The global menu system is a good idea because it reduces vertical space required for the gnome desktop. As we know, vertical screen space is extremely limited for netbooks and this reality validates the effort to implement a global menu. Furthermore, in a world where widescreen aspect ratios are becoming the norm, it makes sense to use the global menu for the desktop too.

However, desktop monitors are significantly larger than netbook screens. Increasingly popular 1080p monitors allow multiple applications to be shown on the screen at one time. This presents a challenge for Unity on the desktop. Significant mouse travel time from the application window to the file menu at the top of the screen is a reality for most desktop monitors. Even laptops with high resolutions share this issue.