Ubuntu window buttons staying left, but will be switching order

By , Published April 1, 2010

Just a quick heads up €“ window controls in Ubuntu 10.04 WILL be staying on the left hand side but the button order will revert to Close, Minimize, Maximize.

Mark Shuttleworth issued the final verdict on the bug report for the €œissue€, ending with an excellent quote:

€œThe decision as to the window controls location and order itself is now final, and as they say in the old newspapers, no further correspondence will be entered into.€ ~ sabdfl

OMG! Poll

Since the button switchover we've had a poll open for you to have your say in where you'd prefer to see window buttons sit. With this evenings announcement this poll is now closed.

The final vote looked like this: -

  • Total Votes: 5,062

Which site would you prefer Lucid to have its window buttons:

graph

Article originally appeared on omgubuntu.co.uk

Related posts:

  1. Esfera €“ gesture-based replacement for right-hand side window borders
  2. Easy GUI Window Button Switcher for Lucid (and Karmic) users
  3. Poll: Do you want the Ubuntu window controls on the Left Or Right hand side?
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  • http://www.twitter.com/LoverBoyV LoverBoyV

    Good! this makes much more sense than the crap we’ve had…

    this order wont suck bullocks…

    • Anonymous

      i actually thot the old one was way better, try the order now and youll see that the close button is to shiny to be on the end its just ugly…. BTW IM GAY TOO YAY

  • Free_alucarD

    good fish

  • DoR

    They still have maximize and minimize ordered wrong. Not Invented Here FTL.

    • Anonymous

      They are going to be in the same order as OSX. I got so used to the new order that while at work today I kept hitting the green + and asking “Why won’t this window close?”

      • http://inmodernlight.wordpress.com/ Martin

        LOL

        I completely agree with the change, although I think they should put more effort into letting users change things – a new linux user should know immediately that what they see on their desktop is what they want to see, not what Mark thought was best, IMO.

        • http://www.hellocatfood.com/ Antonio

          Why not what Mark thought was best? Ubuntu is still highly configurable, but i think they just want to present a more complete out of the box experience and hope that people stick with it

          • DoR

            Because it’s supposed to be “Linux for Human Beings” not “Linux for Mark Shuttleworth”.
            Why raise the learning curve for Ubuntu?

          • http://orkutcidio.deliriocoletivo.org Peterson Espaçoporto

            Try to give Mark the benefit of the doubt. If he brings something amazing in 10.10, then the learning curve will be raised — but so will be the benefits.. Line. Or curve. Or something.

          • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/mark_c@markecurtis.com Merk

            Then wait for the amazing thing in 10.10 to move the buttons. As it stands, it just leaves the left side crowded and the right side empty.

          • Anonymous

            they want people to get the chance to get used to the difference. just like adding the messenging menu before it was really useful.

          • Anonymous

            really? because a big red X takes so long to learn?

          • daas88

            Dude I get the point but you could be a bit more polite in your replys… I’m suscribed via email to Disqus comments and I’ve seen a lot like this from you these days… chill out ;)

          • Anonymous

            not to be contrary, but could you be more specific? i just went and skimmed through the last week or so, and i really only see that i’m blunt and quick in reply, not impolite. i’m certainly not trying to be a bully.

          • daas88

            Well, I might have exaggerated. But I agree that blunt is the right word to describe your replys. I’m just saying, there’s no need of being so blunt^^

          • Anonymous

            ok. its not for any intent other then that I’m a student and just typing out quick replies in between classes and late at night. again, while i’m not trying for impoliteness, i’ll certainly give more thought for politeness.

          • DoR

            The “big red X” isn’t the issue here, it’s the order and side of window. People coming to ubuntu from windows or linux will be initially irritated by the fact that the buttons are on the left side and that the minimize and maximize order is reversed (with no tooltips btw). What is the benefit for being on the left side?

          • daas88

            It’s not so hard to get used to it, and as some people already said, anyone can just change the theme to another one with window controls on the right.
            But the developers should do something like this in gnome-appearance-properties so people know which themes have window controls on the left and which have them on the right: http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/6770/pantallazo03.jpg
            (I edited that with gimp, currently all the previews incorrectly show controls on the right)

          • Anonymous

            i agree. i’m really confused by how unhelpful those thumbnails currently are. custom profiles often do not have the correct preview.

