Unity

Bug #668415
Comment #161

Comment 161 for bug 668415

Revision history for this message

SRoesgen (s-roesgen) wrote on 2011-10-29:

#161

If you all do not mind, I want to answer to the request of Mr Shuttleworth to define the term "power user" and will then elaborate on my perspective on the term Power User.

Wikipedia:
A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration. In enterprise software systems such as Oracle or SAP, this title may go to an individual who is not a programmer, but who is a specialist in a transaction or a business process. The "Super User" in enterprise programs (SAP, Oracle) often refers to an individual who is an expert in a module or process within the enterprise system.

http://www.webopedia.com:
A sophisticated user of personal computers. A power user is typically someone who has considerable experience with computers and utilizes the most advanced features of applications.

http://www.techterms.com (excerpt)
"Power users [...] require top-of-the-line machines that are optimized for their work purposes. Power users include video-editing professionals, high-end graphic designers, audio producers, and those who use their computers for scientific research. Professional gamers (yes, there is such a thing) also fall under this category. [...]"

So now that we have some definitions I suppose we can go on, can't we?

All in all, these definitions state that one does not necessarily need to have programming skills or be a system administrator. But one knows how to use special software and how to use the more advanced features of the operating system and of an application. This then would mean that a Power User is anybody who does not use his PC only for "checking e-mails", "writing text documents" and "searching/browsing the internet". A power user is somebody who uses advanced and/or special applications, who knows where to find certain options in the operating system, who knows how to modify the actions triggered by a left or right mouseclick, who knew (in Widnows or Gnome 2) how to modify the taskbar so that it does autohide etc.... A power user is somebody who has a certain workflow and knows what he want and expects from an operating system. Somebody with experience, somebody who has modified his workflow over many years so that he knows now exactly what he wants. (Or what she wants)

What Unity does: it breaks with old paradigms of the operating systems known. This is certainly not always bad. But even Windows 8 will have a legacy mode to get back to the old desktop one knows.

That is the special issue here. Being a Power User is simply being able to customize the system, so that the OS can be fitted to your expectations, to your daily workflow. Currently Ubuntu is NOT for Power Users. Because Ubuntu/Unity makes the user fit to Unity's workflow, not vice versa.

Your favourite, Mr Shuttleworth, was the user who preferred the mouse? Maybe this user was indeed no Power User, especially if he did not know anything about the options of the operating system.
Still, being a Power User is not being somebody who uses the Keyboard and preferring the keyboard over the mouse. I consider myself a power user. I use advanced features of LibreOffice Calc, to create formulas, I write scripts in python to analyse text data, I use databases to store the found data and conduct further analysis on this data. I use programs written in python and java (not written by me) to do much of the interaction with the databases. I use specific tools to do analysis on text corpora. (Some of my friends and colleagues use different tools and different methods to work with audio corpora or even videos. They use even more different tools to analyse the data.) Still, most of the time I prefer using the mouse. Clicking on something IS faster than typing things. Especially if I can put the icons (of small scripts) where I want them to be. I use the keyboard only if it is faster. But everytime I have to take a hand away from the mouse to get to the keyboard, to type something, and then I have to go back to the mouse I loose time. I want hot corner actions to be modifyable in the system by default (without installing ccsm). It is fast to switch workspaces with those hot corner actions. I want to show the desktop by clicking in the launcher instead of hitting Alt+Tab. And if I say, for me it is faster to work when I can go to the bottom of the screen to reach the launcher, I want to be able to place the launcher there.

I am a Power User. If I want to configure the system and if I need to search the internet (or the Software Center) to find application to do this configurations, I am normally somebody who says "so be it so!". BUT if those things I want to modify or configure have existed in many operating systems for many years and I usually can take them for granted, and if, additionally, some of these features are denied to me unless I fork the system or install an unsupported patch, then I have to question the sanity of the designers.
We are not talking about implementing features into Unity, which have never been seen before. We are not talking about features that a group of people invented and that this group of people wants to be implemented because they came up with a strange design idea that they want see to become part of the system. Instead, we are talking about a feature that existed everywhere in every OS. A feature that will not, definitively not, break the system or the use concept of the system. It is about options. Being a power user is being about options, about configurability. It is not being about shortcuts or about using the keyboard more efficeintly. My times of using the terminal or the console are over. That can be done by script kiddies and console jockeys who like doing so. And if they have fun hacking on the keyboard that is no problem for me. I know the times of Ms Dos and of early Linux. I was really happy when I was able to stop using the keyboard extensively/intensively. I do not need this. A line of code or bash commands maybe fast. But it is never faster than a mouse click. If I have to use the shell, then I can use it. But I prefer to not do it.
So now, Mr Shuttleworth, you had your answer. You have a definition of a Power User (several of them). You have a description of my workflow and needs. And my needs are those of some other people who do similar tasks. Perhaps indeed a small group of people. But I would like to hear what the rest of the users here have to say about this. Perhaps they recognized these needs as well. Perhaps they can add to this. You say you do not only want to hear demands? Ok! So, this was a description, which offered you more details in my work than I think you should need. Because I think, if I say, there is a need of a feature and if many other people says so, too.

