"Select windows when the mouse moves over them" is incompatible with global menu bar

[Matthew Paul Thomas]

The global menu bar used by Unity is basically incompatible with the "Select windows when the mouse moves over them" option in "System" > "Preferences" > "Windows" (gnome-window-properties). This is because moving the mouse to the menu bar will often move it over another window, changing the window focus.

So, whenever Unity is being used with the global menu bar:
* the "Window Selection" section of the "Window Preferences" window should be hidden
* the "Select windows when the mouse moves over them" option should be treated as if it was off.

[David Barth (dbarth)]

It's not a trivial change to determine when to ignore the config key at runtime: there are many modules involved afaict: the window managers, the gconf configuration repository, the control-center when it's running.

[David Barth (dbarth)]

We don't have plans to implement focus-follows-mouse support in Natty. We can review designs and patches in the flow of this bug report though.

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

While it may be a non-trivial change it seems to me that this would be quite problematic for people who have the config setting, "Select windows when the mouse moves over them", selected and try to use unity as unless applications are maximized it will be require some extra effort to access the application's menu. This could also result in a lot of confusion for people too.

[Mark Shuttleworth (sabdfl)]

In order to have a clean layout of that preference pane, we may just
need to remove Focus-Follows-Mouse from it entirely, leaving it as a
gconf option for advanced users.

Mark

[Bapf (bugs-ubuntu-bapf)]

Wouldn't an option to disable the global menubar (as suggested in bug #734325) be the better solution?

Focus follows mouse is and has ever been an integral part of using a graphical environment in Linux. I agree that most of the "switchers" probably don't use it but don't let forget that this was was the default behavior of most window mangers in the past. (And last I looked Ubuntu still was a Linux derivate, not a MacOS X clone.)

Another point for making the global menubar disableable is that while it may be good to have the menu always at the same position it definitely increases the mouse paths which can also be quite counterproductive. (At least with a decent screen.)

And yes, I know the global menubar can be disabled by removing libappmenu.so, but an config option would be a cleaner way.

[Matthew Paul Thomas (mpt)]

No, for the reasons I gave in bug 734325. And what kernel Ubuntu uses has nothing to do with this bug.

[renbag (renbag)]

Is it possible to add to compiz a "focus_delay" option, similar to the "autoraise_delay"? This would allow to move the cursor to the menu bar before another window changes the focus of the original one. However I don't know if this breaks other things...

[Bart Janssens (bartholomeus-j)]

I've been trying to find a way to combine the 2 options and the idea Renzo has might work the best. I can't get used to not using "select on mouseover" and I think many who used it for years will have the same problems but I would like to use the global menus since that is a great evolution too imo.

[Bart Janssens (bartholomeus-j)]

Another way to combine the 2 would be to not select a window on mouseover until the mouse stops moving. (is this the right place to give suggestions as this or is it only purely discussing bugs here?)

[David Barth (dbarth)]

We can either remove the option or gray it when the globalmenu is in use.

Matthew: can you recommend one of the 2 alternatives?

[Michael Flaig (mflaig)]

As focus follow mouse is a advanced users feature I wonder why it is not acceptable to live with using the keyboard to get to the menu? Pressing Alt reveals the menu...

Maybe it would be enough to let the mouse jump as soon as one presses for example alt+f?
Or Mouse jumping up to the first menu as long as you press alt? returns when you click or release alt to previous position?

For me I am happy as it is. I do not use focus follows mouse since a long while now but use the keyboard mostly anyway to not have to lift the hand :) mouse jumping when alt pressed would be annoying for most users - i think.

[Sebastien Bacher (seb128)]

the dialog has been dropped in GNOME3 and Oneiric, closing the bug

[Rolf Leggewie (r0lf)]

natty has seen the end of its life and is no longer receiving any updates. Marking the natty task for this ticket as "Won't Fix".