          • Anonymous

            all I’m saying is that a big red X is universal for “close this” wherever it is. while there may be some slight reaction to learn, most people that can move reactionarily to the close window button are enough of power users to adjust quickly. Those like my mother, who looks to where she’s going, then at the cursor, and then moves to it, will be able to figure it out without any deficit. i think that a much more difficult thing would be making the default theme have unmarked buttons on the wrong side, or putting them on the bottom, or having only one button, or whatever. but just flipping sides? not such a horrible thing.

            initially irritated? i don’t know about that. the only people likely to be irritated by something as simple as which side the button are, again, more likely power users, who will either adjust quickly or change it. when i switched to ubuntu there were things that irritated me about the default settings, and within about an hour of my first experience, all ‘irritants’ were changed and gone. now, i wished for changes, but there was nothing that irritated or made me want to not use it.

            i personally have been using lucid for a few days, and was used to both left hand side placement, and actually the reordering, within a day. i actually used the buttons far more often then i did previously, instead of the keyboard shortcuts i have. now that the official order is changed, i might honestly switch it back to max, min, close:menu.

  • Wizard

    hmm… identical to osx. accepted.

    • Anonymous

      you preferred identical to xp? or were you just noting?

  • nomono

    Way to hell…
    I can imagine explaining my aunt why the buttons aren’t where she’s used to, telling friends who experiment w/ GNU/Linux that they can change it… etc. etc.
    I’d say at least every second GNU/Linux user is forced to se Windows every day at work. There’s nothing they can do about it… To have different experience at home at work is just too confusing and I can imagine those people switching to Windows at home, because they cannot do the opposite thing at work…
    We need to create a award for the most stupid decision in the world of free software. This is on of the hottest candidates.

    (PS: Nice new website design.)

    • mmiicc

      C’mon. You can just CHANGE THEME to Human for example and buttons will be on the RIGHT side. It’s not rocket science.

      • nomono

        That’s no valid argument… There’s NO reason for switching the buttons to the other side.
        The indicator-applet which has also closes the current session (turns off the computer) is on the RIGHT side in Ubuntu. Firefox’ and Nautilus’ tabs’ closing buttons are on the RIGHT side (plus all the other apps w/ tabs, like Terminal. Openoffice has the cross button to close the current document on the RIGHT side.
        I could continue w/ buttons to erase search boxes etc., but anyways – all those apps are in Ubuntu by default! Are they gonna switch it too? This inconsistency is just pain in the ass…

        • Anonymous

          no, theyre is an argument, its called “aesthetics” oh and btw these windows buttons have increased my workflow a whole lot (application menu is on the left, apps in panel start at the left etc..) see on the right my most unused thing is there. the power button and well… i like the me menu alot its just i usually change my status right from an app… ya know?

    • Anonymous

      because everyone knows that if you’re using linux you’re afraid of change.

      • nomono

        What change do you mean? I know many people who’d already bought a computer with GNU/Linux so it was no change for them. They usually have the last Ubuntu LTS release (8.04) and since its support ends in few month, they will be forced to upgrade.
        And btw – every time new Ubuntu comes out, I need to reinstall the whole thing, because the regular upgrade just screws up the installation (and my friends usually have the same issues). I don’t have illusions about those GNU/Linux newbies (who’d bought it with the computer) backing up their prefs properly, so they will most likely face the problems with the new theme.

        But anyways… What argument is that? What is the reason for this change?? and what reason do I have for one half of the day using the original layout at work and the other one lather at home?

        • Anonymous

          the change i meant was the very idea of using ubuntu. if someone is using linux, then change is obviously not something they are afraid of. there is already so much different about it. if someone is able to use ubuntu, then they can handle getting used to the difference of window buttons.

          yes, maybe they bought a linux computer, but they’re still used to windows. other wise the left hand buttons would cause no issue. i always do a clean install. so what? just change the theme to any of the other ones, like Human, which is what they would be used to anyway. why the fuss? change it back and don’t worry about it. meanwhile, i can totally understand Ubuntu aiming at the OSX look but with actual flexibility and customization options.

