Comment 32 for bug 668415

Linux UIs have always been too customizable; but the dock defines the shape of the display. So it's location is going to have a bearing on Ubuntu's suitability to a number of device formats -- and more importantly, dynamic display formats.

Questions:

- Are there cases where a display will call for a fixed application launcher bar (dock)?
Yes: Hardware vendors selecting an OS are occasionally going to want the ability to coordinate dock and physical decoration and/or controls.

- What advantages do fix UI meta-decoration (menu bar, app bar) offer?
* Fixed screen space,
* Deterministic display dimensions,
* Simplification of support,
* Clear UI guidelines on user-attention areas of the display,
* Clear UI guidelines on user-blindspot areas of the display

- Are there cases where a fixed application launcher bar will be detrimental to user experience?
Yes: Rotatable displays (such as cell phones, tablets); Multi-display devices; Non-standard sized displays (a fixed bottom/top bar on a tripple-head screen is going to waste a lot of screen real-estate); Dynamic sized displays (e.g. where an on-screen keyboard is replaced by a slide out), etc.