Window buttons shift order (again)

By , Published April 15, 2010

Updates to Ubuntu 10.04 today shifted the window button order back to that of the Lucid alphas with the close button being placed on the inside and maximize on the outside.

image

Edit: It seems that this ‘update’ is actually an error caused by a package shipping incorrect gconf keys. All should be as it once was in a a few hours – phew!

Special thanks to Paul

Article originally appeared on omgubuntu.co.uk

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  • http://seifsallam.co.cc/ Seif Sallam

    I wish they don’t change it again

  • Anonymous

    Good stuff.

  • Anonymous

    onoz :/

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

    “This update is likely due in part to a growing number of users accidentally closing open applications and windows when trying to ‘grab’ the edge of the window”

    I hope that’s not the reasoning. People weren’t accidentally closing the application when trying to grab the edge of the window when CLOSE was in the right hand corner

    • sirius

      Not true… I have never accidentally closed a window when trying to move it w/ buttons on the right side. Everyone knows that the right side is meant for closing/ending/stoping/erasing etc… See indicator-applet, OpenOffice, FF tabs, Totem sidepanel, Gwibber, search field, Guayadeque columns, Gimp windows………… Who the heck would drag the window there? It is the least convenient place to do that. (I’m not even talking about the alt button :) )

  • http://twitter.com/Herr_Gabriel Gabriel Shahzad

    At least we still hold the power over gconf-editor to change the order as we please…

  • godhika

    I think you were to fast on this one: From the latest changelog (0.1.6.5) : “Fixing incorrect gconf settings for button layout” 24 minutes ago

  • Anonymous

    I noticed earlier today and couldnt find anyone else saying theres changed. so i thought it just happened to mine lol i prefered it this way anyway !!! so many people liked it this way so hopefully they listened to us :)

  • http://wakoopa.com/xfact XFACT

    Come on, previous one was better!

  • anonimo

    No, why again….? The previous one was more logical.

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

    Oh for fuck’s sake!

    • http://twitter.com/_Vos_ daniel

      my sentiments exactly!

  • Anonymous

    Ow… what a confusion they are making with something that doesn’t need to be touched…

  • http://blog.dieresys.com.ar dieresys

    Grrrrrrrrrr, I don’t care right or left, but switching of minimize and maximize buttons really piss me off :@, and they are doing it again!

  • https://launchpad.net/~kklimonda Krzysztof Klimonda

    It actually sounds like this bug https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/light-themes/+bug/563925 and not the actual design decision.

  • http://blastfromthepast.se/ Tommy Brunn

    Oh for crying out loud!

  • yzarc

    maybe they’ll out a confirmation to close windows. “do you really wanna close or you miss-click again dude? “

    • http://rgzblog.blogspot.com rgz

      perl -e ‘use List::Util shuffle;$_=join “,”, shuffle qw(menu : minimize maximize close);s/,?:,?/:/;system “gconftool-2 –set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout $_ –type string”‘

  • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/daenuprobst Dänu

    let’s make dropdown windows open upwards… just to be different.

    oh come on

  • manny

    better i think gotta try it

  • Thatguy

    Good for me I guess

  • Mirek2

    Sigh. I liked it better the way it was.

  • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/daenuprobst Dänu

    eer.. what will happen to chrome windows? so.. my emesene window would have the buttons on the left side, but chrome still on the right.. right?

    • Anonymous
    • Anonymous

      You just have to use the system borders for chrome instead of thiers. There are also themes to make it blend in very nicely.

      There is the radiance:
      https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/nhcggnkgnnjofaalfnbdfhkejpjolbce

      and the ambiance:
      https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/elnmibmpefhmfgphdphdncoogpbfmlbp

      There is also an extension if you want the scroll bar to match, although this is probably of less importance to you.
      https://chrome.google.com/extensions/detail/mikdfeaeaecoffpjoodiihgejnbfigln

      • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/daenuprobst Dänu

        Yeah, I know how to do it :-) but does the average user? thats what ubuntu is all about right? ubuntu should be open for developers yet easy to use – this means standards, standards, standards.. I know it’s only a GUI thing, but still a step in the wrong direction. if i would want to be different (pay the price for it though) and get kicked in my developer ass, i just go out and use osx…

        • Anonymous

          Well I think if the average user is savvy enough to switch from firefox to chrome they can figure out how to install a theme for it. It would be much different, like youre saying, if chrome was the default and there was this terrible miss match.

          • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/daenuprobst Dänu

            Hmm, I’m not only thinking of Chrome, what about web applications? And again, someone who uses Ubuntu was using Windows before (or.. is using Windows as well) and not OSX, so i think every user is used to have the buttons no the top right. The other thing is, OSX does not use the menu bar (file, edit, etc), last time I used it, there was this top thingy, thats always above the window buttons (close, maximize/minimize, etc)… but if the menu is left.. and the buttons are left, that just doesnt look right.. theres this whole empty area on the right.. doesnt look right at all.