          • nomono

            You didn’t get it…
            I know many older people who weren’t used to Windows, actually they are just glad they’ve got used to computer in general in those two years.
            Then I know people who do not wanna care about their computers at home so they installed (or let someone around them install it) Ubuntu on their computer or netbook. Both of these groups have no idea how to switch the theme and I can’t blame them -> Ubuntu should be for people, for NORMAL users, not just for fans who shout ‘hurray’ when an icon changes.
            Release of Vista was an important reason why many people switched to Ubuntu (and GNU/Linux in general) – because they’ve changed the experience and didn’t ask users. It was another change for no reason, just to change something for a new release.

            Plus I believe that using Ubuntu isn’t a matter of change anymore: you connect a printer and it works, you connect a 3g modem and it just works. You’d have to set up tun of things on Windows and it just works here. So why should the users bother with setting up a theme just because the holy Mark told them?

          • Anonymous

            system. preferences. appearance. click one of choice. done.

        • Anonymous

          “They usually have the last Ubuntu LTS release (8.04) and since its support ends in few month, they will be forced to upgrade.”

          Actually, with the Long Term Support (LTS) version you get 3 years support on Ubuntu Desktop, and 5 years on Ubuntu Server.[from ubuntu site]

          • nomono

            You’re right, my bad.

    • Anonymous

      Actually, I use multiple keyboard layouts.. (Dvorak at home, QWERTY everywhere else)
      You CAN get used to multiple things at the same time ;)

  • http://drgalvan.blogspot.com/ Leolas

    that’s a pity, I really liked it how it was before: maximize, minimize, close.
    Somehow, I found it very natural

    • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

      Ditto! I had really gotten used to it…

      • Anonymous

        i sent u this in the contact me page, but it kept saying “Failed,Feel free to try again” GRRRR

        • http://omgubuntu.co.uk/ d0od

          I’ve planted a timed explosive in the contact page… it should blow up any time soon.

          #@!?!! >_<

          (Thanks for trying to send it anyway though!)

      • w1ngnutz

        me too. Since the 1st announcement I’ve forced myself using it on the left. Am used to it right now.

      • Anonymous

        i just wish they would at least give a simple way to customize this option, such as the themes tab under appearance window…

    • Paul Kenny

      Just use Ubuntu Tweak, you can change it from left to right and the order they’re in :)

      • Anonymous

        But does it break the theme? Some themes (like the Lucid default) will break (aesthetically) if you change the button order.

        • badhat

          I was wondering the same thing… I have an old theme that I’ve been using for awhile and I was going to try to shift it’s controls to the left, but that removes the custom control buttons :(

        • badhat

          I was wondering the same thing… I have an old theme that I’ve been using for awhile and I was going to try to shift it’s controls to the left, but that removes the custom control buttons :(

    • That guy

      I know I’ll be changing this.

  • http://blastfromthepast.se/ Tommy Brunn

    It’s kind of silly of the sabdfl to go: “This is how it’s going to be, and we’re not going to discuss it”. Discussion is how you come up with new solutions and reason for or against them. Shutting your ears to other people’s arguments is just counter-productive.

    Still, I think this makes more sense this way than the way it was before – even if I still don’t see the benefit of moving the buttons in the first place. I guess I’ll see how it feels when I update my laptop to lucid (I’ve only been running it in a VM before, and that doesn’t really count).

    • Anonymous

      This kind of vision and leadership is what’s right for Ubuntu. Spending ages bickering about where the icons should be is the sort of thing that stops Linux becoming mainstream. Mark Shuttleworth realises this and is making an OS for the great unwashed, rather than the Linux fans among us. It’s right for Ubuntu.

      If on the other hand you like the community side that is associated with (but not intrinsically linked with) Linux then there’s plenty of other districutions to choose from.

      I know which I’d rather have. And it’s not someone who calls themself a dictator, even if he is benevolent.

    • http://encephalosponge.com/ Jonathan Blackhall

      Actually in this case it’s not silly. There have been thousands of opinions waged in the bug report and elsewhere about the buttons position and order. There has been plenty of discussion, so what he should’ve said is “we’re not going to discuss it any more (this round)”. Ultimately, someone needs to make a final decision and end all the opining, and Mark one of the people able to do it (although I’m quite sure he has backing from some people on the design team).

