On Wed, Apr 28, 2010 at 3:38 PM, Alexander Pas <m...@dropdev.org> wrote: > Dear Mark Shuttleworth, and everyone else thinking it was a good change > to place those buttons on the left side of the window. > > Please go read a book on Interaction Design, for example: About Face 3, > ISBN 9780470084113 > > Now, After you have read that book, explain to me, why you want to have > the Ejector Seat Button placed right above the Cockpit Lights Switch.
It has been made very clear by Shuttleworth and others at Ubuntu that they have not read any such book and are not interested in reading it and they are not willing to listen to people who have read it. At least not right now. Shuttleworth made his billions by creating a company that sold a highly technical information product, a security certificate, to highly technical customers for a highly technical purpose. But, he sold it at a better price and under more reasonable terms than the competition. That created a lot of value and even though he was not able to actually compete with the high priced vendors he did create a business that he could sell to a high priced vendor. Now, he seems to think that that success qualifies him to create a product for use by non-technical customers for a non-technical purpose. It does not. But, the buttons are only the most visible part of his play in 10.4. The key thing to note about 10.4 is the addition of the music store. Which is again a business based on selling an information product at a better price and under better terms than the competition. The music store is an attempt to monetize Ubuntu in a huge way. It is designed to both generate revenue and to create a demand for Ubuntu. By limiting access to the music store to Ubuntu 10.4 and above he is also making Ubuntu "sticky" for users. the music store is extremely compelling. The me-menu is another interesting play. Once you get on Ubuntu, the me-menu is designed to make Ubuntu "sticky" for the user by making Ubuntu the primary way you access you social media. If it catches on it will place Ubuntu in position to monetize access to social media. It will also place Ubuntu in a position to provide value added services through the social media sites that drive more users to Ubuntu. It is my considered opinion that Shuttleworth is planning yet another play with the intention of monetizing Ubuntu while at the same time making it even more sticky. If in the short run he loses 10%, or even 50%, of the current users he does not care. Losing users does not cost him any money. If he can make $1/year from the users that stay Ubuntu will be generating 6 to 12 million dollars a year in revenue and he will have accomplished his goal. My guess is that Shuttleworth is positioning Ubuntu as a one stop solution for companies that want to build the next generation of networked social and entertainment systems. Whether placed in a net book or a phone a software platform that includes a nice way to get music and other media as well as a nice way to access all your social connections and communication the Ubuntu that I see emerging is a killer application. That become especially true if it is prices low enough that these devices can be sold across the entire world and not just in North America and Europe. Shuttleworth has no reason to care if the metaphorical ejector seat button is next to the metaphorical cabin light switch so long as Ubuntu generates revenue. Even if someone hits the wrong button at least no one will actually be ejected. Remember he can move them back any time he wants to. On the other hand my laptop goes to the black screen (which I think I will start calling the Shuttleworth screen) every twenty minutes or so. Firefox doesn't work correctly. blah blah blah... nothing has been done about any of the bug reports I have filed since alpha 3 was released... If this keeps up Ubuntu could lose enough users to actually matter to Shuttleworth. No, I am not saying that I disagree with you. I am saying that Shuttleworth has a plan to make money off of Ubuntu and even if his actions cost him 50% of existing users that does not matter if it actually makes Ubuntu cash flow positive. So, don't expect Ubuntu to see the light any time soon. After it is making money then they will have to worry about making changes that costs them customers. Customers have a monetary value. Users do not. That is the world view that is driving the current changes in Ubuntu. I don't like it. I think that Shuttleworth is very misguided in not putting the buttons back. It would make a lot of people very happy. It would give the illusion that he actually cares what we think. It would makes us all happy and give us a warm fuzzy feeling and we would stick around and generate revenue for Ubuntu. Pissed of users actually have a negative value because they generate negative advertising while not providing revenue. Pissed off users also do not provide free testing and free technical consultation. I don't think he understands that. Bob Pendleton > > Others, read this blog post to see a short version: > http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/2010/03/the-opposite-of-fitts-law.html > > -- > [Master] Window Control buttons: position/order/alignment > https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/532633 > You received this bug notification because you are a direct subscriber > of a duplicate bug. > > Status in “light-themes” package in Ubuntu: Won't Fix > Status in “metacity” package in Ubuntu: Invalid > > Bug description: > === Master Bug === > (As per the design team's request) > All bugs concerning the window controls are being duped to this master bug. > All the decisions regarding the position/order/alignment will be dealt as a > one. > > === Desire === > "Please centre the window title like in previous Human theme, and also > re-order the window controls in classic order, positioned on the right side > (menu - title - minimize, maximize close)." > > ==== Workaround ==== > 1. Only new themes, such as Ambiance and Radiance will have buttons on the > left by default. You can continue using old themes, such as Human, in Lucid > and those themes will continue to have buttons on the right side (according > to http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/577 ). It is even > possible to switch to Human theme and then 'Customize' it to use all the > elements from Radiance theme, but the button layout will stay on the right. > > 2. To revert to old layout, run in a terminal: > $ gconftool-2 --set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout --type string > "menu:minimize,maximize,close" > > ==== Return to defaults ==== > If you would like to return to the system/theme default then run: > $ gconftool-2 --unset /apps/metacity/general/button_layout > > ==== Responses ==== > Canonical Design Team Leader (Ivanka Majic) - 2010-03-10 and 2010-03-17 > http://www.ivankamajic.com/?p=281 ("Those pesky buttons") > http://podcast.ubuntu-uk.org/2010/03/17/s03e03-behind-the-screen/ (30-minute > interview starting at 39:10) > > Ubuntu SABDFL (Mark Shuttleworth) replies on this bug report - 2010-03-15 > onwards > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/110 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/167 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/179 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/202 to 204 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/218 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/248 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/272 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/388 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/410 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/426 to 427 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/469 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/503 > http://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/532633/comments/564 ("Final decree"; > close-min-max ordering) > > Canonical Ubuntu Community Leader (Jono Bacon) response - 2010-03-24 > http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/5683123 (6 minutes starting at 26:24) > > === Code of Conduct === > To maintain a respectful atmosphere, while commenting please follow the code > of conduct - http://www.ubuntu.com/community/conduct/ . > > > > To unsubscribe from this bug, go to: > https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/light-themes/+bug/532633/+subscribe > -- +----------------------------------------------------------- + Bob Pendleton: writer and programmer + email: b...@pendleton.com + web: www.TheGrumpyProgrammer.com -- [Master] Window Control buttons: position/order/alignment https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/532633 You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Bugs, which is subscribed to Ubuntu. -- ubuntu-bugs mailing list ubuntu-bugs@lists.ubuntu.com https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-bugs
