5 ms·

Probably but who knows. I'm sure there are plenty of ways Ubuntu can contribute upstream when they start tweaking for their own desktop release.

dmix 10y ago
Ubuntu using GNOME is easily the biggest deal for Linux desktop in a long time. The recent versions of GNOME in the last year or so have been rock solid. The designers have been tweaking it since 3 launched to make it pixel perfect. I like the style better than OSX and I'm a front-end dev. Especially in dark-mode, with the always black top bar, it blends perfectly with a terminal heavy workflow. No semi-transparent background and grey chrome to distract from black terminals. And splitting/floating windows is built-in with shortcuts so it's easy to have [terminal/dev tools][chrome] side by side without installing any 3rd party tools. I normally use a tiling WM (i3/BSPWM), usually combined with gnome 3 for window chrome/nautilus, but since the last reinstall I haven't felt the need as I like the new gnome desktop. I hope their teams collaborate on a Gnome 4 release.
- chrisper 10y ago
  What do you think about the huge title bars? Probably the most annoying thing about Gnome imho. I know you can adjust it, but still. If you Google you need to find a good fix that is compatible with your version. I used Gnome for quite some time, but now I am using Cinnamon.
  - abrowne 10y ago
    I like them, assuming I'm using a higher-than-traditional but not "retina"/doubled dpi, such as a 1920×1080 on a 13″ screen.
  - sametmax 10y ago
    Most annoyances from gnome shell can be fixed by using the proper addons. The bad news is that it's time consuming and really you shouldn't have to do that. The good news is that toggling an addon is a one-click operation. E.G: disable huge title bars: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/723/pixel-saver/ https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/723/pixel-saver/
    - snuxoll 10y ago
      Funny thing about this, the behavior pixel-saver adds to GNOME shell was once standard - people didn't like it so it was reverted (I think I remember this back in the GNOME 3.8 days).
    - vetinari 10y ago
      Pixel saver does not disable huge title bars. It removes title bar for the maximized window. For a window that is not maximized, it does exactly nothing.
  - XorNot 10y ago
    Cinnamon is the desktop I want. As far as I know it's the desktop everybody wants - I've never had trouble explaining it to people. Windows 7 basically solved the basic UI experience IMO and we've since wasted thousands of hours redesigning it rather then perfecting it.
- sametmax 10y ago
  The look is great but put any beginner in front of it and: - they will lool for the desktop for ever, not understanding it's gone; - will struggle with the dock, hidding, not opening new windows when expected, not showing when several windows are opened, etc; - will have a painful wifi setup (the list of SSID don't refresh unless you close it, then go 2 menus down to restart it) - will have a painful bluetooth setup (the menu doesn't even appear if it's off) - will be confused when trying to minimised two windows to put side by side now that the icon is gone; - will try to look for the button to put the laptop to sleep and look at you with the eye of a sad puppy; - will see a lot a spaces wasted compared to unity because of the windows bar being back and huge; - will look for their app tray icons (now at the bottom left); - will activate the hot corner by mistake. I use myself 15 addons to make gnome-shell usable, and you can't expect the average user to do that. Gnome shell is still experimental. Not from a technical point of view, but from an ergonomic point of view.
  - yarrel 10y ago
    A beginner to what? If they've never used a computer before, what are they comparing it to? If they're a Windows user wouldn't they have to make some adjustments to use macOS or iOS? If they're a Unity user they will just do what Canonical tell them to. The only problems from your list that I recognise are bluetooth, which is no longer a problem, and the hot corner. The hot corner is bad interface design and needs fixing.
    - dmitrygr 10y ago
      Are you being intentionally dense? until GNOME is the dominant desktop experience in the world, "beginner" in this context means anyone coming from a dominant desktop experience: Windows, MacOS. Or perhaps from another prevalent paradigm users are familiar with: iOS, Android. And yes, GP post is correct - Gnome shell is entirely unintuitive unless you either (1) are forced to make peace with it and eventually learn its quirks or (2) already somehow know how it works
      - teh_klev 10y ago