      • http://blastfromthepast.se/ Tommy Brunn

        Sure, I see what you’re saying. The UI freeze has already hit over a week ago, at which point they should already have made the final decision regarding the order and placement of the window controls, so of course someone had to make a decision at some point. It just sounds like he’s saying: “This is it. I don’t give a shit what anybody else thinks. This is what I want to do, and this is what we’re doing.” rather than: “At this point we have decided to go with this placement and order for Lucid. The user data we will get from this will be analyzed and for Lucid+1 we will make a new decision based on that data and the feedback we will get”. I personally find that the second of the two approaches would be more constructive and seem less “childish”.

    • daas88

      I think Mark is just tired about discussions about that subject…

      • Anonymous

        i agree. many people are arguing and complaining without even trying the new layout.

        my only qualm is chrome still right hand aligned.

        • Anonymous

          Yes, this actually bugs me a bit too. I haven’t encountered any problems with the new button layout, in fact I quite like it, but Chrome having its buttons on the right do skew things a bit. :)

  • http://twitter.com/Nickedynick Nick Stringer

    Well that’s that sorted then! Maybe now we can start being positive about Lucid again :)

  • http://twitter.com/Victor9098 Keith Drummond

    A step in the right direction, but was there any point in this if they do not balance out the right side with one of new ‘proposed’ buttons/tools. Seems pointless confusing the LTS users for a blank space.

  • http://photoathypica.tumblr.com/ pedribeiro

    I still don’t understand why is this an issue.
    I don’t see any Linux distro stealing real marketshare from Microsoft. People start using it out of curiosity and they stick with it for being different. The same they already had.
    So I don’t think migrating users will have that much of a trouble nor will they stop using Ubuntu because the buttons are switched to the other side. Specially when the buttons are well designed and clearly show their function.
    Power users, who are still not convinced, know this is a feature and know how to change it.
    Like every other thing in Linux and opensource community in general, the so called problem is well documented and it’s an easy fix for everyone around.

    • No_Asylum

      Obviously you dont understand how the average human mind works. This has already caused near mass hysteria among the Alpha and Beta Testers, who make up a fraction of the people who use Ubuntu. Once the final version is released and the remaining 95% of users get their hands on it, it will only get worse.

      Never has a worse decision been made.

      • cgable

        Hysteria is just hysteria. Life goes on afterwards.

      • Anonymous

        This is the worst decision ever made, in the whole of the Linux/Ubuntu community? Isn’t that kind of a gross overstatement?

        • Anonymous

          i agree. there have been many many many worse mistakes.

      • http://photoathypica.tumblr.com/ pedribeiro

        What I do think is that this is just a tiny detail. Something with an easy fix or something you can learn and adopt pretty quickly.
        A worst decision for me is removing the tooltips when hoovering the buttons in the notification area for example.

  • Anonymous

    I guess it’s a compromise. Yeah I know, he didn’t *have* to compromise, but what was the point of the “research” like for example http://tinyurl.com/yfsntdq and http://tinyurl.com/ykbtwy9 if most of the comments and feedback are still going to be ignored? Whatever, I’ll be changing it for myself and making clear for client installs that it can be changed.

  • http://www.FreezingMoon.org/ Dread Knight

    It’s all good with me; forced myself into learning linux and blender so something small like that only takes a few minutes to get used to.

  • daas88

    That’s good news! i think it makes more sense, as the maximize button is the less used (’cause it’s easier to double click).

    Joey, I love the new website layout but i have 2 observations:
    First, in applications you should make a category for multimedia apps like GMP, banshee, openshot and the like^^
    And 2nd, some of the images in the “Home” doesn’t look too good, just take a look at this screenshot http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/6770/pantallazo03.jpg

    • Anonymous

      yeah, the bound resolutions on the image thumbnails are wonky.

  • Anonymous

    Poll? I never liked polls! It’s mostly corrupted and manipulated. The true poll is the real life and time. When peoples get accustomed with the change, found a profit in this change or they simply see that not everything has to be still the same. Make this poll in one, two years and the results are different. ,)

  • ubi-dubi

    Hey everyone see this Ubuntu wallpaper, is so perfect !, http://pr09studio.deviantart.com/art/Light-Wallpaper-Pack-157730341 it looks very elegant

  • MLC

    Just go to one of your old themes and suddenly it’s back to normal. I’m sure there will be plenty of “Ambience on the Right” themes out there in a few months, so really, there is NOTHING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT. I kinda’ like it where it was, though. :C

  • Anonymous

    It just occurred to me that this must be an April Fool’s Day joke :)

  • Kent

    I still like all the buttons on the right in the normal order… I’ve grown up using that and I’m stubborn. Enough debating, just choose a default already and make a damn option to make it whatever you please.

