Use kicker by default for Application Launcher : Wait until 18.10; re-test
Closed, WontfixPublic

Description

The search in kickoff is not obvious because it doesn't have any indication that you can search. It says you can with text that transitionally fades to other text. Often there are people who are unaware of the ability to search because they miss the fading text.

This issue could be solved with the search box made to look like a search box similar to how the minimal "kicker" menu does it.

Alternative Option: use the minimal menu by default in Kubuntu

I would strongly support using Kicker instead of Kickoff by default. openSUSE already does this, I believe. Kicker is hugely more usable in a variety of ways IMHO, and also more compact, addressing a common complaint that Kickoff wastes space.

Also, please submit an upstream bug report with your request for Kickoff's search field to look more like a search field.

I would strongly support using Kicker instead of Kickoff by default. openSUSE already does this, I believe. Kicker is hugely more usable in a variety of ways IMHO, and also more compact, addressing a common complaint that Kickoff wastes space.

May need a whole new custom look-and-feel layout.

rikmills renamed this task from Make Search Box in Application Launcher (kickoff) Look Like a Search Box to User kicker by default for Application Launcher.Feb 22 2018, 4:07 PM
ngraham renamed this task from User kicker by default for Application Launcher to Use kicker by default for Application Launcher.Mar 8 2018, 6:04 PM
ngraham assigned this task to rikmills.Mar 21 2018, 3:14 PM
valorie renamed this task from Use kicker by default for Application Launcher to Use kicker by default for Application Launcher : Wait until 18.10; re-test.Mar 31 2018, 9:19 PM
valorie added a subscriber: valorie.

Perhaps by 18.10 we'll have Simple Menu, the One Menu to Rule Them All

Whatever you like, but I can't shake the feeling that you're pushing your own agenda, instead of the wider community's. You're also implying that the user base is not very smart. I don't know who on earth coined this "new user" concept that is void of any real significance and it's just a a front-end for propaganda. The user is expected to learn how the desktop works and all these deviations from upstream defaults are not very smart. This is not addressed to anyone in particular. Changing some defaults won't make Kubuntu any better.

That's not constructive, @raddison. If divergence from upstream defaults is inappropriate, then we wouldn't really have distros at all. We're all trying to make Kubuntu better. If you'd rather argue than do that, you're welcome to go do it somewhere else. If you'd like to stick around, please avoid impugning other people's motivations and using charged language ("just a a front-end for propaganda"). Thanks.

On the subject of Kickoff vs Kicker, it goes far beyond the (legitimate and important) desire to be friendly to new users and not-very-technically-proficient users. Rather, Kickoff suffers significant usability problems and productivity reducers for expert users like us, too. The most prominent of them is the agonizingly slow Applications tab, which has no "All Apps" view and requires a large amount of precision mousing to navigate between the categories.

Also, I have been promoting an effort upstream to address the problems in Kickoff: T9042: Kickoff improvements.

Until that's done, I still support using Kicker instead of Kickoff.

Oh, c'mon! Let's not blow it out of proportions. I just stated my opinion.

You stated it in a rude and insulting manner, and you suggested that Kubuntu contributors may have hidden impure motivations. That's unacceptable behavior.

Since you're clearly in a bad mood today, maybe you should take some time to cool off and come back later when you have a clear head.

That wasn't my intention in the slightest but I'll still take your advice.

[spam comment removed by sysadmin]

ngraham closed this task as Wontfix.Jan 22 2020, 2:06 AM

Let's just wait for the SimpleMenu rewrite+upstreaming (T12192) and go with upstream defaults instead.