced repositories, or Kubuntu distro installation media in case you do not have a Ubuntu Gnome based dvd installation media.

Please, vote. Thank You for making Ubuntu better.

118
votes

Solution #8: Perform some competitor analysis

Written by srippon the 18 May 09 at 09:15.

Competitor analysis ( http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/competitive-analysis.html ) could be performed to help improve the user experience (UX) of Brasero.

Competitor analysis would show what the other popular CD/DVD burning applications available are, what features they offer, how these features are offered, etc.

Another form of competitor analysis is to incorporate usability testing ( http://www.usability.gov/refine/learnusa.html | http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/usability-testing.html ). In doing this you get real users to perform real CD/DVD burning tasks using competitors software. This shows what works well and what doesn't work so well in their software. These findings can be incorporated into new designs for Brasero.

174
votes

Solution #9: Perform some usability testing on Brasero

Written by srippon the 18 May 09 at 09:22.

Usability testing ( http://www.usability.gov/refine/learnusa.html | http://deyalexander.com.au/resources/uxd/usability-testing.html ) could be performed to help improve the user experience (UX) of Brasero.

Through usability testing you observe real users performing real CD/DVD burning tasks using Brasero. Usability testing helps highlight what users are finding easy and what parts of the design they are struggling with.

5
votes

-13
votes

Solution #11: Write in vala an awesome brasero replacement

Written by francois the 5 Oct 09 at 13:03.

Brasero is a good program only when it does not crash and has indeed a good interface, but there are too many bugs and we're losing hope for those to be fixed one day.
Vala is an awesome language that allows to write programs quickly (such as mono) but without the inconvenients of mono (lack of performance and .NET)
An awesome brasero-killer application could be written in vala, a CD/DVD burner that fits the description of the idea.

See the 6 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 3 Jun 12 at 09:41) >>

Nautilus to display more info while asking for copying existing file

Written by aufather the 9 Nov 08 at 04:07. Related project: Nautilus. Implemented

When I copy a newer version of a file, nautilus asks whether to skip or replace this file. But it does not provide any info other than the file name. It would be nice if it would at least provide the file sizes too. More info maybe accessible from a drop down button. Like modified time, owner, permissions etc. But these can be hidden and be accessible from a drop down button (like the button which shows progress of individual files during software installation). This will help the user to compare both the files and make an informed decision there itself. Instead of canceling the operation and then comparing both the files and then redoing the same operation.

260
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529
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202
votes

338
votes

229
votes

103
votes

95
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42
votes

Selected solution (#8): Previews of the files

Written by philip the 5 May 09 at 22:52.

The dialog should contain pre-computed views of the files, so you don't have to wait for (say) the spreadsheet program to load and open the files. The views should be about 100x100 pixels large and should show a cropped, scrollable view of each file. When the user resizes the dialog,, the preview areas should show more or less of the files. Or, a larger preview can show as a tool tip when the mouse hovers over the small preview.

45
votes

Selected solution (#9): nautulis: copy old file to trash before overwrite

Written by bgfeldm the 12 May 09 at 13:01.

add an option to move old file to the trash before overwrite.
nautulis:
move file to trash before overwrite, if file is a text or document file below a preconfigured size such as 1 MB.

This way overwritten files can be retrieved at a dept of one.
Or you could make the trash bin a temporary source repository for overwritten/deleted files, only storing the diff of the text files, so you limit space taken up by the trash bin and have multiple restore points for files. The repository will be clear every time the user clears the repository or after a defined amount of days.

56
votes

139
votes

25
votes

Selected solution (#12): Push transfers requiring user feedback to the end of the queue

Written by Redge the 8 Jun 09 at 00:07.

When doing file operations and Nautilus encounters conflicts or errors that require the user's feedback to resolve, Nautilus should first try to complete the rest of the queue and push the files needing feedback to the end. That way, if the user is AFK as much of the operation as possible will be done by the time he/she gets back.

-3
votes

37
votes

Selected solution (#14): Check files below a certain size

Written by korin43 the 18 Jun 09 at 20:58.