  • Praveen

    and as they say in the internet of today…. EPIC FAIL!
    i think this is such a big mistake that canonical will change it back by lucid+1. who wants to take bets?

  • http://geekninja.blogspot.com/ AW

    This will end up being reverted eventually, so I’m not too concerned. Probably the next release after Lucid.

    I recently pointed out to a proponent of the “But Mac OS X does it!” argument that you need to take into consideration the Mac OS X window chrome design. There is one very important different between it and Linux, and Windows: the placement of the menu bar.

    In OS X, the menu bar is at the top of the screen, well away from the actual window chrome. In place of it, applications have a considerable gap between the any usable UI buttons in the app and the window title bar, making misclicks very unlikely to happen.

    However, Linux contains the menu bar right below the window titlebar, with little to no pixel space between the two. Considering the size of the mouse pointer and the size of the menus (unless you’re using a huge font), it’s more likely that you’ll miss the mark and hit the window titlebar.

    People will miss. People will complain. Everyone else in Linux-Land is going to keep the window control buttons on the right. Ubuntu will eventually cave to the pressure of conformity + annoyed users and switch.

    Then, 1000s of years from now, alien archaeologists who are picking over the remains of our broken society will wonder what an “Ubuntu” is and why there’s nothing left of humanity but naked zombies gently caressing the last human brain, encased in a jar of formaldehyde with a glossy finish, with reverence and love.

  • Anonymous

    Oh no! I adored the button layout.
    I’m Depressseeeddddddd!!!!
    hahaha, nah, i just loved the fact that it was diffrent to both MS AND MAC….
    Besides, the fact that no one was used to it was like saying “This is diffrent, don’t expect the same”. I thought it would make people more understanding that the experience of this OS didn’t have to be the SAME as in MS or Mac just to be awsome.
    There are a lot of those folks out there…

  • Anonymous

    Hahaha! Victoly!

  • Chad

    Glad to see the reordering if they’re keeping the left side. Fitts says the mot used button (close) should be the easiest of the three to target. The new order is in line with what the Mac OS does, and the’yre pretty thorough with their UI rationale…

  • rgz

    What’s the deal? I’ll tell what’s the deal.

    Love in the the attention to detail. A husband can bring a paychek every month but he’ll upset his wife if he forgets her birthday.

    dood of all people should understand this. Doesn’t he write a post about every itty-bitty change in the GUI? Would you even notice things like the new battery icon without comparing them side by side?

    Yes, you can configure it back, yes, you can force yourself to get used to it. But why? This is unnecessary pain that Mark is introducing for no good reason.

    Or maybe just “apparently” no good reasons, but in PR perception is all.

    This is like a husband saying, “Look, I pay for your meals so shut up, if I say I’m not taking note of your birthday anymore that’s it, you can get used to it, heck! you can go out and buy yourself a gift gee! just shut up already”.

    And don’t deceive yourself, nobody wants this change, not even that 20%, how can I tell this? Because in all the discussion that has arose no one ever uttered this simple thought “At least! That’s how I always wanted them!”

    That 20% is made of, pardon the expression, fanboys. They never wanted this button order or they would already have changed it, it was only Mark said, this is how it is going to be, that suddenly you liked it, some of you even admit that you *made* yourselves like it.

    Battered wife syndrome I call it.

    What’s the deal? The deal is that over 80% of the hardcore, early adopter, data risking beta and alpha testers feel suddenly betrayed.

    The deal is loss of loyalty. I’m not going to stop recommending Ubuntu just yet, but I lose all interest in getting those Ubuntu stickers. In fact there is a 50% chance that my next system will be Mint, a month ago that was 0% chance, not because Ubuntu has got anything that Mint doesn’t but because of brand loyalty alone.

    That’s the deal.

