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I guess this applies more to GNOME than KDE, but why do linux desktop environments look like they were written by people with no taste? I don't exactly know wh

I guess this applies more to GNOME than KDE, but why do linux desktop environments look like they were written by people with no taste? I don't exactly know what it is, but they all have an uncanny quality to them. It's really night and day compared to something like macOS. It's not like the community is devoid of good taste, just go look at r/unixporn. There are plenty of people who know how to make things look good. Why aren't their sensibilities represented in either project?

kjellsbells 2y ago
Because in the *nix UI space, there are simultaneously too many and too few people working on it. So you can have any of a thousand themes, reflecting years of work, on your desktop environment, but, because no-one is paying top notch graphic designers and UX psychologists, the overall experience is still janky. Maybe ElementaryOS solves this, though I dont have direct experience beyond screenshots.
asoneth 2y ago
Perhaps this is a "horses for courses" thing? Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of issues with design choices in both GNOME and macOS (don't get me started on the "flattening" trend to eliminate UI signifiers and affordances) but on the whole it feels like they are at least thoughtful in how they choose to strike a balance between efficiency, learnability, functionality, accessibility, consistency, and aesthetics. I haven't used KDE in a while, but my impression was that it was not far behind. Whereas the majority of r/unixporn screenshots I've seen are gaudy with a focus on aesthetics above other considerations. That may be a good taste for some and I also wonder why someone hasn't made a desktop environment for folks who like that sort of thing, but it's not surprising that the most popular ones have a more mature approach to design.
forgotpwd16 2y ago
Checked r/unixporn and it's the same minimalist-low-contrast-muted-color-tiling-wm-but-floating-windows-opened-fest that has always been. Majority of those environments are appealing but lack usability and accessibility. Rather, what you find better in macOS? If you're macOS user then the uncanny quality could just be it appearing similar yet different.
- alphazard 2y ago
  Fair point about usability; we're only looking at screenshots of these systems. The screenshots at least meet the bar of a professional mockup, even if the whole experience is vaporware. I'm not really sure what I find better. That's why the difference is uncanny. A graphic designer could probably pinpoint it. Maybe it's wasted space? Or the gray in GNOME? It looks like no one knew how big or what color to make things, and just sort of hedged. I don't think my bias is with macOS since I've also used Windows up until 7 and never found that uncanny. It's just a different aesthetic.

kjellsbells 2y ago

Because in the *nix UI space, there are simultaneously too many and too few people working on it. So you can have any of a thousand themes, reflecting years of work, on your desktop environment, but, because no-one is paying top notch graphic designers and UX psychologists, the overall experience is still janky. Maybe ElementaryOS solves this, though I dont have direct experience beyond screenshots.

asoneth 2y ago

Perhaps this is a "horses for courses" thing? Don't get me wrong, I have plenty of issues with design choices in both GNOME and macOS (don't get me started on the "flattening" trend to eliminate UI signifiers and affordances) but on the whole it feels like they are at least thoughtful in how they choose to strike a balance between efficiency, learnability, functionality, accessibility, consistency, and aesthetics. I haven't used KDE in a while, but my impression was that it was not far behind. Whereas the majority of r/unixporn screenshots I've seen are gaudy with a focus on aesthetics above other considerations. That may be a good taste for some and I also wonder why someone hasn't made a desktop environment for folks who like that sort of thing, but it's not surprising that the most popular ones have a more mature approach to design.

forgotpwd16 2y ago

Checked r/unixporn and it's the same minimalist-low-contrast-muted-color-tiling-wm-but-floating-windows-opened-fest that has always been. Majority of those environments are appealing but lack usability and accessibility. Rather, what you find better in macOS? If you're macOS user then the uncanny quality could just be it appearing similar yet different.

alphazard 2y ago
Fair point about usability; we're only looking at screenshots of these systems. The screenshots at least meet the bar of a professional mockup, even if the whole experience is vaporware. I'm not really sure what I find better. That's why the difference is uncanny. A graphic designer could probably pinpoint it. Maybe it's wasted space? Or the gray in GNOME? It looks like no one knew how big or what color to make things, and just sort of hedged. I don't think my bias is with macOS since I've also used Windows up until 7 and never found that uncanny. It's just a different aesthetic.