Ubuntu Wiki

• Launchpad Entry: https://launchpad.net/distros/ubuntu/+spec/menus-revised

• Created: Date(2005-10-27T20:38:18Z) by JaneWeideman

• Contributors: JaneWeideman, CoreyBurger

• Packages affected:

Summary

The menu system has been completely reviewed for Dapper. This spec talks about general policy that has been followed and specific actions that are going to be taken to match the policy.

Rationale

General Policy

The following general policy guidelines are followed in each decision

• If an item is primarily launched by a specific MIME type and works with one file at a time, it can be hidden

• The separation between Applications > System Tools and the System menu must be removed. This will be achieved by removing the items in Applications > System Tools

  • With above, items that are mostly system administration tasks and/or use gksudo should be moved to System > Administration

  • Items which affect only the current user are to be moved to System > Preferences

  • Anything else that is not going to be hidden/removed is moved to Applications > Accessories

• Tools which are likely to simply confuse users are to be hidden or removed
• Tools which have their functionality replaced with another simpler tool are being hidden or removed
• There should be a single point to access each function of the system

Implementation

Specific Menu Item Actions

• Each of the following items has been reviewed and a decision has been made on it. Any item not listed will be kept.

Purging "System Tools"

• Applications Menu Editor

  • - replace with Alt+dragging and D&D from gnome-app-install? - move to "System" > "Preferences"? - Known issue - already has a "Menus & Toolbars" item!

• Avahi Zeroconf Browser
  • - hide if installed by default in Dapper
• Bluetooth file sharing
  • - make appear as gnome-session service, if new gnome-session comes in Dapper/Gnome 2.14 - hide if new gnome-session doesn't appear
• Bluetooth manager
  • - hide due to being crap
• Bug Report Tool

  • - nuke bug-buddy (obsolete with LaunchpadIntegration)

• Configuration Editor
  • - Hide, useful only for powerusers
• Floppy Formatter

  • - Hide due to [http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=302038 Replace "Floppy Formatter" with item in Nautilus's File menu]

• Gparted

  • - move to "System" > "Administration"

• Network Tools

  • - move to "System" > "Administration"

• New Login
  • - replace with button in gnome-screensaver
• New login nested window
  • - remove entirely
• Run as different user
  • - remove, not hide
• System Log

  • - move to "System" > "Administration"

• System Monitor

  • - move to "System" > "Administration"

• Ubuntu Device Database
  • - hide (may be available during install and/or in About Ubuntu)

Accessories

• Archive Manager
  • - hide, as it's available as right click in Nautilus. Inexperienced computer users may find right click less "discoverable".

    - [http://bugzilla.gnome.org/show_bug.cgi?id=302035 Add "Make Compressed File..." to Nautilus's File menu]

• File Browser
  • - remove, because it duplicates with the Places menu

Graphics

• Image Viewer
  • - Hide, as it is best accessed by launching a file - post-dapper - Slideshow item in Nautilus? (the Finder has it...)
• XSane Image scanning program
  • - Scanners now accessible via GIMP, so hide.

"Internet" and "Office"

• GNOME BitTorrent

  • - hide, as it is best accessed by launching a file

• "Internet" > "Evolution Mail" vs. "Office" > "Evolution"

  • - upstream is working on seperate icons for each item ("Calendar", "Tasks", etc.) - if the above doesn't come for dapper, fix the menu item in Office to say Groupware and to use a better icon

• OpenOffice from Template

  • - hide, can be accessed from within OO

Sound and video

• CD Player - nuke, replaced by Sound Juicer
• Recording Level Monitor
  • - hide/nuke for Dapper - should be incorporated into Sound preferences
• Rhythmbox Music Player
  • - keep
• Serpentine Audio-CD Creator
  • - keep for dapper - post-dapper, integrate into Nautilus/Rhythmbox in an obvious way
• Sound Juicer CD Ripper
  • - keep for Dapper, - post dapper, integrate into Nautilus/Rhythmbox in an obvious way
• Sound Recorder
  • - keep
• Totem
  • - hide, as it is best accessed by launching a file
• Volume Control
  • - hide for dapper, available on panel - should be incorporated into Sound preferences
• Volume Monitor
  • - hide for dapper - should be incorporated into Sound preferences

Shortening "System" > "Preferences"

See also [http://live.gnome.org/PreferencesRevisited PreferencesRevisited]

• File Management

  - remove (redundant with "Edit" > "Preferences" in Nautilus)

• Login Photo - remove (redundant with "About Me")
• Multimedia Systems Selector
  • - hide, due to confusion for users and likelyhood of users messing their system up
• PalmOS devices
  • - remove - accessible from the Pilot applet, and not useful without the Pilot applet

    - [https://launchpad.net/malone/bugs/3787 Better handling of handhelds]

• Windows
  • - hide, power users only

Other tasks

• Generate list of applications that install a menu item in Applications > System Tools

• Make certain hiding application on menu does not hide it on Open With...
• Develop way to right-click on menu item and select "Hide"

Coordination with Gnome

• Pass ideas and rationale to upstream
• Encourage upstream to do the following integration work:

  • "About Me" + "Users & Groups" + "Sessions"

  • "Font" + "Theme"
  • "Keyboard" + "Keyboard Shortcuts"

Outstanding issues

We should probably coordinate with upstream (Gnome) during their 2.14 cycle.

Reviewers Comments

MarkShuttleworth: very nicely written up. Clean and crisp. Very clear what the plan is. Thank you! Please let's get this in asap so we can deal with feedback.

Discussion

AlexanderDomanski: Nice idea to remove stuff that is usually opened through Nautilus. I am doing so for a long time to keep menus clutter free. But I do not like the idea to remove the system tool menu. It must be a clear seperation if I administer (read change) my system or if I do something with my System which does not affect the system itself but has something to do with it. For me these are for example the log viewer and the network tools. By the way: I do not like the idea of moving new login to the screensaver. That is not a typical use of it, is it? It is crap to wait ten minutes for the screensaver to than click on new login. New login in nested window should be hidden only, and not entirely removed.

AlanTam: I cannot find a revalent spec about replacing things like "Firefox Web Browser" with "Web Browser". This makes sense since we should have specified a preferred browser in "Preferences -> Preferred Applications", and this link should point to that preferred application. The same should also apply to many other things, e.g. mail client, cd burner. Should we invent new /etc/alternatives/* for them?

AlanTam: "Preferences -> Removable Drives and Media Preferences" is mostly about "which application to launch" when an event occurs. So why not merge it into "Preferred Applications"?

Random Quote

"We must be proactive, eternally vigilant, forever fighting, overwhelmingly clever and handsome." - Robert Love