Written by cyberix the 7 Jul 09 at 15:21.

Force all terminals within one gnome-terminal window to use the same font size. Users may use multiple windows for multiple font sizes.

Force all terminals within one gnome-terminal window to use the same font size. Users may use multiple windows for multiple font sizes.

Written by cyberix the 7 Jul 09 at 15:27.

Give up each terminal within one window having the same amount of rows, and the same amount of characters on a row. Print out as many characters and rows as can be fitted to current window size, with the font chosen for the current tab. Fill the small amount of extra screen space (windowsize mod charactersize) with some padding.

Give up each terminal within one window having the same amount of rows, and the same amount of characters on a row. Print out as many characters and rows as can be fitted to current window size, with the font chosen for the current tab. Fill the small amount of extra screen space (windowsize mod charactersize) with some padding.

Written by cyberix the 7 Jul 09 at 15:32.

Ability to have an exact amount of rows, and an exact amount of characters on a row, is important. These counts should be same for all tabs, and changing window size on tab change is not too big of a price to be paid for this functionality.

Ability to have an exact amount of rows, and an exact amount of characters on a row, is important. These counts should be same for all tabs, and changing window size on tab change is not too big of a price to be paid for this functionality.

Written by cyberix the 7 Jul 09 at 15:37.

Make window size match the smallest font used in it's tabs. Add scroll bars for all tabs that use a bigger font.

Make window size match the smallest font used in it's tabs. Add scroll bars for all tabs that use a bigger font.

Written by cyberix the 7 Jul 09 at 15:42.

Make window size match the biggest font used in it's tabs. Add padding to all tabs that use a smaller font.

Make window size match the biggest font used in it's tabs. Add padding to all tabs that use a smaller font.

Written by andruk the 10 Jul 09 at 06:30.

Always show a tab (even if it's the only tab) to keep the window size constant. This breaks UI consistency, but the terminal does that anyway with copying/pasting, and really isn't useful for computer-illiterate users anyway (commands are scary and hard to *learn* even if they are very useful and easy to *use* later on).

Include an option to not show the tab to keep users happy if they want the current behavior.

Always show a tab (even if it's the only tab) to keep the window size constant. This breaks UI consistency, but the terminal does that anyway with copying/pasting, and really isn't useful for computer-illiterate users anyway (commands are scary and hard to *learn* even if they are very useful and easy to *use* later on). Include an option to not show the tab to keep users happy if they want the current behavior.

Written by Andaril the 14 Feb 10 at 11:42.

How it is now. http://i.imagehost.org/0917/123_10.png

How it should be. http://i.imagehost.org/0924/1234.png

How it is now. http://i.imagehost.org/0917/123_10.png How it should be. http://i.imagehost.org/0924/1234.png

Written by andruk the 17 Feb 10 at 09:20.

Progress windows are annoying because they pop up in the middle of things and steal focus, and they pop up once they are done. So, to fix this, simply don't allow progress windows to steal focus, and have them use a notification (in the notification system) once they are done.

Progress windows are annoying because they pop up in the middle of things and steal focus, and they pop up once they are done. So, to fix this, simply don't allow progress windows to steal focus, and have them use a notification (in the notification system) once they are done.

Written by danielt998 the 17 Feb 10 at 23:01.

Have a progress bar in the application's taskbar entry like in windows 7.

Have a progress bar in the application's taskbar entry like in windows 7.

Written by manfreed the 19 Feb 10 at 13:04.

I know it is just copying an idea, but it is not so bad :)

There should be an icon on the panel. When something happens (something with progress bars) this icon should shows us how many actions are running, clicking on this icon should shows us the list of the actions with some info, ability to stop and maybe pause (if the application supports it)

Everything should use this feature (compression, software install, file copy/move, etc)

(sorry for bad english :))

I know it is just copying an idea, but it is not so bad :) There should be an icon on the panel. When something happens (something with progress bars) this icon should shows us how many actions are running, clicking on this icon should shows us the list of the actions with some info, ability to stop and maybe pause (if the application supports it) Everything should use this feature (compression, software install, file copy/move, etc) (sorry for bad english :))

Written by xaos3k the 1 Mar 10 at 00:11.