Decide on a on file size where it's faster to just check if it's an identical file than ask the user if they want to replace/skip. If the files with the same name are identical, we just skip them instead of presenting the replace/skip dialogue (since both options would have the same result).

Note: This would be a complete byte-for-byte comparison, not just a comparison of timestamps and name.

Here's the order that the system would check:
- Is there a file with the same name?
- Is it below the maximum size set to check? (we don't want to auto-check if it would be faster to ask the user. ex: 10 Gb file)
- Compare size
- Compare the two files (byte-for-byte), fail as soon as you find anything different (if the first byte of the new file is different, fail immediately instead of checking the whole file)

Note 2: Timestamps will not be compared. If the new file is identical with a different timestamp, the new timestamp should be applied.

21
votes

Selected solution (#15): Add "auto" option to replce/skip pop-up

Written by vegetarianshrimp the 19 Jun 09 at 19:03.

This gives the user the option to replace/skip if they already know whether the file is identical or not, or don't want to risk replacing an important file. But if they don't know if the files are identical, then they can press the auto button.

It would look something like this:

|Auto| |Auto all| |Replace| |Replace all| |Skip| |Skip all|

25
votes

Selected solution (#16): Show context for the differences

Written by Prime Mover the 2 Aug 09 at 21:50.

The dialog should attempt to show the differences between the files if they are in a recognizable format. For example, if the files are images, show both images, along with file size and date. This will allow the user to easily make a decision about whether to replace the file. The destination filename could also be an editable field to allow the user to change the name and have the copy continue under the new name. If the file were an audio file then it could display bitrate, sample rate, length, etc.

Here's an example dialog box from Directory Opus on Windows which demonstrates this:

836
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164
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62
votes

Selected solution (#19): Avoid overwriting the same file.

Written by pubsbin the 8 Aug 09 at 01:12.

There are some easy tests for checking if two files (in two different folders) are the same file. From the easy ones (metainformation, size, name), checking some positions (sampling) and, finally, comparing them entirely.

If Nautilus uses those easy equality checks, it could avoid copying equal files. Even if you compare the whole file, a read is faster than a write.

151
votes

Selected solution (#20): "No to ALL"

Written by don1500 the 12 Aug 09 at 20:20.

Most of the time I have this problem I run into it when moving music files. There is a "Yes to ALL" but no "No to All". All I want are the files that are on the source but not on the target. "Overwrite if Newer" is close and a good suggestion, but sometimes I don't want to overwrite the old file. Sometimes you want to overwrite the older version, and with "Yes to All" you still have that option. Maybe adding both "Overwrite if newer" AND "No to ALL" is the answer. I think this would be the easiest to implement. This is also the K.I.S.S. answer.

83
votes

14
votes

8
votes

Selected solution (#23): Advanced File Operations (AFO :D)

Written by Chronos the 29 Aug 09 at 14:46.

Create a more advanced "thread" based queuing system for file operations. Its possible to make it simple, no need to make it complex. Read below:

Seriously, in Total commander i used a lot the function to not just copy files at once and send the process in the background, but to push F2, and create a list of the operations where(!) the list is a queue. So the processes are not running at the same time to slow things down. We can even make this better. Imagine you have 4 drives. A B C and D. You want to copy 3x6 folders/files from A to B and vice versa. It takes long, so you start to copy/move/whatsoever to work on C and D (like before from C to D and vice versa). To make all these operations (4direction) run at the same time slows the computer slow down(no wonder why).

We could create two thread with two queues in this case.

In summary, A and B would process their queue, processing files the fast as possible, and separately C and D would do their things as well.

We could make it automatic maybe, that if we are making file operations to or from one partition/hardware, at default it would create a queue, what (with a push of a button) would appear from the already used window(dont know the name). This queue would make sure that only one operation is active at a time, making hardware sweat less, and operations faster.

[...]

Maybe i'll do a mockup if i have time.

This is just an idea, we can modify it.

Cheers,
David

32
votes

Selected solution (#24): Pile up a list of action needed files.(Use with Solution #1)

Written by yaknowwat the 16 Aug 09 at 09:07.

