Add a way to selectively disable Unity features: Dash, Launcher, Panel, Switcher

[Tal Liron]

Various users have trouble with Unity in their setups: multiple monitors, portrait monitors, right-to-left languages all present challenges.

Luckily, there's a lot of free software there to fill in the gap. Unfortunately, there's no way in Unity (3D) to selectively disable those parts we want to replace. (Unity 2D is made of separate programs, but Unity 3D is a single Compiz plugin.)

See this forum post for an example:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?p=11368937

My suggestion is to allow a simple on/off switch for features in the Unity plugin settings page in Compiz:

[x] Launcher
[x] Dash
[x] Panel
[x] Application Switcher

Thus, if I want to replace Launcher with DockbarX, AWN or Launchy, I can easily turn it off, while keeping all the other goodies Unity as to offer.

I believe this straightforward solution will go a long way to ease the growing pains some of us are experiencing with Unity.

I am willing and able to develop this myself and submit a patch. HOWEVER, I want to be absolutely sure that this feature will be approved first before wasting my time.

[Omer Akram (om26er)]

I suggest you ask on ayatana-dev mailing list if the feature will be accepted.