Window button ordering

Sometimes you can’t please everybody. The blog article I linked to argues that the window button ordering change in the alpha releases of the next Ubuntu should be reverted back.

Update: I’ve seen reports that Canonical may have switched the button order back in the latest builds. The last entry I saw on Planet Ubuntu leads me to believe it’s still switched, but my Google-fu is too poor to find something conclusive. (Scarily enough, this very blog is already on the first page of the Google results…)

I agree with the comments about it being hard to get used to since I use a non-default window button order too, after being inspired by Aaron Seigo. My own personal layout is like this:

˅ ˄ <– – window title – –> ❌

In case it’s unclear, starting from the left I have the minimize button, maximize button, the window title, and then on the right I have the close button.

The reason I have it like this is that I always use the minimize and close buttons, so they need to have the corners to be easiest to find. In particular, the close button just has to be in the upper right, it’s just a reflex for me and I have no particular need to fight it.

It would be annoying when I use Windows to find minimize, except that I normally just use a keyboard shortcut. (I later added a global keyboard shortcut for KWin to do the same thing). Other than that I like it a lot.

I can see why most people would not want the window order changed on them all of a sudden though. Probably the easiest thing would be to allow people to choose their own button order. I know we support it in KWin, given the blog article stating special theme support would be needed in ubuntu, I get the impression that Compiz and/or Metacity do not. :-/ Failing that, I think it’s a bad idea to deviate from the upstream GNOME window manager’s button ordering. Themes were already mentioned as being incompatible so it makes me wonder what else might be.