The list would list all the files that need conformation and let u handle them with check boxes. ( A Select All/None combo button and an Invert Selection button are a must for such a list. Then double clicking a listed directory should select all in the directory.)
Then by for example pressing Overwrite or a Do Nothing button the action would affect all selected files. After which you can continue such steps until the List is gone or the user exits.
I'd imagine this would be simple to do without over complicating things.
Also the number of dialogues could easily be reduced with this strategy.
This increases efficiency because a user could handle all the conformation files at once in their own way even as their still copying normal files.

6
votes

5
votes

Selected solution (#26): Add intelligent preview/comparison box to the Nautilus file replacement dialogue

Written by cajhne the 14 Sep 10 at 21:05.

Disclaimer: I worked this up before finding that my problem was a dupe of this thread, so don't yell at me for "duplicating" some ideas here. I've +1 promoted the ones that I came to the same or similar conclusions about. There's different stuff in here, so please read the whole thing! :)

It would be handy to show other relevant information based on the file type in a small preview/comparison area on the side of the replace notification dialogue. It would also be nice to have an in-dialogue "rename" function, where you could change the name of the file being copied rather than just the standard replace/don't replace option. Leave the defaults the way they are, but offer a drop-down of other solutions, as well as a preview box for the file. Text files could show the first few lines of the file (if permissions allow), the photo can show thumbnails, music can have the same (nifty) mouse-over preview in the file browser, etc.

The "intelligent" bit changes the options for replacement/renaming/etc based on the kind of file, and the kind of preview shown. Some handy alternate options might be "append" for videos/music/text files, which combines/concatenates two files into one, or "version" which simply appends an ordering number to the end of the filename (my_cat.jpg -> mycat_b.jpg)

I have worked up a visual on what I think this might look like if there's enough interest. :)

http://whitecatgraphics.com/ubuntu/nautilus_replace_comparison_dialogue.jpg

[...]

This example shows the standard file replace dialogue with my additions. The files under scrutiny are an old and new version of the same image. The desaturated, darker one is meant to represent an unedited photo, and the saturated one an edited version, which highlights the advantage/importance of being able to see samples of each to make the judgement.

Things to note in this sample:
1.The "replace all" option now has a drop-down menu below it, in which you can specify in what manner you want to "replace all".
2.The arrow between the two thumbnails indicates which is source and which is the destination (since some people in the world read from right to left. :))
3.The thumbnails act like thumbnails in the regular browser. Right-clicking on them could bring up options like "preview", "open with", "info", or "show in folder".
4.Selecting "Keep" under either sample will automatically set the other to "Erase", for ease of use. The "Save As..." option could bring up a box for the new file name, or alternatively, a standard "save as" dialogue as seen in GIMP, Open Office, etc, when you choose "Save As".
5.The green check-mark and the red "X" icon indicate which is being kept, and which is not. These change when "Keep" or "Erase" is selected.
6.After selection is complete, the user would then click the "Replace" button to perform the action, and continue the file copy/move operations.

I'm not married to any of the above components. If anyone thinks of a different/better way to do it, please post it in the comments section, and I'll revise this solution based on the suggestions. :)

I'm not proposing changing any of the defaults, just adding a box for more information, and a few more options to streamline the current replacement procedure.

It would be handy to show other relevant information based on the file type in a small preview/comparison area on the side of the replace notification dialogue. It would also be nice to have an in-dialogue "rename" function, where you could change the name of the file being copied rather than just the standard replace/don't replace option. Leave the defaults the way they are, but offer a drop-down of other solutions, as well as a preview box for the file. Text files could show the first few lines of the file (if permissions allow), the photo can show thumbnails, music can have the same (nifty) mouse-over preview in the file browser, etc.

