Re: [Usability] Re: Future of the menu top bar?

[Karl Goetz <kamping_kaiser internode on net>]

Reinout van Schouwen wrote:
> On Thu, 11 May 2006 16:33:22 +0100, Alan Horkan wrote:
> 
>> [2] I don't know for sure what other distributions accept the default
>> layout.  Please do tell if your preferred distribution accepts the default
>> panel layout.

Ubuntu still uses both panels (as we all know), as does Debian Sarge. I
cant speak for later Debians, but I assume it hasn't changed.

Speaking for myself and from my observations of people using Gnome, I
don't see the top panel being a problem.

When I sit someone *new* to computers at an Ubuntu system, I say "this
inst windows which is what most people use, this is Linux and it looks
like this". A *new* user has no problem with it.

(Again this is IMO/from my experience), People coming from Apple OS's
are generally ok with it as well, as they have experience with more then
one way of working a desktop (as some of their their work/friends will
almost definitely have windows), and I am yet to see a former Mac user
switch their UI.
Typically Windows users seem to be the ones who *absolutely canonically
must have* the bar at the bottom, and have problems with adjusting to
the new way of doing things (after all, they may have never used another
system).

Among the things I'm trying to get at is that if the target audience is
windows users, and gnomes point is to pull windows then the bar is in
the wrong place.

If Gnome wants to be a desktop in its own right with its own features
and way of doing things, I see no reason to move to a single bottom bar.

kk


> 
> Since you asked :)
> 
> Mandriva uses a two-panel layout, with the application menu, a couple of
> launchers and applets at the top, and the taskbar + pager on the bottom.
> 
> http://www.tuxmachines.org/gallery/albums/2006-04/gnome.jpg
> 
> I'm not sure this is the default layout but I guess it is. 
> As another data point, OS/2 Warp 4 and its successors have a menu bar at
> the top of the screen, not unlike the GNOME panel.
> 
> regards,
> 


-- 
Karl Goetz
The buck stops there -> $
Australian Ubuntu users team - http://wiki.ubuntu.com/AustralianTeam