Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM • Hacker News Board

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#21

Post by joshfinnie » Thu, May 12, 2011, 1:36 PM UTC

IgorPartola wrote: post #9

akent wrote: post #3

Surely GDM will still be available as a package though...? If so, does the choice of default login manager really matter?

Ubuntu is all about the ease of use. How do you explain to your non-technical wife, for example, what a login manager is, what it does and why you'd want a better, lighter one? I like this change. I wish they'd switch away from Gnome entirely and go with something like XFCE by default. I want my DE to take up as little resources as possible out of the box.

Unfortunately, there are too many standard programs out there that need Gnome to run. I can't see Ubuntu using XFCE but still requiring Gnome installed; for newbies that would not be worth the effort. XFCE has a steeper learning curve than Gnome for people coming from Windows.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#22

Post by steevdave » Thu, May 12, 2011, 1:47 PM UTC

motters wrote: post #19

It looks as if Ubuntu is making good progress on the user interface, despite the current apparent loss of functionality with Unity. Having well designed and user friendly features is only one part of the equation though. To really gain popularity they will need to be able to persuade hardware manufacturers to ship with Ubuntu installed by default, or at least as a dual boot option. So far this has proven difficult to…

Part of this has to do with the cost of Ubuntu. I'm not talking paying developers to make sure it works on the machine, but the actual cost that Canonical charges for the ability to use the Ubuntu logo and becoming "certified"; It's not a trivial amount of money by any stretch.

Anyone can preinstall Ubuntu on a machine and release it, they just can't say it is Ubuntu specifically or use the logos.

And I don't advocate not paying it or not becoming certified, we are considering it currently but I can say that management has balked a few times when we've brought it up has been due to the amount of money required up front.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#23

Post by steevdave » Thu, May 12, 2011, 1:55 PM UTC

soofaloofa wrote: post #10

I love the Ubuntu team's willingness to move the platform forward. Even if that means making controversial decisions.

I'm not quite sure how changing the login manager counts as a controversial decision unless you were meaning just the unity issue. The login manager has one main job and really shouldn't be a huge convoluted mess of code (from experience GDM is). I'm excited about this change although I've never heard of lightdm until this story.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#24

Post by riffraff » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:03 PM UTC

joshfinnie wrote: post #21

IgorPartola wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Ubuntu is all about the ease of use. How do you explain to your non-technical wife, for example, what a login manager is, what it does and why you'd want a better, lighter one? I like this change. I wish they'd switch away from Gnome entirely and go with something like XFCE by default. I want my DE to take up as little resources as possible out of the box.

Unfortunately, there are too many standard programs out there that need Gnome to run. I can't see Ubuntu using XFCE but still requiring Gnome installed; for newbies that would not be worth the effort. XFCE has a steeper learning curve than Gnome for people coming from Windows.

does this still apply with gnome3? it does not seem very close to a windows experience to me.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#25

Post by sciurus » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:09 PM UTC

The blueprint (how features are proposed for ubuntu) is at https://blueprints.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+spec/desktop-o-ligh...

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#26

Post by ez77 » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:34 PM UTC

steevdave wrote: post #22

motters wrote: post #19

It looks as if Ubuntu is making good progress on the user interface, despite the current apparent loss of functionality with Unity. Having well designed and user friendly features is only one part of the equation though. To really gain popularity they will need to be able to persuade hardware manufacturers to ship with Ubuntu installed by default, or at least as a dual boot option. So far this has proven difficult to…

Part of this has to do with the cost of Ubuntu. I'm not talking paying developers to make sure it works on the machine, but the actual cost that Canonical charges for the ability to use the Ubuntu logo and becoming "certified"; It's not a trivial amount of money by any stretch. Anyone can preinstall Ubuntu on a machine and release it, they just can't say it is Ubuntu specifically or use the logos. And I don't advocat…

Who are considering becoming certified?

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#27

Post by makmanalp » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:42 PM UTC

While it looks like Ubuntu is throwing caution in the wind in many respects, I like that this is bringing attention to overlooked projects and attempting to clean up some old messes.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#28

Post by oozcitak » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:53 PM UTC

phaylon wrote: post #18

rbanffy wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Now would be a great time to file that feature request. LightDM folks have about 6 months to get it fixed (that is, if it's broken)

Does that mean it doesn't support hiding usernames yet? I'm still trying to figure that out.

Did you try setting load-users=false under [UserManager] in /etc/lightdm.conf?

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#29

Post by tga » Thu, May 12, 2011, 2:57 PM UTC

Ubuntu choosing a different default display manager is hardly newsworthy, would you seriously discuss Windows or OS X swapping some code behind the login window?

I would be more interested in hearing about Canonical putting lots of thought and their weight behind an improved desktop experience developed independently of the current looks and functionality of Windows, especially since for the moment they are the GNU-Linux-on-the-desktop company.

Re: Ubuntu 11.10 To Switch From GDM To LightDM

#30

Post by phaylon » Thu, May 12, 2011, 3:07 PM UTC

oozcitak wrote: post #28

phaylon wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Does that mean it doesn't support hiding usernames yet? I'm still trying to figure that out.

Did you try setting load-users=false under [UserManager] in /etc/lightdm.conf?

I didn't install anything yet. I just googled for it to find out if it will be possible, since that was a rather large hassle during the last switch, and just recently got fixed and is now available as a checkbox option in the preferences.

I found lots of articles and developer resources, but haven't found the documentation for it on the web yet. I assume that will change as exposure increases.