A Notification-blob should show up with information about what's happening and a statusbar beneath this information.
It should stay until the program has finished and then tell the user about it.
A button to cancel the current action should be available, too.

A Notification-blob should show up with information about what's happening and a statusbar beneath this information. It should stay until the program has finished and then tell the user about it. A button to cancel the current action should be available, too.

Written by Peter-Alexander the 26 Mar 10 at 06:24.

Brasero shows an animated CD in the notification area which shows the percentage of the current job. I like that very much because it doesn't hem me in and on the other hand I'm informed about what goes on.

Brasero shows an animated CD in the notification area which shows the percentage of the current job. I like that very much because it doesn't hem me in and on the other hand I'm informed about what goes on.

Written by spocky the 3 May 10 at 19:47.

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/24697/

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/24697/

Written by shane.halloran the 16 Feb 10 at 19:30.

As the related Wikipedia page states: "Most Unix systems use a roughly equivalent set of fortunes. The fortunes dispensed are slanted heavily toward the user base of Unix, and thus contain many obscure jokes about computer science and computer programming."

I think there is a huge branding opportunity to include fortune cookies relevant to Ubuntu's ethos and target market, differentiating it from other Linuxes+Unixes with quotes to do with:
* We are who we are because of who we all are.
* 'Bug number one'.
* Localization/globalization: Wise ancient local or international phrases could be included. Local phrases are included based on location.
* Inspiring quotes.
* Quotes from pop-culture, possibly based on detected location.
* More?

In contrast with Starbucks' 'The way I see it' campaign, the quotes would probably be non-controversial and family friendly. Nonetheless, these fortunes could possibly give Ubuntu the extra charm to give it the 'human' factor.

As the related Wikipedia page states: "Most Unix systems use a roughly equivalent set of fortunes. The fortunes dispensed are slanted heavily toward the user base of Unix, and thus contain many obscure jokes about computer science and computer programming." I think there is a huge branding opportunity to include fortune cookies relevant to Ubuntu's ethos and target market, differentiating it from other Linuxes+Unixes with quotes to do with: * We are who we are because of who we all are. * 'Bug number one'. * Localization/globalization: Wise ancient local or international phrases could be included. Local phrases are included based on location. * Inspiring quotes. * Quotes from pop-culture, possibly based on detected location. * More? In contrast with Starbucks' 'The way I see it' campaign, the quotes would probably be non-controversial and family friendly. Nonetheless, these fortunes could possibly give Ubuntu the extra charm to give it the 'human' factor.

Written by shane.halloran the 16 Feb 10 at 19:32.

For example, on the boot-up splash-screen or the login screen. This would widen the appeal of the fortunes beyond the terminal-using segment.

For example, on the boot-up splash-screen or the login screen. This would widen the appeal of the fortunes beyond the terminal-using segment.

Written by andruk the 17 Feb 10 at 08:52.

I don't really care to have fortunes whenever I use a terminal. But other people do, and it is likely a very non-invasive change.

I don't really care to have fortunes whenever I use a terminal. But other people do, and it is likely a very non-invasive change.

Written by Ssdg the 17 Feb 10 at 17:31.

Add an option in the "fish" applet for gnome-panel (and it's equivalents in other DE) that send a fortune to notify OSD. Of course it will be disabled by default.

Add an option in the "fish" applet for gnome-panel (and it's equivalents in other DE) that send a fortune to notify OSD. Of course it will be disabled by default.

Written by Vendaval the 9 Sep 09 at 23:52.

Firefox has one of the best working use of tabs in all of the applications I can think of. Specific benefits include a small purple arrow showing the spot in which the tab will go, and the tab itself, an image of which is dragged too.

Firefox has one of the best working use of tabs in all of the applications I can think of. Specific benefits include a small purple arrow showing the spot in which the tab will go, and the tab itself, an image of which is dragged too.

Written by andruk the 11 Sep 09 at 02:02.

Mozilla has already R&D'd a lot for tabbed UIs, and we should build on their research instead of forging our own path. Consistency is very important in UI design, and all tabs in applications should have the same behavior.

At this point, a lot of people are simply used to the Firefox style of tabs (because it's a good system) and it would be better from a UI standpoint to be consistent with a good tab paradigm instead of a bad one.

