I've been using Unity for several years, until recently (after the last
update, my machine wouldn't boot). Recently, I switched over to
xubuntu, which is also an awesome distro.
I've been thinking about this "bug" off and on for about two years in
the process. Here are my thoughts... hopefully something useful is
here:
What's good about Unity:
Overall I think the interface is very foward looking. Eventually:
* users have thousands of apps installed (or not installed at all... apps
are all in the cloud). And the line between installed, uninstalled, and cloud
apps will be completely blurred.
* eventally most interfaces will be touch-centric, or voice controlled
* fuzzy search in Dash is a great idea
Cons:
* the interface currently has taken a "one-size-fits-all" approach
on design. Like one-size-fits-all clothing, the result may be a less
than perfect fit across many form factors
How to improve it:
The key to a universally adaptable interface is modularity. Think
"legos"
Fixed concepts in designe need to be both abstract and simple, like:
* hot spots
* gestures
* panels
Also, equally important, the interface must be completely theme-able. Can
the components
* change style?
* move?
* be nested?
* be simplified for low-spec devices? The interface doesn't need a
lightweight footprint, but is does it needs a _potential_ lightweight footprint
to run on smaller devices.
If an interface is not modular and easily customizable, phone makers will
likely not use the default interface, like how Samsung uses their Smartwiz
interface instead of the stock Android interface.
The issue that moving a launcher bar from the left to the bottom is
currently impossible demostrates a core weakness with the level of
abstraction at which the interface is currently designed. It's not
just a handful of end users who will want to move things around or
customize the interface, but also device manufactures, developers, and
businesses (with $$$) looking at using the interface for field use.
As it is, the design seems to have some hardcoded assumptions:
Edge Assumption:
Why shoudl the interface assume there are four edges? This
abstraction doesn't work for existing form factors. For example, for
dual screen, there are 8 edges. For non-touch devices, there are zero
edges. It also won't be true for a circular watch screen, where
there's only 1 edge. Or google glasses (??? edges). Having four pre-
defined edges is not a correct abstraction for existing or emerging form
factors. Instead, the OS probably should simply allow N assignable hot
spots that respond to gestures and control the visibility of panels.
Potentially wasted space
More importantly, for a cell phone and tablet, if I were making a
device, I don't really want a sidebar of buttons. This is an extreme
waste of space on a small screen. I'd want the launcher bar to be full
screen of apps (3 to 4 columns of icons, across like the Android apps
screen), not a single row of buttons. In this case, the left/bottom
placement is completely moot -- the launcher "bar" probably should fill
the entire screen on small devices.
Dash - why is this not maximized by default also? The bottom and
right of the screen is completely wasted space. I think the layout of
netbook remix made better use of space.
I'd probably move the tabs from bottom of Dash to top. Otherwise,
when I click Dash, I have to move all the way to the bottom of the
screen to pick the tab I want. Similarly I'd move filters from the
right to left side. Otherwise, when I click Dash, I have to move
all the way to the right to filter. Commonly used items should be
placed in close proximity -- like items in a supermarket. Not in
opposite edges of the screen, forcing large sweeping motions. Ideally,
to appeal to device manufactures, this type of theme change should be as
simple as editing a template file.
Tabs vs Lenses:
There are tabs at the bottom of Dash for music/videos/etc... but why are
these tabs at bottom and not lenses? These concepts could be combined, where
the lens could filter on
app or file - do you execute it or open it?
type(s) - music, video, games
local/cloud - is this on the device, or in cloud?
If there are tabs at the bottom, these should be configurable as a set of lens
filters (such as local music files). Then, types should be added (by file
extension). A business will want a tablet to search for a different set of
files, not music and videos.
In short, the degree to which any interface is not
customizable/modular/themable is the degree to which it cannot be adopted as a
universal interface. Particularly, Unity currently seems to be geared only for
non-commercial uses, like for use on on a personal media tablet. For this to
be a truly universal interface, something as simple as moving a bar from the
left to bottom should just be a matter of editing a config file.
IOW, the particular placement of the sidebar doesn't really matter, what
matters is that it _can_ move, or that it can be resized. If current
assumptions in the design prevent the interface from being modular,
those assumptions are probably too restrictive.
As a software engineer, I don't generally worry about where a widget is
on the screen, only that a widget exists somewhere. As for the edge
controls, I could see app developers however wanting to disable (or
modify) default edge controls while an app is running. Having a hot
edge at all times may be disruptive to the app (in which case, the app
would have to request permission to disable or reassign gestures).
Overall, I do think Unity has some great ideas. If it were more
modular, and completely theme-able, it would be a masterpiece :)
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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/668415
Title:
Movement of Unity launcher
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