Some ideas to improve Plank

Thoughts & Feedback
#1

I have some ideas what I miss while I using Plank, and what I think could increase the usability of it.

  1. Fixed icons: The biggest thing I miss the most is to fix the trash can icon (or any other icon, trash is just an example what came in my mind for a use case), so it would be separated from other icons, and it would be placed on the right or left side of the panel, with a separation line, so it would be always on the side, and if I open a program what is not pinned yet, it wouldn’t be on the side of the panel.

  2. An icon (or “docklet”) that would act similar as Ubuntu icon did on Unity: It would hide the desktop entirely, except Plank itself (or optionally, also Plank would disappear too), and all of the installed program’s icons would appear in a grid in the middle of the screen, similarry how Unity GNOME or even macOS displays the program’s icons.
    Maybe a search bar would be useful too on this screen (optionally)

  3. If I move Plank to the left or right side, or even to the top of the screen, it overlaps with the top bar (the bar where system tray and other stuffs takes place) and it’s annoying.

These could be things what could make MATE better for people coming from Unity or Mac.
(And make people less want to switch to Mac haha :smiley: )

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#2

I agree with #1 - Docky handled this nicely.

I’d also love it if there was a ‘recent items’ docklet available, as there was in Docky…

#3

#3 can be resolved if Plank could be resident inside a panel. As a panel app, there would be no need for themes to be used since you would be using the panel theme, but it would ake ropint99’s MATE dock lose relevance if someone made a Plank wrapper for it.

Back in the day, there was a dockbarx wrapper for Avant Window Navigator (RIP) and dockbarx had a panel applet for GNOME 2 at some point so a Plank panel certainly seems possible.

(Hey if anyone who can read this, pretty pretty please drag AWN into the modern era so I can have my multi-dock lucido-themed setup back? :smiley:)

#4

I had a 4th idea too:
On Unity, long pressing super key with a number key opens the pinned program from the dock with the same number. so super + 1 would open the first one, super + 2 the second, and so on.
This would be a great feature on Plank too, since on MATE super key is not used by default so it couldn’t make any control conflict on the UI.

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#5

The best idea is to remove it, It’s useless to put permanent icons on desktop (like the ugly mac bar), It’s better to focus on improving the slow mate menu, because with its search ability It’s sufficient.

#6

It’s not useless at all, what more, this is a main feature why I love MATE.
Also you can hide it completely, if you still want to live in the 90s and use list menu.
But the permanent bar is useful for quick access to programs, and program menus too.
No wonder, why both Unity and Mac has it by default, also every other DE has similar as a task bar, like Windows, here you can pin the icons, and has local menus too.

#7

You don’t like docks, so to hell with everyone else. You find it useless, so it’s clearly useless. What’s sufficient for you ought to be sufficient for everyone after all. Wait, am I feeding the troll?

In any case, if you don’t like docks, just don’t use it - it’s not like you’re being forced to. And it’s not like it’s taking ‘focus’ from the menu. Developers do what they want to do, and are not yours to direct to any particular issue.

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#8

Also this kind of attitude what makes Gnome an awful experience in my opinion.
What I like in MATE is they want to make the user experience suite for as may people as they can, not just a few ones with their unnatural weird needs. For example the various layouts on MATE is a great thing, and it’s perfectly represents this.

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#9

But a dock is just waste of space on desktop and also consume more memory, also I can't put all my favourite programs on it (I have more than 20 installed programs) so the main menu is must have, otherwise there's another feature more clean and well integrated in Mate panel which you can use to pin your few favourite programs like this

#10

You can decrease its size, also if you don’t want to run it on 128 MB I don’t see your problem.

#11

I have 2Gb of RAM, and I just wanted to discuss the idea from another point of view, because sometimes changing is not good idea, for example Microsoft removed Start menu but was forced by professional users to bring it back, because what works should be kept and not being swept by every changing wind, and what keeps me relying on Ubuntu Mate is the ability to keep things simple, fast, clean and use the free memory on things that are more important and efficient than having fancy desktop.

#12

But the layout didn’t changed at all, so I still don’t see your point, also Plank is fully optional, you are not forced to use it.

#13

The point isn’t whether a dock works for you or not. If it doesn’t, don’t use one! But for some people it works well. For example, I have not-so-great eyesight, and it helps me a lot.

Choice! We have choice!

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#14

And you’re a waste of space that is bloated with kilobytes of useless text.

Not pleasant being rebutted as useless, isn’t it? Nobody within reason care about what you have to think beyond the tough love that comes from the hand in your face and the response to focus on something else more beneficial than picking on preferences.

I enjoy pineapple on pizza. I write with my left hand. I use Linux instead of Windows, even when on occasion Microsoft’s offering may be more developed, and better developed upon. You don’t get to make those choices, I do. Limiting other people’s choices by being the arbitrator of what you consider right lends licence for someone else to do the same against your wishes because they thought it was for your own good.
###Stop it.

2 Likes
#15

I like these ideas, you’d have to raise them upstream with the Plank developer(s) to see if other users (including those outside of Ubuntu MATE) have also requested similar things.

For #2 - it could be possible there’s a program out there already that can launch a full-screen grid of applications.

Another (slightly bug) I’d like to add is that under Compiz, the window snapping doesn’t quite work like it does with a MATE panel or other window. :frowning2:

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Plank doesn't "window snap" to Plank
Plank doesn't "window snap" to Plank
#16

3 posts were merged into an existing topic: Compiz and window snapping with Plank

#19

Sorry, but how is using the list menu like wanting to live in the 90s? Imo it is clearly faster and more efficient than any of the more gui based menu tools.

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#20

In your opinion - that’s the operative phrase. Luckily, we can all have the interface that works best for us. In our own opinions.

#21

For example, you have to know the exact category about every installed program.
On Unity, there were filters, for every category, and also trere were search box too.

Also this list menu doesn’t looks well on high(er) DPI displays, even with upscaled interface.
And it looks pretty outdated and oldschool.

Edit: Living in the 90s overall is not a bad/negative thing, for example I love retro video games, but this type of menu is something, I don’t like, and I never liked.

#22

You should try the advanced mate menu, without using the mouse, you click on windows button and start direcly typing the program name, it gives you results really fast and then you click on enter button to start the searched program. That kind of menu has the same mechanism implemented by Windows start button and is still the same one implemented by Windows 10 which dominates the os markets in the world, so saying it's technology from 90's is wrong and bad statement by mature developper like you.

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