Apologies for the lame summary.

I'm running Gnome Shell 3.6.2 on a dual-display setup with two relatively large panels.

I really like the fixed workspace on the second display and run several applications there which I always want to see, but rarely have my primary focus.

Today I needed to interact with the menu of one of those applications which is now using an app-menu in the Shell top bar - this was awkward.

The application in question was at the far side of my secondary screen meaning a long mouse movement and head tilt to find the menu, further the dialogue the menu launched was then displayed on my primary screen - this makes sense in the context of starting applications on the screen with focus, but less sense when the "parent" window is on the secondary screen and the primary screen only has focus because I needed to interact with the app menu.

Steps to reproduce:

1) Launch empathy
2) Move empathy to secondary display
3) Try to edit account

Result:

Had to move mouse to primary display to activate app menu. Account configuration dialogue launched on primary display.

Expected result:

Unsure. Less mouse movement and no forced focus shift (head tilt).


Sadly I don't have a creative suggestion to resolve this issue but it felt awkward enough that I'm now trying to avoid having applications with app-menu's on my secondary display.

I'm unclear whether the Gnome 3 design is moving towards all menus being single/global app-menus? Or whether there's still a place for menus in the window.