The newly implemented Dark Toolbars to Oneiric have left me wondering if the
Developers have forgotten one of the driving principles for Unity--to reclaim
vertical space?
Look at the following comparison between Natty as it is today and Oneiric with
Dark Toolbars. In Oneiric, not only has writing been placed underneath the
icons (taking vertical space) but there is now a huge/thick
vertical-space-wasting Dark Toolbar with only one item on it: the search box.
COME ON! I thought the whole point of Unity was to allow more space for the
items in the window. Does everything that uses Gnome 3.0 have to present
enormous amounts of chrome with no purpose other than to waste vertical space?
One of the things I love about Natty is how much vertical space has been
reclaimed. Now it's looking like all that is going to be gone in
Oneiric.http://imgur.com/a/w9pBQ
From: nru...@hotmail.com
To: ayatana@lists.launchpad.net
Date: Fri, 22 Jul 2011 11:06:08 -0400
Subject: Re: [Ayatana] Oneiric Dark Toolbars are a BAD idea - here's why
Dark Toolbars are a BAD idea. The Top-Panel should remain a significantly
darker color than application toolbars.
Gnome-shell has the right idea where they made the top-panel black,
communicating that the top-panel is NOT part of a running application. Google
has started putting a black top-panel across its webpages, communicating that
the top-panel is NOT part of the search results or web page's content. These
dark top-panels provide an always-present, constant frame of reference that
grounds the user and differentiates it from the project's focus (i.e., a web
search, a web page's content, or a running application). This grounded focus is
lost when Dark Toolbars are merged to the top-panel.
The Top-Panel is NOT part of a running application. Yet this is exactly what is
communicated to the user when application toolbars are essentially merged to
the Top-Panel. Keeping the top-panel separate from application toolbars is even
more important now because of Unity's new space-saving design. To move an
entire window for example, a user can click on the Titlebar. Yet dark toolbars
would be the same color as the titlebar. To restore a maximized window, the
user can double-click free space on the top-panel. Yet dark toolbars would
present loads of free space the same color as the Top-Panel. There are all
kinds of problems with choosing Dark Toolbars.
Aesthetically it is also a failure. It shrouds regularly used tools/buttons in
darkness. The buttons and tools should be clearly visible and accessible by the
user. Not hidden in a darkened state.
A better approach would be a gradation of darkening as one moves toward the
top-panel. For example, the top-panel would be a dark color (like Ambiance).
The Toolbar would be a middle color (like the present cream or maybe a gray),
in this way bridging the gap, adding a gradation, from the lighted/white
background where the work is done to the darker panel. The work area is lighted
because that's where the user's focus is. The toolbar area is darker than the
work area because it is an area of peripheral focus for the user as he/she
works. Tools/buttons are referenced and consulted during the work process. The
OS's top-panel is dark because this is an Always-Present constant that doesn't
change, and it is not actively engaged when a user is working on a project,
hence it is black/dark in color. The Toolbars do NOT share this state. The
Toolbars should not be identified with the Top-Panel.
An Operating System's Top-Panel is NOT the same as an Application's Toolbar
controls. They should not be treated the same visually. Yes, an application's
Global Menu and window controls appear in the top-panel when maximized. But
these are items that are established and utilized primarily when beginning or
ending a work project. A Toolbar on the other hand is actively engaged during
work. For example, when writing a paper, a user will look up to identify the
selected font name or font size, whether a specific formatting option is
engaged, and so forth. Looking at the Global Menu does not provide visual
feedback like this--hence it makes sense to put it in the Top-Panel and have it
be darkened in color like the Top-Panel. It is readily accessible by mouse and
keyboard shortcut to serve its purpose. But visually, it has no purpose; hence,
one of the driving forces to move it the top panel and get it out of the way
and prevent it from taking up space. It does not make sense from a usability
standpoint to treat an application's toolbar (which shows the font name, font
size, etc) in a darkened state. There is already a LOT of dark in ubuntu.
Adding more by making the toolbars dark is a mark against efficient usability
and more of an esoteric aesthetic preference that has nothing to do with
usability and functional design.
From: jorge.ortega...@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 21 Jul 2011 22:07:25 +0100
To:
