Matthew Paul Thomas

10 posts by Matthew Paul Thomas

Designing build.snapcraft.io

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 3 July 2017

Many open-source software developers use GitHub. Let’s make it as easy as possible for them to build and release their code automatically.

System Settings for Ubuntu Phone

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 16 May 2013

The design process for System Settings on the phone involved a competitor evaluation, identifying user journeys, generating many possibilities for the...

Solving design problems

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 23 November 2012

To solve a design problem, define the target user, test the existing solution (if any), evaluate alternative solutions, and test with real users. The more of...

System status menu refinements in Ubuntu 12.10

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 13 April 2012

For Ubuntu 12.04, we’re planning to merge the user and system menus, make major changes to the messaging menu, introduce a new sync menu, and retire the...

That’s it, we’re quitting

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 7 March 2011

The “Quit” command in applications today is a relic from the days when the original Macintosh had no hard disk and couldn’t multitask. Modern applications...

Help wanted: Testing programs that use the notification area

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 30 June 2010

We have a list of dozens of Ubuntu programs that use the notification area. What we need now is a description of how each of them use it.

The keyboard menu

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 27 May 2010

A new keyboard menu will replace both the keyboard layout toggle from Ubuntu’s doomed notification area, and the IBus menu for choosing a keyboard input method.

A unified menu bar for Ubuntu Netbook Edition

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 6 May 2010

Using a single menu bar at the top of the screen, instead of separate menu bars inside each window, seems like a pretty simple change. But it’s more complex...

Refining the battery status menu

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 23 April 2010

As part of the notification area transition, we’re adapting the Gnome Power Manager item to be a system status menu. We’re interested in your feedback on the...

Farewell to the notification area

by Matthew Paul Thomas on 21 April 2010

Ubuntu is phasing out the traditional Gnome notification area, because of its ineffectiveness at notifying people of things, and its inconsistent behavior....