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

[Alan Horkan <horkana maths tcd ie>]

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).

> I tried Control-Esc and the Windows keys to access the start menu,

If I recall correctly this used to work when Gnome had the old layout more
like windows with a main/start menu in the bottom left corner.  Novell is
one of the few distributions to go back to this kind of layouts and I
would hope they got the keybinding right too but you would need to try
yourself to be sure.  (I tried adding back the main menu applet to the
lower panel on Ubuntu but Ctrl+Esc doesn't work.)

> but none of them worked. I would really appreciate if they do. Is there
> any reason that they should not work the same way as on MS Windows?
> Would not that attract MS Windows users?

In ubuntu if you go to System, Preferences, Keyboard shortcuts you can
reassign the shortcut for the Application menu to be Ctrl+Escape or the
the Super key (aka Windows Key).  I was not able to add the menu menu
applet and assign the keybinding to it instead.

There are all kinds of things we could do the same and I personally prefer
it when developers embrace and extend and can confidently say they are
doing "the same or better, not just different".

Rather than get into it too much I use the level of disagreement in this
very discussion to show you how difficult it is to build conscensus on an
issue.  Also there is the fundamental problem that we must design Gnome so
that it can be used on keyboard that do not have a Super key.  (Granted
you did also mention Ctrl+Esc.)

> PS: This is my second try with GNU/Linux. The last time I backed off for
> exactly the same reason.

Things are going to be different, and some have argued that trying too
hard to copy windows only makes the differences more painfully obvious.

Sometimes it is better for Gnome to be interntally consistent and
predictable within itself rather than copying.  However if enough people
wanted to we could probably have it both ways and make it easier to do
what you want.

> Well, and that the dual boot that came with Ubuntu trashed my MS Windows
> partition.

Backups are the only answer, depending on your circumstances either Ubuntu
or Windows could have been the problem.  I also had to learn the hard way
how easy it is to shoot onself in the foot with partition tools and more.

I would strongly advise you to try out VMWare Player, by far the safest
way I can think of to try distribtions like Ubuntu.  In particular there
is one VMWare image I really like which allows you to try out Live CD
based distributions without needing to burn them to a CD.  This allows me
to try out many more distributions beyond those especially packages for
VMware.

Sincerely

Alan Horkan

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