    Perhaps this is already happening, looking at distro watch right now we see Ubuntu losed some mindshare to Mint already, and that’s *before* Lynx hits RC, wanna bet this trend will only increase over the next year?
    1 Ubuntu 2385<
    2 Fedora 1742

    • Mirek2

      “This is unnecessary pain that Mark is introducing for no good reason.”
      Actually, for pretty good reasons. The right side of the window is supposed to gain extra functionality, which is always nice and exciting. I think people are making a mountain out of a molehill here: I know people who have switched from Windows to Mac OS X and vice versa, and they hardly even noticed the placement of the window buttons.
      Trust me, they wouldn’t be doing it for no good reason if it was this controversial.
      “nobody wants this change, not even that 20%”
      Actually, I wasn’t even in that 20% back then and now I want this change. Not because I think the window buttons are so much better on the left — I could care less if they’re on the left or on the right — but because I’m looking forward to seeing what innovation the right side will bring.
      But, come on, this is a relatively minor change, fixed easily just by switching the theme. That’s not something to leave Ubuntu over. And they’re really not doing this to make their users angry, they’re doing this because they know this is best for Ubuntu. Innovation’s always good, although, sure, it requires some getting used to…

      • Anonymous

        The left side could also gain the extra functionality , in fact it had it already … a menu button … i realy don`t like this change :( but i havent found a better distro yet ,

        as for people that move from windows to mac … wheal i would notice eather if I paid all that money and also i didn`t care about that placement if i wanted to move at al … but i never wanted to move to Mac
        I think windows users should be the main audiace for ubuntu because they would be much easier to convert.
        But ubuntu isn`t a democracy wich is fine with me as long as it will be the best free distro

        • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/R25APX2NWD4262MDEYS2BWWEZU Mikolaj

          If you haven’t found a better distro than try Linux Mint – it is really what Ubuntu should be…

          • Anonymous

            I tried it before ubuntu 9.10 came out and i had problems installing it i might give it a try again soon

          • Anonymous

            I’m curious as to what this mean. What is it that ubuntu ‘should’ be?

          • Anonymous

            in short
            linux mint is alot like windows and geared more towards windows users
            and i honestly don think thats what ubuntu should be (it also has mp3 support by default etc…)

      • http://cldx.blogspot.com/ Joern Konopka

        Just to back up the “Hardly even noticed the placement..”, thats totally right, i got used to the new Buttons by the end of the Day .

        Personally i barely use the Buttons at all, for switching the Windows i have AltTab and (Compiz)Expo for the BottomRight Corner. For closing i either hit Ctrl+Q or good ol Alt+F4 and for maximizing (if neccesary) i double click the Window Decorations or drag the window back to “normal” Size fromt there as well. So bring on the Workflow Widgets already, and yeah, id prefer them on the right side.

        You know what would be cool? I don’t know if its possible with the Windows we use nowadays but what if everybody could just drag the Controls (or whatever is gonna end up there) to the Position he prefers like Firefox does with its Toolbar. It could have an editable default setup and every User would have the option to use special Setups for certain Windows (like completely remove the Buttons from e.g. the Buddy List and just open/close from the Systray), it wouldn’t mean the functionality is dead, you just wouldn’t see some of the Buttons and could conveniently put them back in or add other Window-specific “Widgets” like you can do with the Panel.

        • Anonymous

          wheal then i gues we don`t need the windows list in the pannel or dockbar x because we have alt tab.
          i like the buttons on the right because they are above the scrol bar verry close to where my mouse usually is … sure we will get used to them on the left but the real reason they moved them to the left is that they wanted ubuntu to look original but it just copied Mac .. please show me another desktop enviroment that has them on the left and the i`l take this back. they could of done something realy interesting and give us the full package all at once not just a bit of copy from mac and a promise of future originality. i use ubuntu because it was original not like windows neither like mac and not because it`s free .. if i wanted windows 7 i just get it from the torrents and that is it .

      • rgz

        I know they are not really doing this to make their users angry, but that’s what happened and his response was “well, bite it”. That alone will have far worse repercussions that the buttons themselves.

