Contributor oodlesofmoddles

Ubuntu applications that use the network could use the status of Network Manager to provide more appropriate messages and behaviours. For example, when not connected to the network, instead of having Thunderbird tell you

"Error connecting to ***** server".

You could get

"You are not connected to the internet"

That could also save some time because the mail client should simply not even attempt to check for new mail when there are no network connections. The same general principle could apply to any browser.

Another example: If you start Firefox while the network connection is getting established, it could wait for it instead of giving you a "Page not found" screen.

Even synaptics doesn't seem to know when you are connected to the internet and gives you an error message. The list of examples could include audio players, IMs, apt-get, etc.

I am sure other people can think of more interesting examples that I could add to this idea.

turn off the effects could give us more rendering with 3D aplications

I would be nice to be able to apply an audio effect to a stream.
Example, I apply audio-effect to 'microphone in' so when I talk on the microphone to people on Ventrilo or MSN, then they hear a different voice.

It can use a virtual vocoder which transform the audio.

So the guys I talk to hear me in a robot voice or they hear me in a girl voice.

It would be sweet. You can have voice like Jigsaw (from Saw movie), "Oh yes, there will be blood". Or stuff like "Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated", or "I know what you did last summer".

Right now,the user is left blind when trying to connect to a wireless acces point fails.It should at least show an error message with description of the problem or a possible solution

Work with Google to receive an advanced Linux version of Google Chrome so you can package it and put it in the repositories at the same time of the release.

For those of us foolish enough to own MP3 players that can only be accessed in MTP mode (e.g. Creative players) it'd be great if Ubuntu would treat them as removable drives (like it does with players in MSC mode).

Right now I can easily add and remove music using Amarok and the great libmtp but I have no easy way to browse the files on the device. And this means no easy way to add video and photos.

I understand not everyone needs MTP support so maybe this could be an optional extra (a plug-in?) for Nautilus.

Instead of setting up different users to change the way your desktop works for you (layout/window manager/etc) have the ability to setup presets.

For Example:

When using blender if you use compiz, it advisable to turn it off beforehand and use metacity, in which case, you'll probably want to close cairo dock. By doing so you'll probably want another panel in gnome at the bottom screen to manage windows.

Instead of doing this everytime it would be great to just select the Blender Desktop Preset (created by yourself) and the desktop suddenly changes to exactly how you want it laid out.

I would Like, that when I do Double click on music files, Rhthymbox play them, and ask me if I wont to add them library.

When I boot up, the gnome menu should load up by default. I have to wait 2-3 seconds after clicking the menu icon for it to load. This load should have already been done, as the first thing many people do once booting up is to run a program via the menu. It is the little polishes like this that make Ubuntu such a great operating system.

(Note: This affects the Gnome Menu applet. I'm not sure if it affects the Menu Bar applet.)

It's impossible to rotate images directly in Writer. I have to open them in Draw first and export the Draw image into Writer. That just sucks. I want to import a picture and rotate it instantly. Please add this function to OO.o!

It is not enough that Ubuntu has the nicest tent in the entire linux village, if at the end of the day most computer user's won't even bother to make the trip out to the village.

Before humans broke the sound barrier in flight, the US Airforce created their "X project", which built some of the first prototype jet aircraft that would eventually reach this goal. Linux needs an "X-project".

If Mark Shuttleworth is really keen on surpassing Apple in the 'good looks' department, he'll have to do more than just talk the talk.

"Linux for humans" is a laudable goal, but ultimately a failed one. Hear me out: Most humans aren't interested in 'linux'. What people want is "You, happier" - the new Best Buy slogan. They want a rich internet and media experience. They want 'walk out with it working'. Anything that stands in the way, distracts, or makes them have to deal with side issues will not suffice.

Linux (as it now exists) tries to make people care about kernels and partitions and a host of other issues that are of great importance to the machine, but are of little or no interest to the user of that machine.

99% of linux systems are essentially the same (when working properly) to the end user. The end result is a familiar, uninspired attempt to ape an already 'tried and true' computing experience. Worse, as much as Ubuntu tries to hide the plumbing from the user, it always shows. It's like trying to put a dress on a chimpanzee. She might be pretty, but she'll never be girlfriend material.

What Ubuntu (and linux) needs is a fresh approach to what a linux system can be, based on the principles of appeal and usability. Look at Aza Raskin's work at Mozilla Labs for starters. Like Disney, Ubuntu needs 'imagineers' - people with the power to dream, and the knowhow to make it happen.

If you are the only user on your pc, the system could already start loading your desktop in the background while waiting for you to login for instant use.