dmix 10y ago

Ubuntu using GNOME is easily the biggest deal for Linux desktop in a long time. The recent versions of GNOME in the last year or so have been rock solid. The designers have been tweaking it since 3 launched to make it pixel perfect. I like the style better than OSX and I'm a front-end dev. Especially in dark-mode, with the always black top bar, it blends perfectly with a terminal heavy workflow. No semi-transparent background and grey chrome to distract from black terminals. And splitting/floating windows is built-in with shortcuts so it's easy to have [terminal/dev tools][chrome] side by side without installing any 3rd party tools. I normally use a tiling WM (i3/BSPWM), usually combined with gnome 3 for window chrome/nautilus, but since the last reinstall I haven't felt the need as I like the new gnome desktop. I hope their teams collaborate on a Gnome 4 release.

chrisper 10y ago
What do you think about the huge title bars? Probably the most annoying thing about Gnome imho. I know you can adjust it, but still. If you Google you need to find a good fix that is compatible with your version. I used Gnome for quite some time, but now I am using Cinnamon.
- abrowne 10y ago
  I like them, assuming I'm using a higher-than-traditional but not "retina"/doubled dpi, such as a 1920×1080 on a 13″ screen.
- sametmax 10y ago
  Most annoyances from gnome shell can be fixed by using the proper addons. The bad news is that it's time consuming and really you shouldn't have to do that. The good news is that toggling an addon is a one-click operation. E.G: disable huge title bars: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/723/pixel-saver/ https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/723/pixel-saver/
  - snuxoll 10y ago
    Funny thing about this, the behavior pixel-saver adds to GNOME shell was once standard - people didn't like it so it was reverted (I think I remember this back in the GNOME 3.8 days).
  - vetinari 10y ago
    Pixel saver does not disable huge title bars. It removes title bar for the maximized window. For a window that is not maximized, it does exactly nothing.
- XorNot 10y ago
  Cinnamon is the desktop I want. As far as I know it's the desktop everybody wants - I've never had trouble explaining it to people. Windows 7 basically solved the basic UI experience IMO and we've since wasted thousands of hours redesigning it rather then perfecting it.
sametmax 10y ago
The look is great but put any beginner in front of it and: - they will lool for the desktop for ever, not understanding it's gone; - will struggle with the dock, hidding, not opening new windows when expected, not showing when several windows are opened, etc; - will have a painful wifi setup (the list of SSID don't refresh unless you close it, then go 2 menus down to restart it) - will have a painful bluetooth setup (the menu doesn't even appear if it's off) - will be confused when trying to minimised two windows to put side by side now that the icon is gone; - will try to look for the button to put the laptop to sleep and look at you with the eye of a sad puppy; - will see a lot a spaces wasted compared to unity because of the windows bar being back and huge; - will look for their app tray icons (now at the bottom left); - will activate the hot corner by mistake. I use myself 15 addons to make gnome-shell usable, and you can't expect the average user to do that. Gnome shell is still experimental. Not from a technical point of view, but from an ergonomic point of view.
- yarrel 10y ago
  A beginner to what? If they've never used a computer before, what are they comparing it to? If they're a Windows user wouldn't they have to make some adjustments to use macOS or iOS? If they're a Unity user they will just do what Canonical tell them to. The only problems from your list that I recognise are bluetooth, which is no longer a problem, and the hot corner. The hot corner is bad interface design and needs fixing.
  - dmitrygr 10y ago
    Are you being intentionally dense? until GNOME is the dominant desktop experience in the world, "beginner" in this context means anyone coming from a dominant desktop experience: Windows, MacOS. Or perhaps from another prevalent paradigm users are familiar with: iOS, Android. And yes, GP post is correct - Gnome shell is entirely unintuitive unless you either (1) are forced to make peace with it and eventually learn its quirks or (2) already somehow know how it works
    - teh_klev 10y ago