Workspaces: why go backwards in functionality?

Thoughts & Feedback
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#1

I have been trying to drag a window from one workspace to another, or use the scroll wheel to switch workspaces, or mouse to the edge of a workspace to enter the next one, as I have been able to do since ubuntu 9. In Mate, half the screen turns light blue when I drag a window far enough, but I have no idea what that means or if it has any real purpose.

I have been exploring the dconf editor to find if I can set workspace options, but have not found any that can set any more parameters than can be set in the dialog box invoked by rightclicking the workspace icons in the launcher. I can set a keybinding ( 1 or 2, etc.) to send a window to a particular numbered workspace, but this is really so clunky I can’t believe someone gutted very useful features out of an older system in the name of ‘progress’!

Should I abandon trying to use Mate and reinstall xubuntu or Unity? Xubuntu also shows a tree directory in the side pane, not the list, which I find much easier to work with.

I have abandoned using Apple products for a variety of reasons, but way back in the 90’s, Apple OS8 allowed you to put an alias of a partition in the Apple menu, then when you clicked and dragged on it, you could open ANY file in ANY mounted partition with just one swipe, because the menu structure was totally hierarchical. This in an OS that could be installed from a 3.5" floppy disk, running on an IT PhD candidate’s idea of a sick joke, the Power PC processor. I wish we had software engineers of that caliber kicking around today!

#2

Hi Alfu,

No, they won’t work.

Yes using the scrollwheel over the workspace icons in the lower menubar should scroll through the workspaces - it won’t move a window from one workspace to another though.

This is intended behaviour and is called ‘Window Snapping’. Release the mouse button when this happens and the window will resize to take up the light blue half of your screen screen. This behaviour can be disabled in Control Centre/Personal/Windows/Placement.

Right clicking a window’s title bar will display workspace options for that window.

Hope that has given you enough information to try MATE a little longer, and hope you come to love it like most of us do, but that’s the joy of linux - each to his/her own preferred desktop.

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#3

In ubuntu 11.04+ compiz is default.

In ubuntu MATE you are using Marco by default.

Go to Mate Tweak, choose Compiz (window manager) and restart.

Nothing has been lost.

You can configure compiz in compiz config settings manager. You can create and import compiz profiles with your favorite settings. You can make compiz behave the way you want.

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#5

You are presumably using Marco windows manager. Go to Mate Tweak and choose Compiz instead. If you don’t like the default Compiz settings, then install compizconfig settings manager and tweak it to your heart’s content. There is no reason, as far as I am aware, that you will be unable to have the same functionality in Compiz in Mate as with Unity

#6

I would he super-duper careful about changing settings in mate-tweak, but that’s just because bad things happen to me and bad things happened when I used mate-tweak to do it.

If people need a one-shot terminal command for changing their compositor to compiz;
gsettings set org.mate.desktop.required-components windowmanager compiz *
######* I believe. I can’t use Ubuntu MATE atm because my disk attachment devices are being used for something else.

#7

@alfu I can help you with the scrollwheel to switch workspaces. You don’t say which UM, but assuming something current like 15.04, 15.10 or 16.04, switch to Compiz using Mate Tweak as recommended by @mrtribute. And install and use Compiz Config Settings Manager.

It’s easy to add this feature, if you know how, but I could find no documentation as to which settings to adjust, as it doesn’t appear to have been used much since 10.10 (when it was default behaviour). [ As to why it isn’t supported in UM, I don’t think anyone who implemented it before is on UM … So what is in Compiz is what people have rediscovered. I’d hoped this feature might get in, but if it’s not in 16.04 B2 then it is probably too late for this go. ]

My post Compiz in Ubuntu MATE 15.04 should give you all the steps.

Re drag and dropping windows, I never used that on 10.10. Instead, as I did then, I right-click the window’s header and select Move to Workspace Right or select from the Move to Another Workspace menu.

Hope this helps.

#8

Hi all,

see also:

http://wiki.compiz.org/

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#9

Wow, I’m totally blown away by all the useful responses to my post! Yes, 15.10 it is. I will try the Compiz workaround. I had not previously done so because it is generally considered to be bloated and buggy.

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