Questions tagged [usability]
Usability is the ease of use and learnability of a human-made object, in this case, software.
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How to change LUKS passphrase?
Having installed Ubuntu 11.10 with whole disk encryption and LVM, I need to provide a way for users to easily change LUKS passphrase.
Preferably, this should be done using GUI tools, thus, enabling ...
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How are typical users expected to read the documentation in /usr/share/doc?
I recently learned that there is a huge pile of documentation in /usr/share/doc.
It seems like much of it is gzipped so that it is not directly accessible without administrative privileges:
$ gunzip ...
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Keeping multiple terminal windows in focus
I write code. I use terminal a lot. I ofter use many terminal windows. I hate how tabs look.
Are there any applications that allow me to keep multiple terminal windows in focus to streamline my ...
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Refreshing the wireless network list?
When I wake up my laptop (Ubuntu 10.04) from suspension, it does not recognize the available wireless networks. The only way to refresh the list is to disable wireless networking, and than enable it.
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Drag and Drop across (fullscreen) applications, switching via Alt-Tab
Example
Drag media file onto Totem's playlist to enqueue
Bug in Compiz
Especially for Unity (formerly Netbook Edition, being intended for small screens) this is quite a vital feature, as ...
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How to change tab in Google Chrome with the keyboard, in Ubuntu
In OSX, you can browse tabs in browsers by Ctrl+ N/p or similar.
I have not found any keys in Ubuntu 14.04.
How can you browse tabs of browsers by keyboard in Ubuntu?
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How to copy/paste from "Sorry, the application XXX has stopped unexpectedly"
An app just crashed and I want to copy the error message and paste it into a search engine to hopefully find a solution.
Unfortunately the error dialog does not allow me to copy/paste anything:
In ...
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Minimal terminal editor alternative to vi and nano
What terminal/console mode alternatives to vi/vim and nano are available? I am looking for minimal, good looking and friendly text mode editor for complete newbies with PC.
I remember I've seen ...
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Is it possible to drag files with right click?
Is there a way (maybe using some script in nautilus or something) so that you can drag files with the right mouse button and when you release, you're shown the context menu?
If it can even be ...
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How do I get Aero Snap in Unity 2D?
I really miss the "Aero Snap" window snapping feature present in Unity 3D. Is there any way I can get it, or an alternative to it, in Unity 2D?
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How can I stop Files from oversimplifying file types?
When I sort files by type in Files, both JPEG and TIFF file types are described unhelpfully as "Image". This oversimplification makes sorting effectively useless for me:
When writing this question I ...
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How to select text for copy and paste in Chrome by keyboard not using the mouse?
I have some online tutorial open in my Google chrome. It tells me to run some commands in a terminal.
My current workflow is to select the necessary parts via mouse, and insert the copied text via ...
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From Screenshot to "edit Image"
If I take a screenshot, often the next action is to paint on it. Sometimes I paint a circle around something, sometimes I blank parts to anonymize them.
Below is an example of the window after the ...
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Gedit: Search next match ... usability
Searching the next match with gedit makes me crazy.
I press Ctrl+F
The search input box opens
I enter foo
There is a match for foo. Nice
Up to now everything is sane
I want to search the next match (...
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Why does no file manager ask for higher permission if needed? [closed]
I just answered another beginners question about "Cannot write.......check permissions".
Of course I know how to use chown/chmod; I'm working with command line anyway. But the average consumer does ...
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How to hide window title and menu bar in GNOME Shell?
Is it easily possible in GNOME 3's gnome-shell to achieve similar appearance of windows' title and menu bars as with Unity's Globalmenu?
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autocomplete at desktop level
I often type the same words in several applications:
Editor (emacs, vi)
Webbrowser
Shells
It would be great to have an autocomplete of the words I typed during the last week available in all the ...
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Using Ubuntu without any knowledge of Linux
Can I still install and use Ubuntu without any basic knowledge of a Linux operating system - do I need any background knowledge of Linux to use Ubuntu?
If so, what will be the limits of my experience?
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Highlight Window with focus even more
I have two monitors and sometimes I start to type into the wrong window.
The window with the focus is highlighted in unity (Ubuntu 16.04) with a gray shadow.
Is there a way to highlight the window ...
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Is Ubuntu doing GUI research?
Is there any serious graphical user interface research for Ubuntu? I mean, are there any improvements planned by Ubuntu in order to improve it's default user interface? Just for example I don't ...
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What is the difference between indicators and a system tray?
What is so new about indicators?
What did we have before?
Are there technical or usability differences?
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Is there a faster way to switch between program instances?
I find it kinda slow to have to wait for the animation when all the instances of a program (e.g. all open firefox windows) are placed as thumbnails over the screen. Is there a faster/smoother way to ...
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Why should I go through the purchasing process to install a product priced $0.00?
In Software Center, I have to run through the purchasing process even if a product is priced with 0$ (e.g. 'Full Circle Magazine'). That makes no sense to me. If the price of the product is 'zero', It ...
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What hinders Ubuntu from getting traction in the professional field? [closed]
If this is not the place to ask this, please forgive this Ubuntu cub, I want to ask, what do people do with Ubuntu?
As an Ask Ubuntu user I can see that most of the users (including myself) are ...
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Can I snap windows by using Super Key? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
Way to automatically resize 2 windows to take up half of the screen
Can I snap windows to the left, right, maximize by doing Super+ArrowLeft, Super+ArrowRight, Super+ArrowUp ?
...
