MonoDevelop Isn't Alt-Tab Accessible While Running In Unity

[Lonnie Lee Best]

Binary package hint: monodevelop

Normally all running GUI applications can be toggled between by pressing Alt-TAB. However, after launching MonoDevelop in Unity (Ubuntu 11.04 beta 64bit), it isn't accessible using Alt-TAB; it isn't listed as a running application via Alt-TAB; you have to move your mouse to the top-left corner of the screen so that Unity's "left-task-bar" is displayed, and then you have to select it from that task-bar, which is a lot of extra hassle while debugging a Mono ASP.net Web application.

[Lonnie Lee Best (launchpad-startport)]

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-8.41-generic 2.6.38.2
Uname: Linux 2.6.38-8-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
Architecture: amd64
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 10.10 "Maverick Meerkat" - Release amd64 (20101007)
ProcEnviron:
 LANGUAGE=en_US:en
 LANG=en_US.UTF-8
 SHELL=/bin/bash
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-04-03

[Lonnie Lee Best (launchpad-startport)]

Actually, I just discovered what's going on.

When you are on Workspace 1, and you launch MonoDevelop, it automatically places it in Workspace 2 and moves focus to Workspace 2 (very quickly). The reason I couldn't Alt-Tab back to MonoDevelop from Firefox (on Workspace 1), was because MonoDevelop was launched into Workspace 2, despite the fact I launched it from Workspace 1.

So instead of Alt-TAB, and needed to press Ctrl-Alt-Right (to move to that workspace).

I actually like it launching into Workspace 2 by default, now that I realize that that's what it did. However, it confused me at first.

Perhaps a fading-bubble-like notification should explicitly inform the user that he's been automatically moved to workspace 2, despite the fact that he launched MonoDevelop from workspace 1?

[Lonnie Lee Best (launchpad-startport)]

If you launch MonoDevelop from Workspace 2, it puts it in Workspace 1 (in Unity) and it doesn't automatically shift focus to Workspace 1 after it launches it there (like it does when you launch from Workspace 1 and puts it in Workspace2). This is wacky behavior and is sure to confuse.