Launcher reveal sensitivity can not be set to a high enough level

Bug #930555 reported by Chris
20
This bug affects 4 people
Affects Status Importance Assigned to Milestone
unity (Ubuntu)
Confirmed
Undecided
Unassigned

Bug Description

Background:
-----------------
Now that the launcher dodge feature has been removed and the launcher default set to "never hide" the launcher will overlay full screen applications. Most new and experienced users will want to change the behaviour to "always hide" when they discover this. On the same tab in gnome-control-center (Appearance --> Behaviour) they will see the slider setting for reveal sensitivity. It would be expected that the user would try changing this to find the setting that works best for them.

Expected behaviour:
----------------------------
Setting the slider from extreme left to right should vary the sensitivity from almost dead to a hair trigger. This might be considered reasonable since some users will want the launcher to stay hidden at all costs when they don't want it, and others will want it to show up as soon as the pointer touches the left edge of the screen.

An example of someone who does not want the launcher to reveal easily would be someone editing photographs. They may spend a lot of time working on the left edge of a photograph or have a tool bar on the left, and may want the sensitivity set very low so that the launcher does not appear when it's not wanted.

An example of someone who wants the launcher to appear very easily would be a person using a netbook with a touchpad. They may want the launcher to appear as soon as they move the pointer to the left, minimising the effort required to switch to or launch other applications.

Actual behaviour:
------------------------
Currently setting the slider fully to the left causes the launcher to not appear at all. Even if the mouse is moved rapidly and for some distance across the table the launcher does not reveal. This is not too objectionable, since some users may actually want to disable the launcher except for keyboard controls.

Setting the slider a bit further to the right causes the launcher to reveal after the mouse has been moved a further 20mm against the edge. this is also reasonable since it takes a deliberate effort to do this.

Setting the slider to the 'default' position gives a reasonable sensitivity requiring the mouse to be moved about 10mm for the launcher to reveal.

Moving the slider even further to the right however does not appear to increase the sensitivity by any appreciable degree. Even putting the slider on the far right position requires a movement of the mouse (or touchpad) of 10mm or very close to this amount.

Suggested improvement to the reveal sensitivity:
-------------------------------------------------------------
Change the degree of maximum sensitivity so that the launcher can be made to appear very easily when the pointer is moved to the left edge of the screen. The default behaviour of the launcher reveal when the dodge feature was enabled was almost ideal in as much as the launcher hardly ever showed up when it was not needed, and yet it appeared very quickly when the pointer was moved to the left edge of the screen. This made using the Launcher on a netbook with only a touchpad very easy and a pleasant experience. With the current maximum setting there is a noticeable delay when trying to get to the launcher to reveal itself.

Chris
(edited to fix typos)

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 12.04
Package: gnome-control-center 1:3.2.2-2ubuntu7
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.2.0-15.24-generic 3.2.5
Uname: Linux 3.2.0-15-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 1.91-0ubuntu1
Architecture: i386
Date: Sat Feb 11 17:14:25 2012
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 12.04 LTS "Precise Pangolin" - Alpha i386 (20111129.1)
SourcePackage: gnome-control-center
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to precise on 2012-01-06 (35 days ago)
usr_lib_gnome-control-center:
 deja-dup 21.2-0ubuntu4
 gnome-bluetooth 3.2.2-0ubuntu1
 indicator-datetime 0.3.1-0ubuntu5

Revision history for this message
Chris (fabricator4) wrote :
Chris (fabricator4)
description: updated
Revision history for this message
John McCown (candj01-att) wrote :

I have this problem too. 12.04 Ubuntu 64 bit. Fresh install.

Revision history for this message
Sebastien Bacher (seb128) wrote :

the behaviour and range is coming from unity

affects: gnome-control-center (Ubuntu) → unity (Ubuntu)
Revision history for this message
Omer Akram (om26er) wrote :

I have tried real hard with my laptop, even plugged and external mous but when the sensitivity is set to low I don't see there is a little chance one could falsely reveal the launcher. even if someone is editing a photo and have the toolbar at the left of the screen he can't possibly have a false launcher reveal.. (this is my testing that I just performed on my laptop with both the touchpad and the external mouse.

Revision history for this message
Chris (fabricator4) wrote :

Omer Akram wrote:
>I have tried real hard with my laptop, even plugged and external
>mous but when the sensitivity is set to low I don't see there is a
>little chance one could falsely reveal the launcher. even if
>someone is editing a photo and have the toolbar at the left of
>the screen he can't possibly have a false launcher reveal..

That's not what this bug is about.

Chris

Revision history for this message
Launchpad Janitor (janitor) wrote :

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

Changed in unity (Ubuntu):
status: New → Confirmed
Revision history for this message
Carlos Eduardo V. O. Cruz (cevocruz) wrote :

Same here.
The slider for setting the behavior "Reveal sensitivity" of the Launcher, even when at the most high (quite right) does not make the feature sinsitive enough.
You still have to force the mouse more than natural so the Launcher shows up.

Revision history for this message
random_ubuntu_user (random.ubuntu.user) wrote :

This also affects me. It's darn right counter productive to try and force the launcher to show. Ubuntu, what are you doing? Where are you heading? Can you please fix this bug?

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