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Should a new screenshot tool automatically set itself to work on pressing the PrtSc key?
Having just written my perfect screenshot tool, I've been trying to work out how it should set itself up for use by people who are not me. Screenshots are traditionally taken by pressing the PrtSc key....
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Firefox: Long lines in text area not visible
If you have long lines in a text area of Firefox, you can't see whether there is one long line or whether there are several short lines.
I've attached two screen shots as an example.
Firefox:
Emacs:...
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How do I send keystrokes to a specific app?
I'd like to be able to bind a global keystroke send a sequence of keystrokes to a specific app.
Specifically: I'm using the Last.fm client, and I'd like to be able to start/stop music with a global ...
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Nautilus statusbar visibilty - Quickly check free space
In prior versions, I would open Nautilus and check the statusbar, which would tell me how much free space there is. Now, the statusbar isn't shown by default. I know you can enable it from the View ...
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How to apply master font and color to existing slides in LibreOffice Impress
I created a master/template in Impress by selecting:
Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Colors to select colors for creating a new gradient
Format > Area : Gradients to create the gradient ...
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Is possible to change desktop wallpaper in Unity? If yes, how to do? [duplicate]
Possible Duplicate:
How do I add new wallpapers?
I've installed Ubuntu Netbook edition 10.10 on a new latptop for a people whit zero knowledge of how to use a computer.
Me and other people in ...
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How can I customize fonts and backgrounds for gnome-terminal?
Mac has background-color -theme adjusting. During summer, I realize why it would be so super-cool: it is hard to see anything with standard settings when there are so much sun-light. So how can I ...
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How can I do these things in Unity?
there are a few things that I used to do regularly with the "Ubuntu Classic" interface and I can't figure out how to do them with the Unity interface (provided it is possible to do them at all):
open ...
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How can I disable the minimize button?
When I accidentally minimize windows in Unity it's so hard to find them I usually don't even bother and just open a new one instead.
How can I get rid of that terrible button so I don't ever click it ...
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What are the different ways I can contribute to the One Hundred Paper Cuts project?
I want to get involved with the One Hundred Paper Cuts project, but I don't know what there is to do. I'm not a programmer so I'm not sure if I can even contribute anything. Can someone please explain ...
user2405
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Can't change WiFi username after entering incorrect credentials (Ubuntu 13.10)
I have to enter a username and password to log into a new WiFi network. I entered the wrong username the first time I tried to connect. The username has been grayed out every time I've tried to ...
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Why are configuration files stored in so many different locations in the home folder?
My question arises out of frustration and curiosity for the reasons behind the mess. Let me ask by example, all referring to the home folder:
thunderbird stores its files in .thunderbird
google ...
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Spelling correction like swift/swype
I like typing and type with ten fingers since 20 years.
Sometimes I make mistakes or don't know the correct spelling of a word.
I like the swype-app in android phones. I am very fast although I use ...
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3
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Shortcut to select a Terminal-window?
I like to use CTRL-ALT + Numpad-keys to align 4 terminal windows on one monitor (One in each corner of the screen). Is there a way (shortcut) to quickly make a particular one active for typing without ...
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How to modify default printscreen behaviour?
The Prnt Scrn button currently takes a screenshot and saves it in ~/Pictures.
How can I modify the behaviour I want for the Prnt Scrn button?
Use case: I want to take a screenshot and go to GIMP and ...
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How to scroll in any direction with evince PDF viewer using mouse dragging
When viewing large PDFs with small print where one has to zoom in to be able to read even on fullscreen, it would be nice to be able to move the 'paper' with the drag of the mouse (hand cursor type).
...
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Where can I find the latest Paper Cuts
I remember seeing in launchpad and the Ubuntu wiki a page where I could see the 100 paper cuts that were worked on for the latest Ubuntu (I think it was 9.10 or 10.04 in that time). Do the 100 paper ...
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Thunderbird: History of seen Messages
Is there a way in thunderbird to step backward and forward in the history of last messages? Like in firefox: It has a history of the last visited pages.
I would like to have a history of the last ...
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Where has "scientific mode" gone in gcalctool 6.2.0?
Ubuntu 11.10 ships gcalctool 6.2.0 .
In previous versions the calculator has five models: Basic, Advance, Financial, Programming and Scientific.
However, in this version there are only four ...
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Where to find the Disk Image Mounter? is not in Dash, where it is?
I'm running Ubuntu 13.04. Disk Image Mounter is installed, but not located in the "Dash"
Where can find this utility to use?
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paste selected text: switch right and middle click
Is there a way of choosing between right and middle click for pasting?
There are ways of for disabling it, I want to change the behaviour
How do I disable middle mouse button click paste?
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What affects the text color in Google Earth?
The text color in Google Earth (installed via Google's package) has recently changed to become unreadable:
It hasn't always been this way, but I don't know what I did that caused it to change.
What ...
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How to hide "quodlibet wants to inhibit shortcuts" message
Ever since upgrading to 17.10, whenever I click on the time elapsed bar in quodlibet (to manually change the current track playback time), I get a
warning message that says "Quod Libet wants to ...
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Spelling correction which feels like flying
Here is a screen shot of a typo:
The cursor is at the "..." position.
My dream: I press a magic keyboard short-cut and the spelling correction takes its best guess at correcting the typo.
How to ...
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How can I tell when Files is done searching? [closed]
When I search for files in Files, it can take anywhere from a few seconds to several minutes for files to stop being added to the search results. Sometimes I think the search is done, but then more ...
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