7 ms·

Canonical have really upped their game recently. These days a fresh Ubuntu installation looks pretty slick, compared to a just few releases ago. Maybe it's not

by SandB0x 16y ago

Canonical have really upped their game recently. These days a fresh Ubuntu installation looks pretty slick, compared to a just few releases ago. Maybe it's not quite up to OS X standards yet, but reading the design team and Mark Shuttleworth's blogs it's clear they're thinking things through, and not just throwing bling at the screen: Ubuntu 8.04: http://polishlinux.org/reviews/ubuntu-8-04/default.png http://polishlinux.org/reviews/ubuntu-8-04/default.png Ubuntu 10.10 Preview: http://design.canonical.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ambiance-maverick-preview_update.png http://design.canonical.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/ambia...

jakevoytko 16y ago
I've used Ubuntu for a few years now, and I adore Gnome's simplicity. For someone who mostly lives in Emacs and Chrome, its a great Desktop: its simple, it (mostly) works, and it stays out of the way! They must do some incredible usability testing, since it usually doesn't frustrate me like Windows does. If it didn't have such a single-minded fixation on warning you about Non-Free Components (gasp!) it would be almost unbeatable.
- jemfinch 16y ago
  Except you still have to manage your windows. Since the whole point of a window manager is to manage my windows so I don't have to, I use xmonad. If you want simplicity, give that a try :)
  - sjs 16y ago
    xmonad is great and I used to miss it on OS X, but I've grown to appreciate SizeUp and Divvy for OS X. You get tiling functionality when you want it, and only when you want it. It's slightly more involved than xmonad but only slightly. And it's unobtrusive. They're certainly limited compared to xmonad but they get the job done for me. I only have a couple of configurations I use very often.
    - jemfinch 16y ago
      I looked into SizeUp, but it seemed to follow a different model than xmonad/awesome: it only tiled (and then, only in halves or quarters). What I like about xmonad/awesome is that there's a master window and all other windows are automatically managed for me on the other side of the screen; if I want one of my windows bigger, I just rotate it into the master slot. I really don't have to manage my windows, which I love. I haven't looked into Divvy, I'll take a look.
      - jfager 16y ago
        Another one to try is Optimal Layout. It gives you tiling, hotkeys for resizing and moving windows, and a better Cmd-Tab (though you have to Alt-Tab instead, unfortunately), and the latest release supports rotating. I love it.
moultano 16y ago
I love that 10.10 preview shot. Every piece of chrome on the screen looks like something I'd like to touch and move around.
tvon 16y ago
Do you know if that 10.10 shot is a screenshot or a mockup?
- dmaz 16y ago
  Screenshot. The Maverick theme and new Font are available in PPAs now. The radial gradient looks great in the menus but is slow to render in practice.
  - Yaggo 16y ago
    Wow. Not big fan of Gnome personally & haven't used Linux desktop since 2006, but that GUI looks definitely elegant. (Hopefully they have gotten things right under the hood, too.)
jp_sc 16y ago
The thing I like the most of that 10.10 screenshot is the selection of fonts. The text in 8.04 looks amateurish in comparison.
cubicle67 16y ago
Thanks for those. I really like the borderless windows and the dark theme.
kmfrk 16y ago
Side note, but the check marks going beyond the box's border is driving me insane.

by SandB0x 16y ago

jakevoytko 16y ago

I've used Ubuntu for a few years now, and I adore Gnome's simplicity. For someone who mostly lives in Emacs and Chrome, its a great Desktop: its simple, it (mostly) works, and it stays out of the way! They must do some incredible usability testing, since it usually doesn't frustrate me like Windows does. If it didn't have such a single-minded fixation on warning you about Non-Free Components (gasp!) it would be almost unbeatable.

jemfinch 16y ago
Except you still have to manage your windows. Since the whole point of a window manager is to manage my windows so I don't have to, I use xmonad. If you want simplicity, give that a try :)
- sjs 16y ago
  xmonad is great and I used to miss it on OS X, but I've grown to appreciate SizeUp and Divvy for OS X. You get tiling functionality when you want it, and only when you want it. It's slightly more involved than xmonad but only slightly. And it's unobtrusive. They're certainly limited compared to xmonad but they get the job done for me. I only have a couple of configurations I use very often.
  - jemfinch 16y ago
    I looked into SizeUp, but it seemed to follow a different model than xmonad/awesome: it only tiled (and then, only in halves or quarters). What I like about xmonad/awesome is that there's a master window and all other windows are automatically managed for me on the other side of the screen; if I want one of my windows bigger, I just rotate it into the master slot. I really don't have to manage my windows, which I love. I haven't looked into Divvy, I'll take a look.
    - jfager 16y ago
      Another one to try is Optimal Layout. It gives you tiling, hotkeys for resizing and moving windows, and a better Cmd-Tab (though you have to Alt-Tab instead, unfortunately), and the latest release supports rotating. I love it.

moultano 16y ago

I love that 10.10 preview shot. Every piece of chrome on the screen looks like something I'd like to touch and move around.

tvon 16y ago

Do you know if that 10.10 shot is a screenshot or a mockup?

dmaz 16y ago
Screenshot. The Maverick theme and new Font are available in PPAs now. The radial gradient looks great in the menus but is slow to render in practice.
- Yaggo 16y ago
  Wow. Not big fan of Gnome personally & haven't used Linux desktop since 2006, but that GUI looks definitely elegant. (Hopefully they have gotten things right under the hood, too.)

jp_sc 16y ago

The thing I like the most of that 10.10 screenshot is the selection of fonts. The text in 8.04 looks amateurish in comparison.

cubicle67 16y ago

Thanks for those. I really like the borderless windows and the dark theme.

kmfrk 16y ago

Side note, but the check marks going beyond the box's border is driving me insane.