        @pedribeiro They’re just window buttons… not marital problems.
        Wouldn’t know, I was pretty much married to Ubuntu a month ago

        Like I said. It’s about the little details. Doesn’t dood take notice of even just some shaven pixels arounds some icons? Why should I care about the new install button or the new battery button or the color of the tie of the apparences icon, when changing the theme is the first thing I’m going to do even on LiveCDs from now on?

        No, this isn’t a reason to leave Ubuntu, but it does spoil all the effort they’ve been taking into making it the most smooth, polished and confortable distro among all.

      • Yfrwlf

        It isn’t a huge deal, but it is a bit odd and users switching from Windows might find it annoying, but they might like it too, dunno. I just had to agree though with the silly “the right side is going to be for something special” point though as I said it before, that’s just a copout. You can most certainly use the left side like you would the right, I don’t see a difference, you’re just swapping things around.

        Even if I disagree with that excuse, I still think the left side makes more sense, and I was one of the few voters for the left side, and the reason is because it’s close to the menus where your mouse is going to be more ofthen than not.

        I still think it makes more sense to have the close button by itself on the right though so you don’t accidentally hit it, because now the left side is becoming a bit cluttered.

    • http://photoathypica.tumblr.com/ pedribeiro

      They’re just window buttons… not marital problems.

    • Anonymous

      I have never seen a small issue get blown so out of proportion haha. They are window buttons. What is the big deal? People can adapt completely painlessly. You are comparing moving the window buttons to the right to abusing your wife? A better comparison would be maybe switching cars with your wife.

      It is pretty absurd that this has almost pushed you to the brink of no longer using Ubuntu. You think Ubuntu is no longer loyal to its users because they simply moved the window buttons to the other side of the screen? It is one change. I wasn’t ever against it, but now that I’ve used it for a week or so there is no problem with it.

      This decision hasn’t hurt anyone personally, or in any manner, so I don’t see why it is so hard to respect.

  • Anonymous

    I can see the whiners and crybabies are in full force. May god help you.

  • http://profiles.yahoo.com/u/27K3RKLZDU25XWU7DCEH4B4QBI Ernesto

    I was amazed at all the drama behind this new button layout. Too many ppl shouting community and believing their opinion actually counts when in reality canonical can do whatever they want with ubuntu and nobody gets to say otherwise, since we are not really financially supporting this.

    At the end of the day is all about who is paying for the development of ubuntu. I fail to see why many ppl just dont get this…

  • http://wakoopa.com/xfact XFACT

    I love the left side button, it’s new change, but Right lovers still can use right side buttons by Ubuntu tweak or choosing different theme. Fair deal without any debate :)

  • http://www.facebook.com/ultysagar SAM

    Well familiar people know the solution for this but imagine about newbies who doesn’t even know changing theme would revert buttons to right.Those people will be having real pain.I am against this.

  • Mirek2

    Looking back at that poll, I would’ve now voted to have them on the left, now that I know the right hand side was freed for extra functionality.
    I’m glad they put the close button back in the corner. That was the only thing bothering me about this…

  • lxy

    buttons on the left are the new brown

    • Anonymous

      I knew we needed something to hate, now that everyone is praising the new theme. This must be deliberate so that when someone complains about the button placement they can say “well, that’s the worst thing you’ll have to deal with in Ubuntu, the rest rocks.”

  • http://twitter.com/Nickedynick Nick Stringer

    I’d like to point out that since I voted I’ve changed my mind – it’s not the end of the world at all, I like them on the left now.

    I still have an issue with the way in which it was revealed though.

  • http://twitter.com/bonzi200x sajith kalathingal

    As long as there are buttons I’m happy :D

  • Anonymous

    Windows had Bill Gates..mac had Steve Jobs…ubuntu has Mark Shuttleworth PEOPLE! dun make a REVOLUTION into a ‘meritocracy’

  • Anonymous

    why dun dey replace da bottom panel with docky? make da default theme a lot more sexier dan purple or brown? make da pointers look like KDE? there is so much more tat needs attention..leave da buttons to where people want them!

    • Anonymous

      You could perhaps use KDE?

      • Anonymous

        Never found Kubuntu as impressive…except for the eyecandy!

      • Anonymous

        Never found Kubuntu as impressive…except for the eyecandy!

