Re: [Usability] Prototyping the next generation panel

["Jacob Beauregard" <deadowlsurvivor gmail com>]

Here are my comments on that mockup:

1. I, for one, like the concept of the new FUSA in Ubuntu 8.10, but I don't think it's complete in any sense (and therefore my only reason to really update to 8.10 is really the tabbed browsing in Nautilus).  

a) The system state changes don't come with icons., which really bugs me.

b) From what I've seen in mockups, users don't have any icons either. You could integrate a user's face browser image, for instance, with the menu, as well as with the buddy list as on option in Pidgin or Empathy (haven't tried Empathy so I don't know if it's the case that you can do that). This would further tighten integration.

2. Most new ideas and features can be put forth without changing the entire environment.

In any case, I forget where _exactly_ I saw this first (on this mailing list), but I saw some option to sidebar the instant messenger--- something I've been wanting to see for a long time. That I'd be happy about

Another thing I'd like to see is the complete and utter destruction of "Desktop" as a folder. It's one of those features that seems like its there just to keep me and everyone I know disorganized. The desktop should be an application-space, not a file-system space. It's headed that direction for most desktop environments. If users drag and drop a file to the desktop, it should provide them with an option of where in their home folder they will place the file (you know, documents, music, pictures, video, etc). I'd love to see how many users would be pleasantly surprised by it.

This is just in terms of the desktop environment, so unless you think it's applicable, I won't go on a rant about the file conflict dialog when moving files, which also seems like it's there just to keep me and everyone else disorganized, and in short, I think file conflicts should be completely backloaded.