Comment 240 for bug 532633

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Mark Appier (appier) wrote : Re: [light-theme] please revert the order of the window controls back to "menu:minimize,maximize,close"

Pat, the buttons don't have to stay--you may put them wherever you would like. Customization is one of the really great things I like about Ubuntu and other linux distributions. My desktop barely resembles the default. Because I have a mix of Ubuntu releases and Debian as well as Windows that my users navigate throughout the day, I intend to keep default positions for the buttons for my users on the right for the remainder of this school year.

I have students in my classes who use Mac at home that have consistently moved their buttons on their desktops to the left side on Hardy, Intrepid, and Jaunty. The neat thing is that for a desktop user to move his or her buttons doesn't bother anyone else--their buttons are still where they left them. (I haven't actually implemented Lucid on any machines in the lab because it is still in development. We tend to do the LTS thing on most machines. Of course, teaching Chemistry, Physics, and being Coordinator of an Eschool Program probably makes me a defining example of "geek".)

Personally, I think Mark Shuttleworth's idea for "the default position of the window controls will remain the left, throughout beta1" is a good idea. This should give the team a good opportunity to collect solid, objective data. At this point almost everything, excluding aysiu's poll and including my examples, is completely anecdotal. Just the activity on this bug and in the forums indicates that this issue justifies some study using the scientific method. If the button order and left placement truly tests out better and is easy to accommodate, this stands a chance of really setting Ubuntu apart from the pack and competing with the big guys. Add a new functionality on the right hand side, and we have icing on the cake.

In the meanwhile, if you like the buttons on the right, as is my personal preference for the time being, then, put them on the right. Unlike the GUIs found on some other proprietary operating systems, you have the freedom to implement it however you would like.

Thanks again for a wonderful operating system!

Mark Appier