Re: [Usability] Using Control-Esc and Windows keys to access the start menu

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

On Mon, 21 Aug 2006, Ritesh Khadgaray wrote:

> Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2006 07:05:06 +0530
> From: Ritesh Khadgaray <khadgaray gmail com>
> To: Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>
> Cc: Lennart Borgman <lennart borgman 073 student lu se>, Usability gnome org
> Subject: Re: [Usability] Using Control-Esc and Windows keys to access the
>     start menu
>
> On Sun, 2006-08-20 at 20:29 +0100, Alan Horkan wrote:
> > On Sun, 20 Aug 2006, Lennart Borgman wrote:
> >
> > > Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2006 16:00:31 +0200
> > > From: Lennart Borgman <lennart borgman 073 student lu se>
> > > To: Usability gnome org
> > > Subject: [Usability] Using Control-Esc and Windows keys to access the
> > >     start menu
> > >
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > I am new to this list. I have subscribed mainly because I want to become
> > > a GNU/Linux user.
> >
> > (Gnome runs on FreeBSD and Solaris and many others too.  I want to be a
> > Gnome user.)
> >
> > > Now I installed Ubuntu. Quite nice installation as far as I know.
> > > However when the installation was finished I was not able to do
> > > anything. I had no mouse at all on that computer.
> >
> > Ubuntu does make some customisations beyond stock Gnome so do keep that in
> > mind.  I am very displeased at how they removed the Run Dialog (they hid
> > it away making it totally undiscoverable but if you are lucky enough to
> > arleady know Alt+F2 it is still available).

> afaik, gnome removed run dialog during there over-simplification
> process. aargh :(

Are you sure?  I thought it was a distribution specific change.  I usually
notice when these chagnes are made the Gnome level but I may well have
missed it.

When the shortcut to the terminal was removed from the Panel I fully
supported the move, safe in the knowledge that the Run dialog provided a
central easily accessible point of access to all kinds of advanced
functionality.

Until I remembered the Alt+F2 shortcut I was very frustrated at needing to
go through the menus and open a Gnome Terminal to have somewhere I could
type xterm since it was not included in the menus.  (Strange as that may
sound to use gnome terminal just to open xterm but back in the day Gnome
terminal crashed once too many times and as a result I prefer to use
xterm, but I prefer not to use the command line at all if an adequate
graphical user interface exists).

Given the various changes in layout of the menus and panels I have come to
rely on the Run Dialog instead since I usually know the programs I want to
run, and I do not always know the menu layout specific to a distribution.

Also when it comes to fixing problems (on both Gnome and on Windows) it
can cut out many steps to type the app/tool name in the dialog and just
run it.  (Being able to cut several steps out of the process is especially
useful when guiding an inexperienced user through the steps over the
phone.)

-- 
Alan