Networkmanager drop-down menu is cluttered and needs some restyling

Confirming since there was a thread about this on the ayatana list. (https://lists.launchpad.net/ayatana/msg04524.html).

Does the indicator framework allow to put a disconnect icon on the same line as the active connection?

In the messaging indicator they have little bubbles signifying message counts, so I suppose a disconnect icon would be possible.

This would save 4 menu item in the common two network interface situation.

I remember that the reason for the separate disconnect menu item in the original nm-applet was that standard GTK doesnß’t allow icon like that in a menu. If we are free from that contraint now we should use this optimization I think.

Here’s the relevant thread where the developer explains why this suboptimal solution was used:

http://thread.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network.networkmanager.devel/15681/focus=15874

Oops, I meant to link to message # 15718 in that thread ...

One more »mea culpa« here: http://article.gmane.org/gmane.linux.network.networkmanager.devel/16092/match=menu+disconnect

We could also add the number of additional networks to the overflow submenu for WLANs.

»\t 32 more networks ... «

There was some more work done on this front and thanks to mpt for the ideas.

I've uploaded the latest revision to natty today (look for version 0.8.3+git.20110114t131931.fd589a7-0ubuntu1) and it should be available soon.

Since this is meant as a simple port until we get connman, I'm not convinced we should commit to too many more changes to the menu. The goal really is to retain the functionality of nm-applet, maybe steer it a bit towards the look of the indicator-network menus, but not too much farther than that.

For the time being, I don't seem to have the tools to be able to further the design, until appindicator supports grids in the menus (at which point it could be possible to separate the lock and signal strength, maybe get rid of the Disconnect item too...

Thanks for the update.

Myself, I’m not really convinced we will ever get connman on the desktop. At least I think it wouldn’t be a good idea.

Connman just lacks very essential technologies. And the developers are actively speaking pout against adding them.
Keyword: PPPoE.

If I were you I would prepare for maintaining NM and nm-applet for a while more.

Tobias, so you're saying PPPoE is not in ConnMan now? (I don't have a PPPoE setup handy so I have no way to test this even on natty).

Since the restyling is already pretty much done and won't change much more at this point, marking as Fix Released. I'm relatively open to further changes, but let's keep it conservative and please open specific bugs about stuff that needs updating (such as the VPN checkboxes and menu, but there is already two separate bugs open about that ;)

No, the opposite. Marcel Holtmann said, that he wouldn’t want to deal with PPP at all. Apparently he advises people to always carry around wireless router to connect on the road.

Ask Kalle Valo.

Sorry, I misread. Yes it’s not in.

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=10339721&postcount=22