Ubuntu
unity package

Focus follows mouse not supported in Unity?

Asked by Kevin Knerr

I've now been using Unity for a week on my desktop. Most of the issues I've encountered involve broken behaviors with focus-follows-mouse. While filing bugs, I've come across the comment that "the Unity devs are not interested in working on it" (cf https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/+bug/762032).

From everything I've been able to find on the web, it appears that the design of Unity is based primarily on "touch" devices, and that in order to be consistent among all possible environments, to implement that style of GUI even when no touch device is present.

In short, it seems that the design of Unity precludes using focus-follow-mouse.

Is that an accurate assessment?

If so, why are we choosing to release a desktop GUI which appears severely broken to users accustomed to that behavior? Shouldn't we simply disable the focus-follows-mouse option and enforce click-to-focus when Unity is running? At least then users like me would know where we stand.

Thanks.

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Launchpad Janitor (janitor) said : 		#1

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

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neels (neels) said : 		#2

Focus-follows-mouse (FFM) is the way I have used my computer for as long as I can think.
To me, Ubuntu 11.04 bears major regressions, and the new FFM behavior is one of them.

Switching to "Ubuntu-classic" is basically a prerequisite for using FFM because of the (IMHO annoying) menu-bar-on-the-panel style that unity uses. However, that does not have the desired effect. Alt-TAB works differently than it always did, unless you use the Ring-Switcher.

I also note that with FFM, when placing the mouse cursor just outside the currently focused window, there is a region where FFM, apparently in conjunction with the larger shadow behind the topmost window, causes the focus to flicker back and forward endlessly between two windows.

Because of these grievances, I am currently looking for other linux distros that might suit me. It's that bad. I've been with Ubuntu from the start, and 10.10 had an air of "yes, now we've reached the top". With 11.04 I get the feeling that just when stuff settled and looks good, it is all ripped apart, stumping numerous hackers like me out there.

OT rant: (Other grievances with the new ubuntu/unity: it is hardly configurable. What happened to the good old right click? The menu to select applications is clunky, showing only few results even though there is a lot of unused space, and showing apps that aren't even installed. The new searchable menu requires a lot more clicks to reach standard apps. Often, it needs both mouse and keyb interaction, which is slow. Unity deprecates all those panel apps people use around the world, which is hardly polite. The overlay scrollbar is a downright insult to interface design, if one takes the liberty of not viewing it from a touch device perspective. It can only be disabled system-wide, what's up with that. And the worst is, sometimes button clicks and scrollwheel actions seem to have no effect! I'm currently looking for all the right issues to comment on about this. But I'm really really put off. Ubuntu was a simple-to-install and get-to-work-right-away distro. Now I need days of work to remove all the clunks put in my way.)

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Christopher Barrington-Leigh (cpbl) said : 		#3

I am also most baffled by the level of regression and bugs in desktop behaviour (to do with focus and to do with extended desktop operation and window behaviour in extended desktop). I've been with Ubuntu since the first year, and this release has shocked me. There are so many things wrong, and so little attention to ones I've filed, that I'm mostly not filing bugs for desktop/window management problems that come up any more. I don't really feel I have time to shop for distros, so I want to hear more signals from Canonical /etc that these things are priorities. It sounds like the opposite -- indeed, almost as though they are moving away from the desktop. I'm also baffled, though, that these desktop bugs are not overwhelmed with subscribers... (seemingly justifying a low priority). ... So who is using Ubuntu!?