Wired VPN connection icon unclear

[James Hunt]

The current nm-applet icon that is shown for a wired VPN connection is very unclear - overlaying a padlock onto the existing connection-type icon works fine for the usual wifi icon, but with a wired connection the padlock merges into the down arrow and looks like screen corruption.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: network-manager-gnome 0.9.8.4-1ubuntu3
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-12.32-generic 3.13.4
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-12-generic i686
NonfreeKernelModules: nvidia
ApportVersion: 2.13.2-0ubuntu5
Architecture: i386
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Thu Feb 27 15:17:00 2014
InstallationDate: Installed on 2010-10-21 (1225 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release i386 (20101007)
NetworkManager.state:
 [main]
 NetworkingEnabled=true
 WirelessEnabled=true
 WWANEnabled=true
SourcePackage: network-manager-applet
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2013-11-01 (117 days ago)
nmcli-dev:
 DEVICE TYPE STATE DBUS-PATH
 wlan0 802-11-wireless connected /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/2
 wlan1 802-11-wireless connected /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/1
 eth0 802-3-ethernet connected /org/freedesktop/NetworkManager/Devices/0
nmcli-nm:
 RUNNING VERSION STATE NET-ENABLED WIFI-HARDWARE WIFI WWAN-HARDWARE WWAN
 running 0.9.8.8 connected enabled enabled enabled enabled disabled

[James Hunt (jamesodhunt)]

I don't know if the padlock is actually being overlayed onto the existing connection-type image, but I'd prefer to see an icon like the attached. In other words, invert the 2 arrows for a wired connection and make the right-hand arrow stem shorter, allowing space for a padlock bottom-right.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

It's possible to use a VPN over any kind of Internet connection, right? Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or anything else. And to continue using a VPN connection even while the physical layer changes.

I doubt it's practical to design icons, for every physical layer, that have a disposable corner just in case a padlock appears in that corner. And even if it was practical, whether you are connected to a VPN or not will often be too important for such a tiny emblem.

For those two reasons, I think it would be better for VPN to be shown with a completely separate icon. On PC at least, a separate icon implies a separate menu, but that's reasonable too -- VPN software on Windows and Mac often does that anyway.