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Ironically, the thing that first got me really into Linux (which I consider a functional and pragmatic system at its core) was having lots of window managers, s
by thom 5y ago
Ironically, the thing that first got me really into Linux (which I consider a functional and pragmatic system at its core) was having lots of window managers, some of which did frivolous things like having waves lapping on my desktop. I think there are worse things than operating systems looking pretty. Your computer might be a tool, mine’s the spaceship I spend most of my life inside.
- AnIdiotOnTheNet 5y ago> Your computer might be a tool, mine’s the spaceship I spend most of my life inside. If that's the case, then OS developers should spend less time making it fit some designer's aesthetic of beauty and instead make it super mailable, so users can make it look pleasing to them instead. Not surprisingly, 90s OS did that better too.
- paulryanrogers 5y agoI'm reminded that Windows 3.1 had dark mode in the early 1990s, and not simply inverting colors. Theming was so easy compared to today that it's embarrassing.
- mst 5y agoHeck, the main reason I originally figured out how to root my high school's 3.1 setup was so I could enable the "black leather jacket" theme.
- orhmeh09 5y agoBut the designers really, really want that aesthetic: https://stopthemingmy.app/ https://stopthemingmy.app/
- cocoafleck 5y agoI felt a bit queasy reading that.
- eitland 5y agoIMO: Perfect example of designers thinking they are something they are not: As a designer and as a software engineer we should strive to deliver a good out of the box experience. But, we should also try to make it simple to reuse our works: stick to standards, provide APIs, make sure theming and extension is as simple as possible. Yes, this leads to complexity, but if people could do it in 1995 surely we can do it in 2021 as well?
- vincent-manis 5y agoAbsolutely. I love that about Linux: it offers the user choice. That's why I use i3, no frivolous waves for me!