Comment 0 for bug 790591

The workspace switcher and trash launcher items are completely unnecessary in the launcher. The functions they provide are very useful but their position is far from optimal.

The trash which you relatively rarely access has one of the best positions in the Unity UI according to Fitt's law. The workspace switcher which some people use frequently, those who prefer it over keyboard shortcuts, is not providing the fast access it requires due to it's location in the middle of the launcher. They are both taking up valuable launcher space and by removing them the launcher could be used purely for the launchers which the user wants quick access too. But we cannot remove them purely from the UI since the workspace switcher is a handy launcher and the trash is an item familiar to new users migrating from OS X or Windows and familiarity is a huge plus for new users.

What we could do to provide even more effective workspace switching and freeing up launcher space is to create a “launcher bottom area” which you can see in the provided mockup. It would gracefully frame the launcher items. (The mockup also features the lenses integrated into the Dash which is another feature request)

By having the workspace switcher in the very bottom left corner it could be easily accessed (Fitt's law) providing effective workspace switching. Since people manage windows in many different ways it should also provide a context menu where the user can choose which window management function it should provide: Expo, Spread, alt+tab, “show desktop” and let the icon change accordingly.

I first proposed this idea in the following Ayatana thread:
https://lists.launchpad.net/ayatana/msg05620.html

And then further developed it here, providing a mockup:
https://lists.launchpad.net/ayatana/msg05999.html

See the attached image for the idea visualized.