  • Anonymous

    i would like to say that i change my mind in this matter i like it to left more now
    it make more sense and it is for greater good
    i have only problem in first day then i get used to it

  • Anonymous

    Actually, guys, it matters a *ton* if the operating system is the ugliest in existence.
    I think Human was perfect. Why did this horrible “Light” theme have to replace it?

    • rgz

      Actually me two. Karmic’s Human was the first and only default theme that actually amazed me, it took a month before I thought about just changing the wallpaper. The new light theme is just ugly and inconsistent, it’s purple AND beige AND orange AND STILL brown! And gray if you add the “dark” theme.

      But now that changing themes became an usability issue that doesn’t matter much I guess, fixing the window buttons takes the ugliness away anyway.

  • Anonymous

    I dunno. I was really against the new layout, but I got used to it really quickly. Also considering GNOME Shell is due for 10.10, If you’ve used GNOME Shell everything happens top left of the screen. Maybe that is a reason for the change?

    • Anonymous

      Marks implied this in a few statements.

  • Anonymous

    I’m late, but I was at my vacation!

    So…

    Here we go again!

  • Anonymous

    From what I hear, this change seems entirely for the purpose of allowing more buttons to be put on the window. Honestly, I could do without the close button, and, if I remembered the shortcuts, I could do without the minimize and maximize buttons too…further yet, I could get rid of the top of the window…just a small border around the whole thing. ALT+clicking has become intuitive to me to the point where I sometimes use it in Windows.

    Really, I do not need more buttons. I think it’d be a greater step forward to eliminate the buttons, and perhaps even the top bar.

    Undeniably, this could mean greater alienation for new users, but I think it might be worth it.

  • Anonymous

    That is a bit of an odd layout though. I dunno, it just always seemed to me that if there were two arrow buttons next to each other the first one should be pointing up – given the style of these buttons, having minimize before maximize would be a down arrow followed by an up arrow. Just seems off to me.

  • Mr L0l

    Ok, first of all why matter on the button side at all ?

    And since this info is still new to me, is there an option to invert it back to right-side ?

  • saraithegeek

    Wow, guys, really? So, switch themes. The default theme is always butt ugly anyway, if you’re so upset about it it takes all of five minutes to download a new theme and install it.
    As for the “waaaah, Mark Shuttleworth is a tyrant,” etc comments. Well, yeah, he’s a corporate tool. If you don’t like it, use something else.
    Lastly, Ubuntu is a beginner distro, people use it because it makes all the decisions for them. Don’t complain that it’s not configurable enough, because that’s the whole point of it. Use Arch if this bugs you- that’s what I did and I’m all the better for it. My windows don’t have any buttons, but if I wanted they could have tons, in any order, on any side of the window.
    But I guess people would rather do this: http://xkcd.com/546/

  • http://blog.linuxoss.com/ E@zyVG

    What’s the BIG FUSS …. you guys are forgetting that this is LINUX … make it work the way YOU want it … we can have the buttons re-ordered our way …. Mark wants it on the left, so what. You want it on the right, then place it there … do search and you will find how, it is easy for newbies as well.

    As per me, I’ll leave it the way it is, and if I find it little uncomfortable, as I am on KDE/openSUSE on desktop (Ubuntu on subnotebook), I’ll simply switch’em.

  • guest

    Mark Shuttleworth is an idiot…. it will only make things even MORE confusing to potential new users..

    YES a slight “insignificant” change will scare newcomers away and has already

  • guest

    Mark Shuttleworth is an idiot…. it will only make things even MORE confusing to potential new users..

    YES a slight “insignificant” change will scare newcomers away and has already

  • Wtf

    Are you fucking kidding me? Why in the Hell would you put the close, minimize and maximize buttons to the left? What are we doing, becoming MAC users? Idiots!!!

    If you’re right-handed, it’s more natural to go to the right-hand side of the window. Why not at least give us the option to put these buttons on the left or right? Holy crap!! We’ve taken a HUGE step backwards.

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_X7GWR6KGONX5RJ2XDJKDYWYLSM Sailor.in.Florida

    Hay Shuttleworth,
    Get a life.  Microsoft
    moves things for not good reason which is exactly what you are doing. When
    you change an interface for NO redeeming social value, you must have
    nothing else productive to do with your time.
    While this seems like a
    simple thing It is certainly enough for me to move off Ubuntu to
    another more mature Linux Distro.

    see ya