[Deskbar] Create a Utilities menu item

[bitigchi]

Applications menu is too crowded with a standard install. There are too many programs which average user maybe will not touch, and they are cluttering the list. Install 10+ software, and it's already getting hard to find things in the list.

Considering a Deskbar menu refresh may probably not happen in time for R1, a "Utilities" folder will help declutter the menu, and make better use of the existing screen estate.

Proposing moving below applications to a Utilities menu in Deskbar menu:

• ActivityMonitor
• CharacterMap
• Debugger
• Devices
• DiskProbe
• DiskUsage
• DriveSetup
• Expander
• Magnify
• Poorman
• SerialConnect
• Terminal

Feel free to vote and/or leave feedback.

[humdinger]

I think this may delay the clutter a bit at best, but doesn't solve the actual problem.
It does unclutter the situation for a freshly installed Haiku, but as you say, install a dozen apps or two, and you'll be back where you started. Only this time two "categories" will be cluttered, and you'll have to look through two menus instead of one, if your opinion of the right category for an app differs from the packager...

[pulkomandy]

I don't think "let's put all apps in a menu" works. Even if you split the menu into categories. Let's have a search-filter thing in the deskbar menu instead, so you can type something and filter the app list.

We can also make the Deskbar menus span multiple columns on screen instead of scrolling up and down, so you can see everything at once.

In any case the "Application" vs "Utilities" seems a bit arbitrary to me. Not to mention we have a "Desktop Applets" too which doesn't make a lot more sense either. For example DeskCalc could easily fit in all 3 categories.

[bitigchi]

For regular applications, getting rid of the Applications subfolder sounds reasonable. Why not display all applications immediately when the menu is clicked? It doesn't make sense to go through another folder just to reach applications. And it's a waste of screen space. Still folders can be displayed on top.

Not to mention having to go rightward for the menu and retreating leftward for Applications with the cursor is I believe an unfortunate default choice from the BeOS side. Not very good UX.

Filtering is a necessary addition, but not in the scope of this ticket.

[KapiX]

Replying to bitigchi:

For regular applications, getting rid of the Applications subfolder sounds reasonable. Why not display all applications immediately when the menu is clicked?

Because on smaller screens the list can be so long it has to be scrolled. Now I have to scroll each time I want to get preferences? Not a very good experience, I would say.

[bitigchi]

Replying to KapiX:

Because on smaller screens the list can be so long it has to be scrolled. Now I have to scroll each time I want to get preferences? Not a very good experience, I would say.

Why so? Folders can still be displayed before the applications.

Menu Button

---

About

---

Shutdown etc.

---

Recently used

---

Applets Folder
Demos Folder
Utilities Folder
Preferences Folder
Rest of the installed applications

[KapiX]

Replying to bitigchi:

Why so? Folders can still be displayed before the applications.

Yes, they can, but I still maintain it's a bad idea. So many items in a menu can be confusing (when I select apps category a lot of items are expected) and adds noise to MAIN menu (lots of different icons for each app). Also, it's inconsistent - everything has it's own category but apps don't? Why?

You say separate apps directory is bad UX, I say your proposal is bad UX. Is there a stalemate resolution button nearby? ;)

EDIT: the utilities category idea makes sense to me BTW.

[humdinger]

Also to consider: moving all apps one level up, i.e. out of the Applications subfolder, we'd lose some vertical space. The submenu has opened quite a bit more to the top of the screen, while the list of apps would then start at the bottom of the Deskbar.
There may also be an added slight delay (at least on first click) to populate the app list.

If the "Recent applications" menu worked correctly, over reboots and with stuff from other partitions than /boot, the users would find all the apps they regularly use there, and wouldn't have to hunt through the "all-apps-list" all the time.
Add to that sticky apps, and type-ahead-filtering (a killer enhancement for drill-down-navigation!) and we'd be going in the right direction.