- Icon Overlays on the window thumbnails in Activities -> Windows
Use case: I enjoy the functionality of Activities->Windows, but I have the problem of not immediately being able to tell the thumbnails of the windows apart.
Explanation: This happens disturbingly and surprisingly often, and it is because many application thumbnails look remarkably alike at-a-glance. Example: Rhythmbox, Exaile, and Banshee (I was trying out music players). EasyTag kind of looks like Nautilus from the correct angle. Synaptic looks like... a lot of things. Having the program's icon overlaid somewhere on the window's thumbnail would help out a lot here.
- Option to keep the Dash persistently visible (on the desktop)
Use case: I use Docky with G-S, even though G-S has the Dash, because the Dash hides itself from view once I leave activities.
Explanation: I don't think I have much more to say, here: I think it is very useful to have my favorite program launchers always in sight and reachable with a simple click. And knowing what is or is not open is useful to me (mostly so that I can know, at a glance, that there are programs out there I should kill before I launch that huge VM or intensive game). Also, I find it quicker and more useful to be able to change focus (and raise the window of) an open app without having to go to Acitivites, and even if it is hidden under other windows or on some other workspace.
- Clicking on Panel->$application_name should show a vertical Global Menu
Use Case: I just think it would be the bees knees if G-S would implement Global Menus as a vertical list, exposable by clicking the application's name in the Panel.
Explanation: Given G-S's design principles and aesthetic, I actually half-expected this suggestion to already be in place, and was surprised to find out that clicking on the program's name in the Panel only presents me with a "Quit $Application" entry. It is difficult to deny how much the removal of pull-down menus simplify and clean up every open application window, and as a vertical list, I think it is also difficult to deny how many space- and resolution- related problems this would actually fix. Also, I think we'd have to do very little in the way of education, considering how many popular applications are moving to something like this.
- A "Sink" Button
Use case: I have grown accustomed to getting an app out of my sight instantly with nothing more than the click of a button. There is currently no way to do this in G-S.
Explanation: I know we've gotten rid of "Minimize," and intellectually, I am on-board with the reasoning behind this change. Let me say that again: I do not want the minimize button or concept to return. I am perfectly happy with moving something to a new workspace. I DO, however, wish there were a way to get an application window out of my sight as simply and easily as I could when I had a minimize button. (And yes, I think it goes without saying that the four-part act of Activities, Click, Drag, Click is not at all as quick or easy as pushing the "minimize" button). A "sink" button would be like a minimize button (in that it is just as quick, easy, and intuitive); however, what it would actually do is throw the window to the same X/Y position on $workspace_below (with an appropriate "sinking" animation in Clutter showing it go). It's icon should be a down-arrow.
- Expose Keyboard Shortcuts
Use case: It would be nice to summon a list of all of G-S's keyboard shortcuts from an easily-discoverable place in the Shell
Explanation: More than many times, both on this mailing list and elsewhere, questions about Gnome Shell have been answered with a simple keyboard combination. Example Question: "Why isn't there a way to more easily switch workspaces?" Example Answer: "CTRL+ALT+Down arrow." While I harbor misgivings about this sort of answer (and further misgivings about this actually being the answer, in some cases), that is all beside the point, which is: G-S apparently does a lot of nifty / convenient / surprisingly awesome things via-keyboard shortcut, but there is no place within the shell (that I can see, anyway) to find out what all of these secret shortcuts are. The keyboard settings app lists some of them, but some of them are also deprecated, and some of them aren't there at all. For example, the surprising and powerful CTRL+SHIFT+ALT+R (Blew. My. Mind. Is there more of that anyone can point me to?? I've noticed there is a "cheat sheet" out there; if this is complete, I'd like a way to summon this list in Activities or something.)
- Mouse shortcut for switching workspaces
Use case: I would like an easier way to toggle between workspaces that does not involve using the keyboard or going to Activities.
Explanation: What it says on the box... and also something I thought would have been implemented already. Something like CTRL+ALT+Down/Up arrow, but without needing to revert to a key combo. Like clicking on the desktop and using the scroll wheel, or being able to click-and-drag(up/down) the desktop itself to "throw" workspaces up or down.
- Move the categories list in Activities -> Applications to the left
Use case: I think it makes more sense from a spacial and progressive perspective to have the category list on the left, rather than the right.
Explanation: I understand that G-S is trying to split up usefulness and functionality by using the sides of the screen as much as possible, so I can't say with 100% certainty that this is a good idea (I can practically hear people shouting "Fitts Law!" right now). However, from a mouse-only (not involving the keyboard) perspective, the current method makes less sense from a "flow" point of view. Right now, to launch an applicaiton, we: go all the way to the upper left; then click the word "applications"(also toward the left); zig all the way right and select a category, then zag back to the left to select an icon. I think it would be easier on mouse-loving users like me if the four-step progression outlined above could start all the way at the top left, and progress towards the bottom-right with every step: Upper-left corner (Activities); Move right and down (Applications); Move right and down (Category); Move right and down (Application Icon). There are some cases where one will be moving up and down out of order, but the flow would constantly be moving from left to right for sure.
*****
I may come up with more as time goes on as I keep using the product and note-taking. I'd love to hear what people think, or if there is some other channel (Bugzilla? Whiteboard?) I should be using to submit these ideas. Also, if some have been rejected, I'd like to go and read the explanations as to why, if available.
--G
