OMG! Ubuntu! twitter followers will have seen us tweeting about the following feature yesterday but it’s such a neat new addition to Natty that it deserves – nay begs – for a wider pimping.
Resizing and moving windows on touch-friendly devices in Ubuntu 11.04 just quadrupled in easiness with the addition of a new compiz-plugin affectionately termed ‘Love Handles’.
Admittedly this name doesn’t sound that sexy but it is rather descriptive: the plugin, tasked with simplifying window control for Ubuntu users using touch-screens or multi-touch trackpads, is a beauty in use.
Once triggered – on touch-enabled devices this is via a three-fingered tap on an app window, although the feature can be used with the humble keyboard and mouse (disabled by default) – nine large, finger-friendly buttons appear on screen. The outer edge dots allow for resizing in all the usual ways, whilst the centre ‘blob’ allows for easy movement of the window as a whole.