Finding an application to launch from Dash is ridiculously slow

[teo1978]

Launching an application that you don't have locked on the launcher is extremely painful. And we don't want to fill up the launcher with dozens of icons, right? because it would become essentially useless.

Steps to reproduce:
- click on the Dash icon on the top left of the screen
- start typing the name of the application to launch

Expected:
the list of applications that match the name should appear INSTANTLY, and keep updating INSTANTLY as you keep typing.

Observed:
it takes an insanely long time to first show a bunch of results of files in your computer, and then PURE GARBAGE such as suggested searches on Wikipedia.

When I type "Tortoise" in order to run TortoiseHg (which is installed on my system), I always see the f***ing link to the Wikipedia page for "tortoise" (the animal) appear way before the icon of the application appears.

There are several issues here
1) The "More suggestion" part, with suggested results from searches on the Internet, is COMPLETELY USELESS and should be removed. We already have browsers and Google for that.
2) Searching for files on the computer is obviously orders of magnitude slower than searching for an application, and hence it's totally INSANE to have both in the same search box. Running an application and searching for a file should be separate options
3) The list of applications should be cached, and/or stored more efficiently, because it's absolutely ridiculous that finding an application by its name (among no more than few dozens that one may have installed in total) takes several seconds on a fast computer, when the same search could be performed in an instant on a 10-year-old PC.
4) Searching for an application should be given the highest priority. It's ridiculous that it gets slowed down because files (and stupid internet searches) are done before, or maybe at the same time.

This is a huge step backwards in usability (which happened quite a long ago, I know), and the most irritating thing is that this was by design.

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04
Package: unity 7.2.3+14.04.20140826-0ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.13.0-44.73-generic 3.13.11-ckt12
Uname: Linux 3.13.0-44-generic x86_64
ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.6
Architecture: amd64
CompizPlugins: No value set for `/apps/compiz-1/general/screen0/options/active_plugins'
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Wed Jan 28 21:20:34 2015
InstallationDate: Installed on 2013-10-11 (474 days ago)
InstallationMedia: Ubuntu 13.04 "Raring Ringtail" - Release amd64 (20130424)
SourcePackage: unity
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to trusty on 2014-05-24 (249 days ago)

[Kumbarov (kumbarov)]

You can disable online search results if you don't like them. Settings -> Security & Privacy -> Search -> Include online search results -> OFF.

[teo1978 (teo8976)]

Thanks for the tips.

However this is still an issue:

1) "Security and Privacy" is a not a sensible place for the setting to include online search results. What does it have to do with privacy or security?

2) Even if that is enabled, applications should have a higher priority. It's unacceptable that finding an application to launch becomes slower because Dash is wasting time doing internet searches before or while searching for applications.

3) it should seriously be considered to disable it by default. It's totally useless. For searching the web we have browsers.

[Fabio Marconi (fabiomarconi)]

Yes, sometime it is really slow

[Aaron Peromsik (aperomsik)]

Searching for applications was way too slow for me until I tried the suggestion here: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity-lens-files/+bug/919801/comments/26
The difference is like night and day. Does it help for you too?

[Teo (teo1978)]

Sorry but (if you're talking to me) I'd rather not mess around with that as I don't fully understand the implications and possible side effects.