I really dont like brisk menu

For me the one deep flaw in Ubuntu MATE is that it includes brisk menu.
Thing is since it wondered its way into Ubuntu mate its been nothing but trouble.
It crashes, you cant customize it, you cant tweak it.
Frankly it sucks

It may be okay in solus and budgie but it really isnt that great under MATE.

Thankfully I can remove it and replace it but I am still not happy it comes as default, until it gets stable and the ability to change how it looks and all that it will not be on my Ubuntu MATE setup.

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From my personal experience MATE is fully-customizable and flexible.

@Ralph_Bromley If "it sucks" for you - then do not use it, switch to glossy closed source MacOS or Windows 10.

Did you tried to run MATE Tweak (with mate-tweak) to change MATE layout?

Here on Panel tab you can select any other panel layout:

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Brisk menu for me yes some times crashes see image.

I don't know why this message is happening? but my work around is to click "don't delete" and to reset the MATE panel.
You can reported problems at https://github.com/solus-project/brisk-menu/issues

Yes out of the box you cant customize it but with the dconf editor there are a Loads of options for tweeking just search Brisk.
To install dconf editor Open a terminal (Ctrl+T), Type sudo apt install dconf-editor -y

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dconf is a bit cumbersome, I just wish there was a better tool thats all.[quote=“Norbert_X, post:2, topic:17708”]
If “it sucks” for you - then do not use it, switch to glossy closed source MacOS or Windows 10.

Did you tried to run MATE Tweak (with mate-tweak) to change MATE layout?
[/quote]

I am aware that I can change the layout on my own, no need to be rude about it.

I just really dont like brisk menu, if it didnt crash as much or was more customizable without the need for dconf editor I would not be complaining.

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You are being unfair. He is simply pointing out that something billed as an improvement and which is presented as the front of house default menu is a funny kind of improvement if it is not straightforwardly customisable and crashes a lot.

Your other point about it being a simple job to change the layout via mate tweak is, however, reasonable

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Pretty much, I mean yeah MATE menu is looking old and clunky but at least it works and i can alter its settings.

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Personally, I really like the Advanced MATE Menu over any of the other offerings. The thing I really like about Ubuntu MATE is the level of customization that can be achieved, don’t like something? Feel free to change it!

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Ralph I know how you are feeling about the menus, I am a traditional fan. I also like mutiny layout. Have you tried remove the Items that you don’t like by removing them from the panels. Then Adding the item you like by using the add to panel then saving it int mate tweak when you get it to your liking. For example in mutiny i removed the global menu item and replaced it with the classic menu and then moved away from the corner a few spaces then locked it so it would not moved. That’s what i like a mate is you can make the way you like it. There is a lot of help out there. jerry

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Again it’s not like I don’t know how to customize my desktop that’s not the issue it’s more of a default package and default presentation where I start tilting my head wondering why the developers went with the tools they did as opposed to sticking with ones that actually work especially on a long-term support release. I’ve actually used Linux for a very long time and I’ve seen it grow and change and this is one of those changes where I have to wonder why I mean I asked the same question when gnome shell was released

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You and me both Ralph.

I also do understand that it is a simple job to change the layout to a more reliable one and that is a good thing to be welcomed. But, I equally am wondering why a new layout should be brought in as a default when it does not work as well as the default layout it replaced. And, to be clear, when I say “does not work as well”, I am referring to the objective facts of it (a) being less editable than the default it has replaced. and (b) it being less stable than that previous default.

Edit to add:

I should say, here, I am basing my understanding of it being less stable on your own reporting of it as such. The fact is, I have barely used Brisk since its introduction. Instead, opting for the traditional layout.

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I totally agree with you. I absolutely can’t stand the Brisk menu.

It is one of the reasons I am holding back on 18.04 right now. I have upgraded several systems and it is so buggy and crashes constantly on systems that ran advanced totally 100% fine.

I really like the advanced menu with the Ubuntu MATE standard layout. I wish we had a choice by just clicking to bring advanced back.

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I think the advanced mate menu is still there isn’t it?

If you right-click a panel and choose “add to panel”, it is still in available in the list isn’t it?

I don’t put attention to the layouts, I just choose the Traditional, customized the top panel the way I needed and then deleted briskmenu and installed mozo (the MATE fork of Alacarte), so I’m able to add/edit/delete menus/items the way I wanted, and honestly I don’t care of its limitations. BTW, mozo is still in development (https://github.com/mate-desktop/mozo).

I’m not a huge fan of Brisk either, but I respect users (and newcomers) may prefer that interface. As far as I remember, Brisk provided benefits like a “quick search” functionality and can be toggled using the Super (Windows) key – a plus for accessibility.

But… I always make it crash every time I boot a 18.04 live session and the lack of a Places/System menu were very convenient in MATE that feels cumbersome under a unified “Menu” menu.

Maybe if there’s enough demand, it could be reconsidered to re-think the defaults, but it’s ultimately the leader’s decision. if I had the reins, I’d never had changed from traditional in the first place. :smirk:

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We’ve been missing our leader for a while now, expect on official Ubuntu blog posts. Is everything in UM okay?

Our leader is not missing. Martin is busy with life and work, as we all are, and will surely make an appearance in time for 18.10.

Ubuntu MATE is still moving forward just fine, but the pace for 18.10 consists of bug fixes to the MATE Desktop. So no big features are planned at the moment.

As for Brisk, I have submitted several bug fixes, but the Solus lead is taking an extended break at the moment, so we might need to do our own distro patches for the next release since they are just sitting there…

I don’t use Brisk, however. I use the Advanced MATE Menu, so I haven’t debugged Brisk as much as it seems to need, based on this thread.

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For what it’s worth I love the brisk menu and I’ve never had it crash on me!

Having the choice of menus is a great feature of Mate and although stability might be an issue on one system it might not be on another.

My message to the developers is therefore: please don’t think about removing the brisk menu from future Mate releases. It’s impossible to please everyone but I’m sure there must be as many people that are happy with it as there are that aren’t.

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There are no plans to remove Brisk from MATE. It’s a great menu with tons of good customization options.

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I personally don’t care if Brisk is an option but I would like to see the Advanced Menu come back to the standard desktop as an option. Still if you don’t want the three separate menus the 18.04 combined menu is now Brisk. :frowning:

If I recall advanced is still around in the Redmond layout, but why can’t we use it in Traditional?

You can use the advanced mate menu with traditional. You need to do the following:

  1. set up the panel layout as “traditional”

  2. open mate tweak and deselect the “show applications” checkbox in the “panel” tab.

  3. right click the top panel and choose “add to panel”. You will find the advanced mate menu in the list that comes up. Choose it and it will appear on your panel.

  4. unlock the places/system menu at the left of the panel and also any other launchers you have to the left of your newly placed advanced mate menu. Then move the advanced mate menu to the far left of the panel, alongside the remaining parts of your traditional menu - which are, respectively, "places and “system”

  5. lock all of the panel elements in their positions

See below for how it looks,

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