Permanent bug that discourages adoption: Icons on right side of panel move around randomly and don't stay to the right

[doublemeat]

This bug has been logged uncountable times under gnome-panel and mate-panel. The bugs usually get closed as duplicates of closed issues, or just closed as "fixed" - yet are never actually fixed.

This bug has existed for at least eight years, going back to the original Gnome desktop, and persists today up to the latest MATE desktop.

There are various workarounds. But none of them work for the case of changing desktop resolutions within one running session. (In that case, locking the icons doesn't work. Resetting the panel doesn't work. Renaming the panel applet and delaying it's launch doesn't work.)

Keep in mind that changing desktop resolution in any one session, is a common use-case. For example, many people use a docked laptop at work, and just laptop screen at home. (Resolution changes.) Or run in a VM and move the VM window to different monitors of different resolutions. Etc.

In that use case, there is no "workaround". It's just broken. Apparently permanently.

MATE was my favorite desktop environment hands-down, but this one bug has single-handedly driven me to XFCE for all of my Linux desktops and VMs. (XFCE has its own annoying bugs such as ignoring the "primary monitor" flag. Also it's just not nearly as nice of a DE. But at least it honors panel applet placement - mainly thanks to a spacer that expands to fit available space.)

A simple real solution would be to create a "spacer" applet that grows to fit all available space - which could push the stuff on the right, all the way to the right. Like XFCE. This has been mentioned many times over years of bug trackings, but never implemented. (Maybe it's just not possible?)

---

Want to back this issue? Post a bounty on it! We accept bounties via Bountysource.

[raveit65]

Does the issue still exists?

[allanlaal]

yes, in 1.26 atleast