          • Anonymous

            But then again, Ubuntu users have always had it on the right, and now we have it on the left. Are we any worse for the wear? I can see your point, but I really think its not that big a deal. I mean, it took me little to no time to get used to it. It is a change, but it really doesn’t harm anyone. And its not like its just change for the sake of change, I think the main reason for it is to get people used to the top left for the gnome-shell. Ive tried it out a few times now, and having the buttons on the left are pretty much essential. The shell really isn’t that bad either. It definitely has a learning curve, but its a refreshing approach. Either way, right hand buttons, left hand buttons, a little blown out of proportion I think.

          • http://openid-provider.appspot.com/daenuprobst Dänu

            i haven’t tried the gnome shell yet… but that sounds like perfectly good reason to change the placement of the buttons. Gnome shell essentially is Gnome 3.0 right? I don’t follow Gnome development (I’m just always glad seeing an updated Mono in it ;-))

  • Frabass

    OMG
    This order was great if the button stay on the right , but not in this way!

  • Anonymous

    good, very good news for me :D

  • http://mastropino.deviantart.com/ MastroPino

    I prefer normal order: close, minimize, maximize!
    this is a bizarre solution!

  • Anonymous

    OMG»» right left o_o left rigth o_0 right left -_- feft rigth , WTF *-_-* !!

  • spock

    more posts about window controls.

  • Martini1179

    Even if this was a package error, I still would rather think of Mark Shuttleworth as an indecisive bastard.

  • SeventhR

    Canonical is really dropping the ball …

    • Anonymous

      Hah Hah. Jumping the gun.

      oops! Didn’t mean this as a reply. Well a reply to everyone throwing up their arms.

  • Mohan

    Dammit, what the heck! I am getting a bit ticked off now!

  • Anonymous

    Oh come on! FeatureFreeze is today! Taken from https://wiki.ubuntu.com/FinalFreeze :
    “”"”"
    Exceptions requiring confirmation:

    Release critical bugs
    Security critical bugs
    Exceptional circumstances
    Acts of God
    “”"”
    Is window button order one of these?

    • Ellipsis

      I think it would fall under “Act of God”

      • Anonymous

        lol, probably

  • sirius

    OMG! What happened?!? I thought this would be the main killer feature of Ubuntu 10.10!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Can you make the edit bigger? Apparently people don’t read your articles, just the titles and glance at the photos.

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

    Drag n’ Drop Customization Options, nuff said xD

  • LinuxAffenMann

    I want a random order every time I open a window.

    • Tony

      Yeah, I’m down with that!

    • http://rgzblog.blogspot.com rgz

      Geez, read my earlier post bellow. Add that line to cron to change it every minute. Add it to .profile to change them on startup.

      I guess something could be done with “Devil’s Pie” or Compiz advanced configuration to shuffle them on window open.

      • Anonymous

        Keeps my mind sharp!

    • rgz

      Ok I made a better, ruby based one

      gconftool-2 –type string –set /apps/metacity/general/button_layout `ruby -e ‘print %w(menu : minimize maximize close).shuffle.join(“,”).sub(/,?:,?/,”:”)’`

    • http://catladydiary.com/ CatLadyDiary

      That’s brilliant!!

  • Anonymous

    I find the change in order less confusing than the up arrow, down arrow. Minimize/Maximise. With the main taskbar being at the top, minimizing is a down arrow?

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

      Jesus, finally somebody noticing it, i always stop and start thinking whether the the Up-Arrow will put my Window into my Window List since its sitting in my Top Panel, thats giving me 10 times more trouble than the left-side positioning.

  • Anonymous

    I know i’ll be pretty happy with the result. I don’t mind them changing their mind. Why does it matter? If they need to try things out and adjust – let them. It’s a natural prosess. Besides, Lucid Lynx isn’t even launched. Then the story would be different.

    • Anonymous

      Ohwell, a bug. Didn’t see that :)

  • Anonymous

    thank god it’s an error….it’s bad enough having them on the left….
    but the close button needs to be to the far left – anything else is just bizarre…

  • amano

    The change was just an accident and was reverted soon. It took some time for the fix to hit the repos.

  • Anonymous

    Now this is just getting HILARIOUS.

  • Anonymous

    What happens with Chrome in 10.04? I switched my buttons over to the new way in 9.10, but in Chrome the buttons are always on the right….anyone know of a plugin or something?

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

      Have a look up in this Comment Thread, its been discussed already..

  • Anonymous

    What happens with Chrome in 10.04? I changed the button order in 9.10, but in Chrome the buttons stay on the right…anyone know of a plugin or something?

    • daas88

      right click on chrome’s “titlebar” and select “use system window borders” or something like that.

  • http://catladydiary.com/ CatLadyDiary

    OMG…I’m never going to install Lucid….just gonna skip it.

  • Gnubie

    What a debarcle. I’m all for ‘try and test’, but there are so many issues in linux that could warrant this amount of attention