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A new wave of Linux applications

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Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#251

Post by heavyset_go »

mappu wrote: post #210
Tmpod wrote: post #186

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For Qt (QML/QtQuick; Widgets are no linger the preferred method afaik) you have qmetaobjects-rs, which is reeally nice.

QML is practically electron - it's runtime interpreted declarative UI plus a Javascript engine. QML still has only rudimentary support for AOT compilation. Both the old qmlcompiler and the new qmlsc compiler are commercial-only: https://www.qt.io/blog/the-new-qtquick-compiler-technology . LGPL users only get the interpreter. Widgets is still the 'Real Qt'. Some very modern, responsive-layout desktop apps like Telegra…

> QML is practically electron - it's runtime interpreted declarative UI plus a Javascript engine.

It uses significantly less resources and QML and QtQuick are pretty nice to work with compared to targeting a weird embedded browser with HTML, CSS and JS.

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#252

Post by rightbyte »

kitsunesoba wrote: post #123
rightbyte wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm quite sure you could change system colors willy nilly in OS 8. It was great fun. I miss that part - the feeling of having "your own" system. Since customization where pretty standard back then, it feels like product managers pushing their "vision" rather than technical difficulties preventing that nowadays.

Kaleidoscope and later on Appearance Manager in Classic Mac OS were so much fun. No OS theming system I’ve encountered since have been as capable as those were.

Ye I wonder what fantastic APIs were actually exposed. I remember some 3rd party screen saver I had. Where like Goofy peeked out of folders and Donald Duck was cleaning up some file mess. I mean, how could you even program that?

I think it was on the real desktop, not some bitmap, but not too sure.

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#253

Post by imiric »

wink wrote: post #248
imiric wrote: post #240

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The issue is not the lack of good tools on Linux, just with the ones shipped with the major distros and DEs. Quality and simple tools do exist if you look for them: - Image viewer: feh - Screen capture: scrot - Dropbox: Syncthing - Converters: Pandoc, ImageMagick - PDF viewer: zathura - Media player: mpv etc. Granted, some of them are CLI only (though they might have GUI wrappers), but desktop users with productivity…

I've had problems with scrot and drawing selections, so I've been using maim for a while, otherwise: yes, exactly my kit - but for IM's convert I have to search for the syntax every damn time, it really sucks.

I use this script to help with selections:

scrot -a $(slop -f '%x,%y,%w,%h')

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#254

Post by [deleted] »

taeric wrote: post #215
eric4smith wrote: post #205

Until there is as “simple” to use an app like Preview on the Mac, most of these new generation apps are garbage. I’ve just switched to Ubuntu on a workstation I have lying around. And man, is it hard to use for just normal everyday use. Yes, it has the basics covered, but like many others my job has a lot of simple image manipulation related stuff. Convert pdf to png. Assemble multiple images into a pdf. Quickly shar…

I can't claim you are wrong... But I struggle with versions of those on my Mac on a regular basis, as well. Screen capture, in particular, is hilariously fickle for me. I finally got it so that it puts the image in my clipboard. Which is great, until I try to remember how to get it directly to a file. Because, I can't remember where that setting is anymore. And I have no idea how to make a pdf on this computer. Combi…

[deleted]

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#255

Post by HatchedLake721 »

haroldflowers wrote: post #247

I've been a long time linux desktop user, recently switched over to macOS after getting fed up from not being able to do many basic "productivity" related tasks, without having to open a terminal, search for a package on google, fiddle with some config, do a rain dance, etc... Skimming through just the blog post and some of the comments on this thread gives me a bit of a flashback thinking of all of the headaches I'v…

Amen. Engineers like to tinker.

From installing custom ROM on their phones, to deciding which JavaScript router to use along with other 99 packages to run a blog.

We’ve all been there.

But sometimes the time comes, where you just want to be as productive as possible or focus on other things.

And that’s when things like Ruby on Rails or iPhone start look interesting. They just work, and let you focus on creating value, rather than feeding your inner pedantic tinkerer.

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#256

Post by grey_earthling »

habosa wrote: post #127

These apps look very nice, I am happy to see this movement. But this is HN so ... allow me to go a bit off topic and complain. Why is is so freaking hard to install an app on Linux (Ubuntu)? There's nothing in the software center, and when I find an app I want I am just pointed to a .tar.gz or something. I want a file I can double-click and end up with a launchable icon representing that app in my dock later. I would…

> Why is is so freaking hard to install an app on Linux (Ubuntu)? There's nothing in the software center

If I may also be opinionated… :)

IMO Ubuntu is not very good at curating their repo and presenting it in their Software centre.

GNOME Software is designed to only show graphical desktop apps that include enough metadata. Ubuntu modifies their version of Software to also show non-graphical apps, (including anything packaged as a Snap).