Mozilla has already R&D'd a lot for tabbed UIs, and we should build on their research instead of forging our own path. Consistency is very important in UI design, and all tabs in applications should have the same behavior. At this point, a lot of people are simply used to the Firefox style of tabs (because it's a good system) and it would be better from a UI standpoint to be consistent with a good tab paradigm instead of a bad one.

Written by Shnatsel the 7 Oct 09 at 15:31.

Nautilus has a very nice tab dragging system. In addition, it's always good to unify interface behavior.

Nautilus has a very nice tab dragging system. In addition, it's always good to unify interface behavior.

Written by andruk the 8 Feb 09 at 20:23.

Thunderbird should check to see if the computer is connected to a network before attempting to fetch any mail. That way it is less annoying.

I would also have it check for mail once the computer is connected to a network, so the user gets his email as soon as possible.

Thunderbird should check to see if the computer is connected to a network before attempting to fetch any mail. That way it is less annoying. I would also have it check for mail once the computer is connected to a network, so the user gets his email as soon as possible.

Written by andruk the 22 Jun 08 at 02:06.

Apparently this was already done.

When I scroll over the volume control gnome-panel applet, it should adjust the volume proportionally (up increases volume, down decreases volume). It makes it one less mouse click.

Apparently this was already done. When I scroll over the volume control gnome-panel applet, it should adjust the volume proportionally (up increases volume, down decreases volume). It makes it one less mouse click.

Written by spadger the 22 May 09 at 16:38.

I think if there were either a larger, clearer set of icons or work out some other way of representing a minimised window it would show better the class of ubuntu.

I think if there were either a larger, clearer set of icons or work out some other way of representing a minimised window it would show better the class of ubuntu.

Written by r0g the 22 May 09 at 23:29.

I appreciate it would not be as easy to implement but it would be nice if you got the same view as you would get if the app were un-minimised just faded out a bit i.e. a bit more brightness + a bit less opacity. You can still have the icon in the corner or overlaid as usual.

I appreciate it would not be as easy to implement but it would be nice if you got the same view as you would get if the app were un-minimised just faded out a bit i.e. a bit more brightness + a bit less opacity. You can still have the icon in the corner or overlaid as usual.

Written by Shady3D the 24 May 09 at 16:17.

gnome 3.0 will come with new features and better way to interact, so just wait, as we can live without it.

gnome 3.0 will come with new features and better way to interact, so just wait, as we can live without it.

Written by jeypeyy the 24 May 09 at 21:21.

Use SVG icons (Scalable Vector Graphics). It can be resized to infinaty without being terribly pixlated. It would also probably mean less disk space, although that doesn't really matter on today's hardware.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svg

Use SVG icons (Scalable Vector Graphics). It can be resized to infinaty without being terribly pixlated. It would also probably mean less disk space, although that doesn't really matter on today's hardware. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Svg

Written by andruk the 28 May 09 at 23:07.

Simply use SVG (vector-based, not raster based) icons. That way they don't get pixelated when you blow them up. The only downside is that they can be harder to create than raster images (eg: detailed scenes take a while).

Simply use SVG (vector-based, not raster based) icons. That way they don't get pixelated when you blow them up. The only downside is that they can be harder to create than raster images (eg: detailed scenes take a while).

Written by andruk the 13 Oct 08 at 21:16.

I'm think of arrows in the corners/sides, kind of like the Wii interface where mousing over the side of the screen brings up an arrow to switch views. The arrow then has to be clicked to initiate the change. Perhaps a small arrow graphic of about 12-24px wide could be drawn up with Compiz (using the spiffy effects similar to the volume control) that would do the same thing.

My reasoning is that it's simply too easy to mouse to the edge of the screen and activate something you didn't necessarily want immediately (like immediately going into Expo or switching viewports). This would make it less likely that Compiz would do something the user doesn't want at the cost of making the user mouse to the edge of the screen and click on the arrow.

And just to be explicit, it doesn't have to be the edge of the screen, it should be anywhere. Also, I just think this should be included as an option/plugin for Compiz, and probably turned off by default.

