Although I’ll go on record as saying that I think the Ubuntu Unity concept is a good one, it’s not excellently executed. In fact, even in this latest Ubuntu release (version 11.10) it is still sluggish, slow to respond, and buggy. If there’s one thing that really gets old to me, it’s a computer that can’t really keep up when I have to get work done. I’m not talking about super strenuous stuff (I don’t edit HD video for living) but simple web browsing and file management. It’s not cool when If feel like I’m fighting my computer to launch an application or switch tasks. Unfortunately, this what I often ended up doing in Unity when ever things got a bit more complex than one or two browser windows open.
So, I did what many other Ubuntu users have been doing…I switched back a “traditional” desktop in the form of XFCE, an environment I’ve used often in the past. I’ve customized the setup so that it’s drastically different from the default Xubntu/XFCE configuration, stripping out everything I could think of that didn’t directly contribute to how I use my computer. What you’ll find is that I took out almost every kind of launcher, widget, and dock and settled on single, simple task bar the top of my screen to use for monitoring the essentials. My ultimate task bar currently has four components:
The Places plugin
1) The Places Plugin for XFCE. This allows me to quickly open my bookmarks as well as mount and unmount removable media with little hassle. I also love that it includes a handy recent documents list.
2) Window buttons. Does what it says on the tin. I like the dock paradigm, but I also like how easy it is to differentiate between my windows at a glance with this traditional setup. Works just as well, if not better than dock for me most of the time.
3) Notification area. Notice there’s no clock. I rarely need a clock on my screen since I wear a watch and have my phone with me all the time. A clock can also be distracting, offering something else to think about than the task at han d. So, I’m performing an experiment and doing without for a bit. The rest of the items there are what I judge to be the bear minimum of stuff monitor consistently: Dropbox status, network, battery, and sound volume.
4) Desktop switcher. I debate about this one, and it may go away. Nevertheless I do use two virtual desktops when I’m doing research and I want to keep a reference handy, so I think it’s nice to have to have something that can give me a quick visual overview of which desktop I am on.
“But you don’t have any launchers or menus…how do you, you know, open stuff?” I’ve got a couple tricks up my sleeve. First, the excellent Kupfer. It’s a fast and lightweight keyboard-based launcher that works great for opening files and programs, if you know what you’re looking for.
Kupfer
Another great tool that stays out of the way until you need it is XFCE’s right-click menu on the desktop. It gives you full access to the applications menu and settings, so if you don’t feel like using the keyboard or want to drill down by category, you’re totally set up.
Right-click menu in XFCE
I threw on a solid theme, and was pretty much ready to roll. Overall, my system feels quicker, operates a bit more intuitively (since it is truly customized to my preferences), and has (thus far) done a great job of staying out of way so I can get stuff done. Time will tell…I wonder if I’ll still be rocking XFCE at the end of 2012?
