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Help Improve Gnome

blogs.gnome.org

11–20 of 82 posts

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#11
I wanted to help, but this tool doesn't collect any useful data IMO. Just queries the distribution, installed apps and the default browser. Full list here: https://gitlab.gnome.org/vstanek/gnome-info-collect/#client-...

I don't see how this would actually help improve the parts of GNOME that need improvement.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#12
post #7

> The goal of this tool is to help improve GNOME, by providing data that can inform design decisions, [...] I suppose that collecting data about Gnome configurations will provide data just marginally useful to inform design decisions. Anecdotal point: last month I installed Debian+Gnome on my father's new laptop. He's a retiree, and not a all a techie. He wasn't thrilled with the textless icons on the left but though…

I don't know how anybody gets on without text.

I see coworkers who have a default Windows 10 setup, with the titles of windows hidden. They'll have 10+ Chrome windows open, 5+ spreadsheets, and then each Chrome window has 20 tabs in it.

And despite all that, they still don't think to do "Open Link in New Tab", and they lose track of where they are in our web app. Maybe I should add breadcrumb nav.

And of course, window management is rare. Maximize everything, even terminals.

Maybe people really do have fundamentally different brains from each other. Maybe they memorize the positions of the icons and get by. I have to have text, and I bookmark and close tabs aggressively to keep it all clean.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#13
post #8

In a world where almost all software companies keep pushing telemetry behind our backs, trying to grab as much information about us as they can. It's nice to see a project like Gnome doing the right thing making telemetry fully voluntary and anonymising the data completely. We understand that software projects need telemetry to improve, but that's no excuse to sneakily steal information about us. Well done Gnome!

I appreciate that about VLC too, with its famous "Let VLC connect to the Internet?" first-run dialog.

Element I _think_ is also opt-in.

Also, for whoever is reading and might need to hear it, "Opted in by default" is called "opt-out".

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#14
post #10

I used to use GNOME for many years, mostly because it was the default on Ubuntu. Now it's one of my least favorite desktops, I'll use almost anything else. I got frustrated at the seemingly random, user-hostile, backwards-incompatible changes from one version to the next. From my rough memory: * The desktop icons and click-and-drag shortcuts got removed a few years ago. This is a GUI workflow that I've been using on…

> I eventually figured out that I had to swipe up a little arrow at the bottom of the screen, but using a mouse. Why?

Forced swipes are one of the most disgusting feature ever; they are always configured with some kind of inertial threshold so that you need to do the exact movement the designer expected.

On touchscreen they are even worse as sometimes if you are holding the device in an unusual way or have a cover that slightly blocks the side of the screen the "correct" movement can be impossible.

Apparently Windows 10 briefly experimented with forcing them for the login (click, enter, and any other key would do nothing), but it has not happened in a while.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#15
post #8

In a world where almost all software companies keep pushing telemetry behind our backs, trying to grab as much information about us as they can. It's nice to see a project like Gnome doing the right thing making telemetry fully voluntary and anonymising the data completely. We understand that software projects need telemetry to improve, but that's no excuse to sneakily steal information about us. Well done Gnome!

I appreciate that about VLC too, with its famous "Let VLC connect to the Internet?" first-run dialog. Element I _think_ is also opt-in. Also, for whoever is reading and might need to hear it, "Opted in by default" is called "opt-out".

That dialog is nice in intention but they should really simplify it.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#16
post #10

I used to use GNOME for many years, mostly because it was the default on Ubuntu. Now it's one of my least favorite desktops, I'll use almost anything else. I got frustrated at the seemingly random, user-hostile, backwards-incompatible changes from one version to the next. From my rough memory: * The desktop icons and click-and-drag shortcuts got removed a few years ago. This is a GUI workflow that I've been using on…

> If I recall, I eventually figured out that I had to swipe up a little arrow at the bottom of the screen, but using a mouse. Why?

I think the answer is that windows 10 does it, so it must be copied.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#17
post #14
post #10

I used to use GNOME for many years, mostly because it was the default on Ubuntu. Now it's one of my least favorite desktops, I'll use almost anything else. I got frustrated at the seemingly random, user-hostile, backwards-incompatible changes from one version to the next. From my rough memory: * The desktop icons and click-and-drag shortcuts got removed a few years ago. This is a GUI workflow that I've been using on…

> I eventually figured out that I had to swipe up a little arrow at the bottom of the screen, but using a mouse. Why? Forced swipes are one of the most disgusting feature ever; they are always configured with some kind of inertial threshold so that you need to do the exact movement the designer expected. On touchscreen they are even worse as sometimes if you are holding the device in an unusual way or have a cover th…

Lockscreen clicks are also incredibly annoying. I'm left handed and often use my mouse left handed with the clicks swapped. If you do this in software on something like Windows/MacOS then it uses the "default" click setup even if you're logged in and the only user on the system. So I will sit there and right click while it's looking for a left click because that's the "default". It's incredibly dumb. Most Linux DEs/login managers are like this too although you have more control over the software so it's possible to swap at boot at a lower level. I've given up swapping clicks in software and now buy more expensive mice that have the option in hardware.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#18
post #10

I used to use GNOME for many years, mostly because it was the default on Ubuntu. Now it's one of my least favorite desktops, I'll use almost anything else. I got frustrated at the seemingly random, user-hostile, backwards-incompatible changes from one version to the next. From my rough memory: * The desktop icons and click-and-drag shortcuts got removed a few years ago. This is a GUI workflow that I've been using on…

> I think one version of Ubuntu GNOME obscured the login screen. I installed it, saw no login screen, clicked everywhere, but nothing happened. Just stared at a desktop wallpaper. If I recall, I eventually figured out that I had to swipe up a little arrow at the bottom of the screen, but using a mouse. Why?

You can press any key to go past that screen.

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#19

I wanted to help, but this tool doesn't collect any useful data IMO. Just queries the distribution, installed apps and the default browser. Full list here: https://gitlab.gnome.org/vstanek/gnome-info-collect/#client-... I don't see how this would actually help improve the parts of GNOME that need improvement.

It collects plenty of useful information for directing effort. Plenty of Gnome's online account information stuff gets analysed and the installed extension are queried.

If the Gnome devs see that a particular extension is installed often (i.e. GsConnect, a sound output chooser that's actually useful, etc.) then they might build that feature into the system directly so users don't need extensions any more.

I'm sure they can collect more information if they want to but I don't know if that information would actually be useful to the Gnome team at this point. I'm guessing they're looking for very specific things to optimize for (i.e. Flatpak support, hardware support, extensions everyone uses to compensate for missing features).

Re: Help Improve Gnome

#20
post #10

I used to use GNOME for many years, mostly because it was the default on Ubuntu. Now it's one of my least favorite desktops, I'll use almost anything else. I got frustrated at the seemingly random, user-hostile, backwards-incompatible changes from one version to the next. From my rough memory: * The desktop icons and click-and-drag shortcuts got removed a few years ago. This is a GUI workflow that I've been using on…

I'm with you. Over the years Gnome pushed me away with the ambitious but undesired UX.

It reminded me of M$ forcing Windows 8 tiles.

I'm just happy that linux gives me plenty of options for distros and desktops. I've never even considered gnome a problem because I just don't use it.

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