Making Activities Overview less cluttered and also "power-user" friendly

[Samuel Arthur Wright Illingworth <mazz0 mazz0 com>]

It seems to me a big problem with the Activities Overview is that it can easily become�extremely�cluttered, especially, but not just, for a "power user" (I'm reluctant to use that term as I'm not really sure what it means). �Seeing a list of running and none-running application icons, as well as a list of places, as well as a list of recent files, as well as a thumbnail of every open window on every workspace - there's just too much going on there for my brain to comfortably (that's the�important�word) be aware of.

I think a solution to this would be to only show the currently�relevant�activities, i.e. those on the current workspace. �I know, I know, the goal of Shell isn't to be workspace driven, but for single-workspace users this would make no difference, they wouldn't have had such clutter to start with, and for multiple-workspace users this would reduce clutter quite a lot, and make switching windows with the Activities Overview�somewhat�less painful*. �You could stick a button on the right screen edge, and also make the whole edge hot, to bring up all workspaces, or just the New Workspace button if there are no other workspaces.�

*�it's still painful because it's a context change and there's still lots of clutter from stuff unrelated to window switching, but that's a different discussion, and I think the solution to that would be to move window selection out of the Activities Overview, perhaps with my�preference, the much argued over always�visible�window** list, or perhaps with a mouse-driven version of alt-tab (but window based, not app based**), or with a Compiz Scale function for the current workspace, but you'd need a mousey way to activate it

** again, window based - I still don't see why people want to focus on applications, which are a means to an end, rather than on windows, which usually represent a document or some other /thing/ that the user cares about. �Think of a mechanic lying under a car. �He puts down one tool, maybe a spanner, and picks up another, maybe a screwdriver. �You don't force him to line up all his wrenches, including the one he left next to another car, and chose one of them, you give him the one relating to the car he's working on. �In computer terms, if I'm working on using data in one spreadsheet to write a paragraph in one text document, why on earth do you want to provide me with every other spreadsheet and word document I might have open for completely unrelated�purposes�just when I want to switch between the two things that relate to what I'm doing?

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Sam Illingworth