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.

If you create search filters in synaptic, and then install/remove/etc. selected packages, it will delete the filters, rather than update them.

It would be nice if it didn't delete the filters, but refreshed them instead to indicate which packages were installed/removed etc.

Everyone by now has seen the world famous mockups of what Ubuntu apparently should look like. The problem is that what is shown in those mockups is not yet possible with the current way gnome works.

I worry with everyone clambering for this mythical theme and with time running out before 8.10 ships, what will end up happening is Ubuntu will ship with the same old problematic brown and orange theme that is so hated by a lot of people.

There is a solution though...

The Dust theme
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Intrepid/DustTheme

The Dust theme has gotten a lot of praises on Digg and is easily as sexy as anything I've personally seen for Linux (and I'm not usually a fan of dark themes), bust most promising of all... is actually possible with the current technology we have at our disposal.

It's time to be bold! Stop defaulting to the same brown and orange and make a big bold change. Embrace Dust.

Yes you will get a few idiots who will say it's too like Vista just because it's black, but ignore them people. The wider tech community will praise Ubuntu for finally ditching its dorky themes and becoming sophisticated and sexy. New users will be eager to try out this Ubuntu thing they have heard so much about.

Each week Brainstorm should feature a question that is on the minds of the developers and leaders of the Ubuntu project. I'm thinking, questions like:

* In your opinion, what is the 'weakest link' in Hardy Heron or Ibex (Alpha)?

* Which of the following areas would you like to see Ubuntu excel in .... a) b) c) ?

* How can we make the release of Ibex go smoother and generate more excitement than Hardy's release?

Apart from being good conversation starters, these questions can give the Ubuntu developers a platform to publicly address issues and concerns that matter to them, while also providing inspiration for other relevant brainstorm ideas.

Shutdown needs to be as seamless as the fade to screensaver effect. This is what should happen:
- You click on shut down

- If there is a unsaved file open, then

-Show a notice explaining this at the corner of the screen have a button on the notice to "Force Quit" the program. (Guifications esque) Use Compiz, if enabled, to focus that app, but have everything else darkened, sort of like the Alt-Tab effect. Then the users saves and closes, and the shutdown process continues. (Notice that no apps have actually started being turned off yet)

- If another user is logged in, and that user has unsaved files, then:

- Show a notice window stating what the problem is. The window should have two options: "Switch to the other account to save files" and "Force Quit the applications"

- If the first option is chosen, then present a password box, which will accept either an administrative password or the users password. Once the user has entered one of the correct passwords, fade to the other account, and do the same window focus effect described previously. After that, continue the shutdown process.

- If the second option is chosen, ask for either the user or administrative password, and then terminate the programs. Then continue.

- Show a black screen with a spinner. (like the firefox progress spinner) while processes are being shut down.

- use compiz, if enabled, (It hasn't been shut down yet) to fade the transition to the usplash. Shut down all remaining processes (The processes compiz needs to run) and finally shut down the computer.

As you can see, this proposition is clearly better than the current one. I'm not sure if this can be implemented, but Mac OSX can do it, so why can't we? I know about the similar ideas, but a search didn't turn up something that proposes what I do. The other ideas make up this more consolidated idea.

[....]

I am currently writing my thesis on Ubuntu for which I need to read a lot of pdf documents and because of this I often have up to 10 pdf documents open on the taskbar.

This would be fine if I could easily identify them. The titles which appear on top of the window and on the taskbar are really strange though. They do not show the filenames but some kind of original filename what it once used to be I guess.

I named a pdf for example as follows:
"Acceptability of urban transport pricing strategies 2000.pdf"
but what I see is this:
"Microsoft Word - deliverable 2c_m.doc"

This is very confusing and because of it I often rather work in Windows than in Ubuntu. I guess this is an issue which could be solved easily. I would love to have it fixed asap!

Let the user be able to select a color of choice to use for his folders.

If I have many directories, then perhaps I would like to assign a different color for some of the folders.

Example, I want to assign Pink for my Porno directory, Blue for my collection of pictures of skies, etc.

http://www.deleongames.com/archives/folder-colors/colors.jpg
http://davigno.oxygen-icons.org/i/blog-folder-flave.png
http://best.j6.googlepages.com/colors.PNG

I often drag-'n-drop tabs around on in firefox to order what I am doing (work left, personal right). I do this on the taskbar in Gnome as well. In firefox it gives this little purple arrow showing between which tabs it will be when you release the mouse button.

I would like to see this on the gnome taskbar as well. This would make gnome again a little bit more intuitive.