Will users gain a way to restore missing items and add new ones to the cog menu?

Restart is integrated in shutdown entry.
To start applications Unity provides launcher and dash.
e.g. run Synaptic and keep it's icon in the launcher.
e.g. after running Synaptic, open the dash, click on applications and it'll display recently used apps.
e.g. open the dash, enter in the search field 'syn' (without quotes) and it'll display Synaptic.
Dash opens the first item listed by pressing [Enter] key.
Dash provides multiple ways to display apps, files and allows to filter.

https://help.ubuntu.com/11.10/ubuntu-help/index.html
http://askubuntu.com/questions/30334/list-of-application-indicators

If you prefer an old-style menu, maybe try the ppa for classic-menu indicator.
https://launchpad.net/classicmenu-indicator

Hi Sam,

Thank you for taking the time to comment. I've previously looked into the alternatives that you've pointed out.

However, my question is more directly about the ability to manipulate the right-most panel menu in the manner that I could in Natty. At that time the menu was different and you could simply place .desktop launchers into the
/usr/share/indicators/session/applications directory, and new entries would appear in the menu. This flexibility was amazing, more useful than 3 or 4 predetermined dconf items, and invisible to anyone who had no inclination to use it (e.g., newbies).

The method is mentioned here:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1750127

After I "upgraded" to Oneiric, the menu changed, and now placing .desktop launchers in /usr/share/indicators/session/applications doesn't seem to have any effect. I don't know for sure that the functionality is gone, maybe it uses a different directory now that I am overlooking?

If indeed gone, I am only wondering if (and hoping that) that functionality will be restored, or if it will not, or if it is something the Unity developers haven't actually thought about but will consider. I know they had mentioned in omgubuntu recently that they were going to make Unity more configurable, I hoped this might be one of the implementation details.

.desktop files are in /usr/share/applications
e.g.
indicator-session-shutdown.desktop
indicator-session-lock-screen.desktop
where the domain is pointed to indicator-session.
So maybe just take example .desktop file, create the preferred one and add at the end:
X-Ubuntu-Gettext-Domain=indicator-session

Thanks, I tried adding X-Ubuntu-Gettext-Domain=indicator-session to a launcher, but the launcher did not appear in the power cog menu.

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

Bumping this because it expired. No one has addressed the original question about the actual indicator menu yet.

Design news for Precise.
http://design.canonical.com/2012/01/system-settings-for-precise/

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

Re-opening the expired question, as the central question remains unanswered (I acknowledge that other information has been provided).

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

bump

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

bump

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

bump

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.

bump

How do you actually get these questions in front of the people who would actually make the decision on this kind of functionality?

Maybe ask on #ayatana channel.
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Ayatana

This question was expired because it remained in the 'Open' state without activity for the last 15 days.