I'm think of arrows in the corners/sides, kind of like the Wii interface where mousing over the side of the screen brings up an arrow to switch views. The arrow then has to be clicked to initiate the change. Perhaps a small arrow graphic of about 12-24px wide could be drawn up with Compiz (using the spiffy effects similar to the volume control) that would do the same thing. My reasoning is that it's simply too easy to mouse to the edge of the screen and activate something you didn't necessarily want immediately (like immediately going into Expo or switching viewports). This would make it less likely that Compiz would do something the user doesn't want at the cost of making the user mouse to the edge of the screen and click on the arrow. And just to be explicit, it doesn't have to be the edge of the screen, it should be anywhere. Also, I just think this should be included as an option/plugin for Compiz, and probably turned off by default.

Written by andruk the 27 Jan 09 at 12:33.

Outlining text will make it stand out against a dark background, without messing up readability like the drop shadow.

See here (be advised that it is a rough approximation of what I mean):
http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dropshadowvsoutlinepe8.png

The upper portion of the picture uses a very rough outline for the text, while the bottom uses a drop shadow. On the top, you can still read the letters when the background is the same color as the text because the outline sets the text apart from the background. In the lower part of the picture, the text blends in with the background, becoming difficult to read.

I do think that the outline and text should be drawn with antialiasing like the drop shadow to make it look pretty, but I couldn't do that in the mockup because I was drawing things by hand. It would be trivial to use antialiasing, as there are plenty of libraries out there that support it.

Outlining text will make it stand out against a dark background, without messing up readability like the drop shadow. See here (be advised that it is a rough approximation of what I mean): http://img89.imageshack.us/my.php?image=dropshadowvsoutlinepe8.png The upper portion of the picture uses a very rough outline for the text, while the bottom uses a drop shadow. On the top, you can still read the letters when the background is the same color as the text because the outline sets the text apart from the background. In the lower part of the picture, the text blends in with the background, becoming difficult to read. I do think that the outline and text should be drawn with antialiasing like the drop shadow to make it look pretty, but I couldn't do that in the mockup because I was drawing things by hand. It would be trivial to use antialiasing, as there are plenty of libraries out there that support it.

Written by andruk the 31 May 08 at 08:17.

Couldn't we make the tick marks represent the progress of the operation? For instance, if a bar is 100px wide, the bar should have, say 5 tick marks, so when the progress reaches 20%, the first tick mark is reached.

To avoid a jumbled mess of ticks spaced every 2px, you will want to keep a certain distance between the ticks. You would need to recalculate how many tick marks you want to have depending on the total length of the progress bar; if the progress bar is 10px, then you don't want 10 ticks, you probably want none. If the bar is 200px, you probably want 10 ticks. If the bar is 500px, then you probably want 50 ticks. As the progress bar grows, you can add in more tick marks to make a better percentage "resolution" (in tick marks) of the progress bar.

Extra points for Compiz effects, like fading in extra tick marks when the progress bar is resized to be larger.

Couldn't we make the tick marks represent the progress of the operation? For instance, if a bar is 100px wide, the bar should have, say 5 tick marks, so when the progress reaches 20%, the first tick mark is reached. To avoid a jumbled mess of ticks spaced every 2px, you will want to keep a certain distance between the ticks. You would need to recalculate how many tick marks you want to have depending on the total length of the progress bar; if the progress bar is 10px, then you don't want 10 ticks, you probably want none. If the bar is 200px, you probably want 10 ticks. If the bar is 500px, then you probably want 50 ticks. As the progress bar grows, you can add in more tick marks to make a better percentage "resolution" (in tick marks) of the progress bar. Extra points for Compiz effects, like fading in extra tick marks when the progress bar is resized to be larger.

Written by andruk the 15 Jan 09 at 23:27.

Have a static number of tick marks no matter how large the progress bar gets. I would propose 9 tick marks (which will mean that 0% will be at one end of the progress bar and 100% will be at the other end of the progress bar with the ticks evenly separated in the middle).

Have a static number of tick marks no matter how large the progress bar gets. I would propose 9 tick marks (which will mean that 0% will be at one end of the progress bar and 100% will be at the other end of the progress bar with the ticks evenly separated in the middle).