5 ms·

As an occasional Linux user, I still get annoyed with situations like "GNOME people decided that you shouldn't want to put files on the desktop" which then spil

As an occasional Linux user, I still get annoyed with situations like "GNOME people decided that you shouldn't want to put files on the desktop" which then spills over into supposedly user friendly distros. So it's not all sunshine and roses even when it's officially working-as-intended. Lately I've been using Mint-XFCE in a VM for some of my Linux needs and that's been much better performing than trying to virtualize the fancier desktop environments. But Pop_OS looks promising for next time I need a native linux environment.

jjice 5y ago
What's this about GNOME and files on the desktop? I have file on my GNOME desktop. Sometimes the ordering of them is a little weird, but I've never had an issue with it.
- GrayShade 5y ago
  And you had to install an extension for it.
  - yissp 5y ago
    Honestly, why is that a problem? Installing shell extensions is trivial.
    - jbnorth 5y ago
      For the average non-technical user going through the trouble of installing an extension to put files on the desktop is a non-starter. If I switched my parents to Linux with GNOME they would be completely lost being unable to put files on the desktop. If people want Linux to be the next great desktop OS then things like this are a huge barrier to usability.
    - GrayShade 5y ago
      It might be trivial, but it's something that can annoy new Linux users. And they also break on every GNOME release, often enough that I kinda' gave up on my favorite GNOME extension (Dash to Dock). Not that I blame the extension developers, but e.g. the review times on extensions.gnome.org are atrocious, and the build system is fiddly enough that I can't remember what I did to install it manually 6, 12 or 18 months earlier.
      - wlesieutre 5y ago
        From the link pjmlp posted [0], to install extensions in Gnome 40 you need to install a 3rd party browser extension (not available through Firefox add-on store) and then from your package manager install the browser-shell-connector. These will let you enable and disable extensions, but you still can't configure them. To configure your newly enabled extensions, you need to install the Gnome Extensions flatpack. And to do that, you're off to the command line to add Flathub as a remote repo. I don't know that the desktop icons extension requires any configuration, but based on the fact that you need an extension for it I'm guessing that there are similarly weird decisions being made elsewhere, and being able to change extension settings is going to be useful. And to get to that point you have a four stage install including a trip to the command line? Why not ship Gnome Extensions by default with the OS? Is this like Steve Jobs with his "you're holding it wrong" remark, and people who want to put icons on the desktop are supposed to just stop wanting to do that? [0]: https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html
        GrayShade 5y ago
        I suppose so. On my distro (Arch, BTW) I need the browser extension, and I can use the non-Flatpak GNOME Extensions just fine (used to be Tweaks before). I think the GNOME developers want to stop hearing about packaging issues for their apps, so they ask everyone to use the Flatpak versions. I have nothing against it, but there's no point as long as the distro-provided version still works.
        wlesieutre 5y ago
        Glad to hear distros are shipping gnome extensions, situation is not quite as ridiculous as it sounded from reading that
        forgotpwd16 5y ago
        GNOME Shell integration extension is available on the add-on stores of both Firefox[0] and Chrome[1]. Their preferences are available either from the installed page or the `gnome-extensions` CLI tool included with GNOME Shell or the Extensions app you're talking about. [0]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-integration/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-inte... [1]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integration/gphhapmejobijbbhgpjhcjognlahblep https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integr...
- princevegeta89 5y ago
  yeah i dont understand it either
- Case81 5y ago
  Vanilla GNOME doesn’t have icons, I think. I’m not on the latest GNOME 40 to verify
  - pjmlp 5y ago
    No need, here is the current state https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html
- pjmlp 5y ago
  Ask the GNOME developers not us, https://itsfoss.com/add-files-on-desktop-ubuntu/ https://itsfoss.com/add-files-on-desktop-ubuntu/ https://markperez.dev/blog/organize-desktop-icons-ubuntu/ https://markperez.dev/blog/organize-desktop-icons-ubuntu/
Case81 5y ago
It’s actually because they had a pretty darn annoying bug with their desktop icons

jjice 5y ago

What's this about GNOME and files on the desktop? I have file on my GNOME desktop. Sometimes the ordering of them is a little weird, but I've never had an issue with it.

GrayShade 5y ago
And you had to install an extension for it.
- yissp 5y ago
  Honestly, why is that a problem? Installing shell extensions is trivial.
  - jbnorth 5y ago
    For the average non-technical user going through the trouble of installing an extension to put files on the desktop is a non-starter. If I switched my parents to Linux with GNOME they would be completely lost being unable to put files on the desktop. If people want Linux to be the next great desktop OS then things like this are a huge barrier to usability.
  - GrayShade 5y ago
    It might be trivial, but it's something that can annoy new Linux users. And they also break on every GNOME release, often enough that I kinda' gave up on my favorite GNOME extension (Dash to Dock). Not that I blame the extension developers, but e.g. the review times on extensions.gnome.org are atrocious, and the build system is fiddly enough that I can't remember what I did to install it manually 6, 12 or 18 months earlier.
    - wlesieutre 5y ago
      From the link pjmlp posted [0], to install extensions in Gnome 40 you need to install a 3rd party browser extension (not available through Firefox add-on store) and then from your package manager install the browser-shell-connector. These will let you enable and disable extensions, but you still can't configure them. To configure your newly enabled extensions, you need to install the Gnome Extensions flatpack. And to do that, you're off to the command line to add Flathub as a remote repo. I don't know that the desktop icons extension requires any configuration, but based on the fact that you need an extension for it I'm guessing that there are similarly weird decisions being made elsewhere, and being able to change extension settings is going to be useful. And to get to that point you have a four stage install including a trip to the command line? Why not ship Gnome Extensions by default with the OS? Is this like Steve Jobs with his "you're holding it wrong" remark, and people who want to put icons on the desktop are supposed to just stop wanting to do that? [0]: https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html
      - GrayShade 5y ago
        I suppose so. On my distro (Arch, BTW) I need the browser extension, and I can use the non-Flatpak GNOME Extensions just fine (used to be Tweaks before). I think the GNOME developers want to stop hearing about packaging issues for their apps, so they ask everyone to use the Flatpak versions. I have nothing against it, but there's no point as long as the distro-provided version still works.
        wlesieutre 5y ago
        Glad to hear distros are shipping gnome extensions, situation is not quite as ridiculous as it sounded from reading that
      - forgotpwd16 5y ago
        GNOME Shell integration extension is available on the add-on stores of both Firefox[0] and Chrome[1]. Their preferences are available either from the installed page or the `gnome-extensions` CLI tool included with GNOME Shell or the Extensions app you're talking about. [0]: https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-integration/ https://addons.mozilla.org/en/firefox/addon/gnome-shell-inte... [1]: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integration/gphhapmejobijbbhgpjhcjognlahblep https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/gnome-shell-integr...
princevegeta89 5y ago
yeah i dont understand it either
Case81 5y ago
Vanilla GNOME doesn’t have icons, I think. I’m not on the latest GNOME 40 to verify
- pjmlp 5y ago
  No need, here is the current state https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html https://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/gnome-40.html
pjmlp 5y ago
Ask the GNOME developers not us, https://itsfoss.com/add-files-on-desktop-ubuntu/ https://itsfoss.com/add-files-on-desktop-ubuntu/ https://markperez.dev/blog/organize-desktop-icons-ubuntu/ https://markperez.dev/blog/organize-desktop-icons-ubuntu/

Case81 5y ago

It’s actually because they had a pretty darn annoying bug with their desktop icons