Fedora doesn't make this modification and as a result, Software has less stuff, but a greater wheat to chaff ratio.

Fedora's repos are almost as full of stuff as Ubuntu's, and that's still available through the command line for those who want it; but the more-prominent user experience is less frustrating.

Ubuntu is catering for IoT developers who want to use technical Snaps easily, which is fair enough, but not my use-case. Fedora is catering for a more general-purpose workstation OS, which is my use-case.

> I want a file I can double-click and end up with a launchable icon representing that app in my dock later. I would also like to be able to update that app easily in the future.

A .flatpakref file and GNOME Software does that. This works on pretty much every distro except Ubuntu :) because Ubuntu's modified version of Software doesn't include flatpak support.

In Fedora, I can open a .flatpakref file, which opens Software showing the app's details; I click Install; I have a launcher in the app grid. Software updates the app automatically in the background (unless I switch that off in its preferences).

I'm not saying that Ubuntu is bad here! I'm saying it's coffee; Fedora is tea; I prefer tea, and maybe you would too :)

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#257

Post by phendrenad2 »

haroldflowers wrote: post #247

I've been a long time linux desktop user, recently switched over to macOS after getting fed up from not being able to do many basic "productivity" related tasks, without having to open a terminal, search for a package on google, fiddle with some config, do a rain dance, etc... Skimming through just the blog post and some of the comments on this thread gives me a bit of a flashback thinking of all of the headaches I'v…

The Linux world has two competing ideals: "So easy my grandparents can use it" and "Learning the terminal will make you a better person". Anyone who tries to make things too simple (PCLinuxOS) is derided and criticized by Popular Linux YouTube Channel, Reddit, etc. Anyone who tries to make things too technical (Arch) is ignored by Popular Linux YouTube Channel, Reddit, etc. So only those distros that flounder somewhere in the middle get popular. Ideally, the Linux desktop world would just split in half, so that there can be a clean separation between these two ideals. People who want "Easux is so easy my grandparents can use it" won't be bothered that Hardux is hard to use. People who want "Learning the Hardux terminal will make you a better person" won't be annoyed that Easux is easy to use.

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#258

Post by peoplefromibiza »

eric4smith wrote: post #205

Until there is as “simple” to use an app like Preview on the Mac, most of these new generation apps are garbage. I’ve just switched to Ubuntu on a workstation I have lying around. And man, is it hard to use for just normal everyday use. Yes, it has the basics covered, but like many others my job has a lot of simple image manipulation related stuff. Convert pdf to png. Assemble multiple images into a pdf. Quickly shar…

> Convert pdf to png. Assemble multiple images into a pdf

not want to sound harsh, but imgemagick could do that 15 years ago.

I use OpenOffice Draw nowadays, but despite the fact that PDFs have become a joke of a file format, Linux is the best to handle them by far, unless someone thinks that Acrobat is anywhere near to being good (or Preview for that matter)

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#259

Post by musicale »

taeric wrote: post #215
eric4smith wrote: post #205

Until there is as “simple” to use an app like Preview on the Mac, most of these new generation apps are garbage. I’ve just switched to Ubuntu on a workstation I have lying around. And man, is it hard to use for just normal everyday use. Yes, it has the basics covered, but like many others my job has a lot of simple image manipulation related stuff. Convert pdf to png. Assemble multiple images into a pdf. Quickly shar…

I can't claim you are wrong... But I struggle with versions of those on my Mac on a regular basis, as well. Screen capture, in particular, is hilariously fickle for me. I finally got it so that it puts the image in my clipboard. Which is great, until I try to remember how to get it directly to a file. Because, I can't remember where that setting is anymore. And I have no idea how to make a pdf on this computer. Combi…

Most of these are fairly discoverable and have been consistent for decades:

Shut down: Apple Menu > Shut Down (since ~2001)

Print to PDF: File > Print... > PDF > Save as PDF (since ~2001); some apps have an File > Export... menu item as well

Combine multiple images: Photoshop (or image editing app of your choice, e.g. Pixelmator, Acorn, Affinity, Krita, etc.; since ~1990)

Screen shot: command-shift-3 (entire screen) or command-shift-4 (selection/window), (since 1990s; earlier for print screen; Mojave or later for command-shift-5); discoverable/configurable via System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Screenshots; modern macOS also pops up a thumbnail you can click on

Re: A new wave of Linux applications

#260

Post by wink »

imiric wrote: post #253
wink wrote: post #248

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've had problems with scrot and drawing selections, so I've been using maim for a while, otherwise: yes, exactly my kit - but for IM's convert I have to search for the syntax every damn time, it really sucks.

I use this script to help with selections: scrot -a $(slop -f '%x,%y,%w,%h')

Thanks, gonna try that one - but so far maim hasn't let me down and it's a drop-in replacement.
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