The "intelligent" bit changes the options for replacement/renaming/etc based on the kind of file, and the kind of preview shown. Some handy alternate options might be "append" for videos/music/text files, which combines/concatenates two files into one, or "version" which simply appends an ordering number to the end of the filename (my_cat.jpg -> mycat_b.jpg)

I have worked up a visual on what I think this might look like if there's enough interest. :)

http://whitecatgraphics.com/ubuntu/nautilus_replace_comparison_dialogue.jpg

Things to note in this sample: 
1.The "replace all" option now has a drop-down menu below it, in which you can specify in what manner you want to "replace all". 
2.The arrow between the two thumbnails indicates which is source and which is the destination (since some people in the world read from right to left. :)) 
3.The thumbnails act like thumbnails in the regular browser. Right-clicking on them could bring up options like "preview", "open with", "info", or "show in folder". 
4.Selecting "Keep" under either sample will automatically set the other to "Erase", for ease of use. The "Save As..." option could bring up a box for the new file name, or alternatively, a standard "save as" dialogue as seen in GIMP, Open Office, etc, when you choose "Save As". 
5.The green check-mark and the red "X" icon indicate which is being kept, and which is not. These change when "Keep" or "Erase" is selected. 
6.After selection is complete, the user would then click the "Replace" button to perform the action, and continue the file copy/move operations.

I'm not married to any of the above components. If anyone thinks of a different/better way to do it, please post it in the comments section, and I'll revise this solution based on the suggestions. :)

I'm not proposing changing any of the defaults, just adding a box for more information, and a few more options to streamline the current replacement procedure.

6
votes

5
votes

Selected solution (#28): Additions to File Operations

Written by JohnLM the 15 Jan 09 at 21:46.

I thought it could scan for involved devices and queue by (configurable) default, if that device is in use (i.e. having copy or move operation already). And have a "Do now!" kind of button on file operation window for override.

Naturally it should never en-queue same partition's move operations, cause they are super fast by nature!

btw As far as I know the Nautilus' File Operations thingie is not really finished and is under development now!

9
votes

Selected solution (#29): Conflict dialog: say how many more conflicts there are

Written by philip the 18 Mar 11 at 20:07.

When you try to copy or move a bunch of files, and files with those names already exist in the destination folder, you get a dialog asking you if you want to replace the existing file or skip copying this file. You can also check a check box for repeating this operation on all other conflicting files.

It would be helpful to know how many more conflicting files there are. This can alert the user that he has done something wrong if he did not expect that many conflicts. It can also guide his decision to check the conflicts manually or click on the "perform this for all files" check box.

Getting more sophisticated, the dialog could even list the conflicting files when the user clicks on a drop down list.

12
votes

-1
votes

Selected solution (#31): Require the user to enter a sub menu.

Written by Darwin Survivor the 5 Mar 11 at 09:13.

Simply having gksu pop up every time a user tries to do something they aren't allowed to (edit a system file) is a quick way to a non-working system.

I propose we put gksu-enabled commands in a sub-menu (like how new-file lists a few file types). This will prevent users from simply converting to "enter your password until it works" people.

66
votes

20
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Selected solution (#33): Control the number of simultaneous op-s on a drive

Written by andrew.p the 19 Mar 09 at 21:28.

This is not a complete solution, but an addition to #2/#1.
I often miss an option to limit the number of simultaneous file operations on a drive (simultaneous file operations are not as quick as one-by-one sometimes).
Speaking about sol#1, it would be logical to have an option to queue file operation instead of performing immediately (name menu item "Queue Paste" & give it keyboard shortcut like Ctrl+Alt+V/Ctrl+Q/Super+V). Also it is a workaround for controlling the number of simultaneous file operations.

-4
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7
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Selected solution (#35): Click & drag priority management

Written by Ian Burnet the 11 Apr 09 at 03:11.

Being able to set the priority of ops would be really useful, but we also don't want to add too much to the interface.

I think the most user-friendly solution would be to:
1) Run only one op at a time automatically
2) Have a continue / pause button to force start, pause, and resume
3) Have the ops listed by priority (i.e. which was started first; which are running)
4) Be able to click and drag the progress bars up/down to switch the priorities

15
votes

See the 13 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 22 May 12 at 05:18) >>

GRUB should have a graphical settings option, so you can easily...

Written by fikelfikel the 9 Nov 08 at 16:03. Global category: Others. New

...change settings and add OS's that it dosn't detect. Instead of complicated codes ect. why not include a graphical interface? Whatever a code can do, the graphical interface can do as well. Advanced users can use codes if they want. It would make it more easier for newbie's.

43
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See the 11 comments or propose a solution (latest comment the 17 May 12 at 05:01) >>

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