About your user tests and 20 Million Ubuntu users:
Perhaps there are only 156 "affects me" voters against 20 Million Ubuntu users. But who else despite those 156 people has the same needs and does not voice his needs on launchpad? Additionally: you say 20 Million users of Ubuntu? Fine! But what about those 10 people you test every month. That are 120 people within a year. We got 156 "affects me votes" within less time than a year. So think again about the numbers you use.

I, indeed, am not somebody who has no really big problem with the position of the launcher. It is the smallest problem I have with Unity at the moment. I like many of the concepts and design ideas of Unity. Those things that I do NOT like are all tied to the fact that Unity cannot be configured. For me, this bug, annoying as it is, for both our sides, serves only as an example for this unconfigurability.
You want to include Power Users? Then be honest. There is NO special type of Power User. Power Users configure the system to their needs. The more configurability, the more Power Users will jump onto your train.

If you all do not mind, I want to answer to the request of Mr Shuttleworth to define the term "power user" and will then elaborate on my perspective on the term Power User.

Wikipedia: 
A power user is a user of a personal computer who has the ability to use advanced features of programs which are beyond the abilities of "normal" users, but is not necessarily capable of programming and system administration. In enterprise software systems such as Oracle or SAP, this title may go to an individual who is not a programmer, but who is a specialist in a transaction or a business process. The "Super User" in enterprise programs (SAP, Oracle) often refers to an individual who is an expert in a module or process within the enterprise system.

So now that we have some definitions I suppose we can go on, can't we?

What Unity does: it breaks with old paradigms of the operating systems known. This is certainly not always bad. But even Windows 8 will have a legacy mode to get back to the old desktop one knows.

Your favourite, Mr Shuttleworth, was the user who preferred the mouse? Maybe this user was indeed no Power User, especially if he did not know anything about the options of the operating system. 
Still, being a Power User is not being somebody who uses the Keyboard and preferring the keyboard over the mouse. I consider myself a power user. I use advanced features of LibreOffice Calc, to create formulas, I write scripts in python to analyse text data, I use databases to store the found data and conduct  further analysis on this data. I use programs written in python and java (not written by me) to do much of the interaction with the databases. I use specific tools to do analysis on text corpora. (Some of my friends and colleagues use different tools and different methods to work with audio corpora or even videos. They use even more different tools to analyse the data.) Still, most of the time I prefer using the mouse. Clicking on something IS faster than typing things. Especially if I can put the icons (of small scripts) where I want them to be. I use the keyboard only if it is faster. But everytime I have to take a hand away from the mouse to get to the keyboard, to type something, and then I have to go back to the mouse I loose time.  I want hot corner actions to be modifyable in the system by default (without installing ccsm). It is fast to switch workspaces with those hot corner actions. I want to show the desktop by clicking in the launcher instead of hitting Alt+Tab.  And if I say, for me it is faster to work when I can go to the bottom of the screen to reach the launcher, I want to be able to place the launcher there.

I am a Power User. If I want to configure the system and if I need to search the internet (or the Software Center) to find application to do this configurations, I am normally somebody who says "so be it so!". BUT if those things I want to modify or configure have existed in many operating systems for many years and I usually can take them for granted, and if, additionally, some of these features are denied to me unless I fork the system or install an unsupported patch, then I have to question the sanity of the designers. 
We are not talking about implementing features into Unity, which have never been seen before. We are not talking about features that a group of people invented and that this group of people wants to be implemented because they came up with a strange design idea that they want see to become part of the system. Instead, we are talking about a feature that existed everywhere in every OS. A feature that will not, definitively not, break the system or the use concept of the system. It is about options. Being a power user is being about options, about configurability. It is not being about shortcuts or about using the keyboard more efficeintly. My times of using the terminal or the console are over. That can be done by script kiddies and console jockeys who like doing so. And if they have fun hacking on the keyboard that is no problem for me. I know the times of Ms Dos and of early Linux. I was really happy when I was able to stop using the keyboard extensively/intensively. I do not need this. A line of code or bash commands maybe fast. But it is never faster than a mouse click. If I have to use the shell, then I can use it. But I prefer to not  do it. 
So now, Mr Shuttleworth, you had your answer. You have a definition of a Power User (several of them). You have a description of my workflow and needs. And my needs are those of some other people who do similar tasks. Perhaps indeed a small group of people. But I would like to hear what the rest of the users here have to say about this. Perhaps they recognized these needs as well. Perhaps they can add to this. You say you do not only want to hear demands? Ok! So, this was a description, which offered you more details in my work than I think you should need. Because I think, if I say, there is a need of a feature and if many other people says so, too.

I, indeed, am not somebody who has no really big problem with the position of the launcher. It is the smallest problem I have with Unity at the moment. I like many of the concepts and design ideas of Unity. Those things that I do NOT  like are all tied to the fact that Unity cannot be configured. For me, this bug, annoying as it is, for both our sides, serves only as an example for this unconfigurability. 
You want to include Power Users? Then be honest. There is NO special type of Power User. Power Users configure the system to their needs. The more configurability, the more Power Users will jump onto your train.