It gets in the way of performing camera navigation..
Is there a quick way to assign it to some other key, or
disable ubuntu from thinking it has something to do with it's
menus?

One of the first things you need to do when setting up a linux workstation for use with Houdini is to alter the windows functions so you can alt-left click to set keyframes(and as you mention, some navigation issues). I use KDE myself, so I'm afraid I can't help you with the specifics on Gnome, assuming you're using that flavour of Ubuntu. In KDE it's under Desktop/Window Behavior/Window Actions and set the modifier key + left button to do nothing rather than move windows around.

Used to be for the longest time Gnome didn't allow you to change that(see: Metacity and Pennington, Havoc) but from what I've heard you can do that now. A quick google found this, which should send you in the right direction, something to do with the third level chooser, whatever that is:

http://www.computerworld.com.au/index.php/id;1140961447;fp;2;fpid;37;pf;1 [computerworld.com.au]

If that's not it, you basically want to wring control of your alt key back from metacity, in terms of what to search for.


Cheers,

J.C.

System/Preferences/Windows
- it's at the bottom of the Preferences list

change the setting to Super (or“Windows logo”)

…or that…

J.C.