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ElementaryOs Luna released

elementaryos.org

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Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#11
post #5
post #2

What is this? The landing page looks interesting but light on explanations. Has anyone used it? How is it?

It looks like it's a Darwin/GTK3 open source OS and desktop environment. Previous release "Jupiter" of 2011 was based on Linux. Has its own development library, "Granite". I'm surprised I haven't heard of it before, it does look interesting. About the move from Linux to Darwin: http://elementaryos.org/journal/changes-coming-elementary-os

so that post is clearly an April fools joke. it even says it is at the bottom. They kept the name Luna and I suspect is not based on Darwin either.

Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#12
post #5
post #2

What is this? The landing page looks interesting but light on explanations. Has anyone used it? How is it?

It looks like it's a Darwin/GTK3 open source OS and desktop environment. Previous release "Jupiter" of 2011 was based on Linux. Has its own development library, "Granite". I'm surprised I haven't heard of it before, it does look interesting. About the move from Linux to Darwin: http://elementaryos.org/journal/changes-coming-elementary-os

so that post is clearly an April fools joke. it even says it is at the bottom. They kept the name Luna and I suspect is not based on Darwin either.

Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#14
post #10
post #6

Earlier quoted context omitted.

elementary is what Ubuntu should have been. Basically, they've built a new desktop environment from the ground up with focus on design and usability. This the first release of the DE (first release was based on Gnome), so it's still a bit immature, but there's already a big following.

"Basically, they've built a new desktop environment from the ground up with focus on design and usability" Hmm, that sounds a lot like what Ubuntu did. :-)

Yeah, but I mean elementary OS is something that you can actually give to people that have never used Linux before and they will like it. Unity is, well, divisive to say the least.

Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#16
Mark my words: elementary OS is going to be big.

I was on a beta version of elementary OS a couple months ago, and it was like a breath of fresh air.

elementary OS sets out to settle the number one complaint casual users have of other Linux distributions: design. Other Linux distributions look like a mish-mash of a bunch of different designs by many different people. elementary OS has a beautiful, striking, and (most importantly) consistent vision driving the look and feel of all its applications.

The only thing that previously kept me suggesting elementary OS to people who don't normally use Linux was its instability as a beta release. If this release is as stable as I hope it is, then elementary OS is without a doubt the best distribution to introduce new people to Linux.

I think the following quote pulled from an update on elementary's website defending some unconventional decisions they've made[0] illustrates best what they're trying to do:

We know there are many traditional Linux users out there exclaiming that Linux is all about choices and we should make everything configurable because that’s freedom. But that isn’t why most of you are here in the first place. You’re here because we’ve been making choices for you. Lots of them. We always have and always will. We’re the open source OS with opinionated design. That’s what makes elementary so good. We trim the fat. We optimize. We organize. We rethink.

That's an attitude that's sorely missing in the Linux community. elementary is tackling hard problems and succeeding.

I look forward to the the success of elementary OS.

[0] http://elementaryos.org/journal/we-moved-cheese

Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#18
Heh. I loved Elementary until I fired up KDE 4.11 recently and changed the default theme and added a different task bar widget, and I'm convinced it's every bit as nice as Elementary OS.

Plus, there's already a buildable, runnable branch for KDE5 that will be all Qt5 and run on Wayland. Plus there's a huge ecosystem around KDE already.

The biggest "problem" with Elementary is that it's extremely opinionated and other apps are awkward to use in it. Although, that's true of new GNOME apps that have the stupid dual menu system.

Re: ElementaryOs Luna released

#19
post #4

I really like a lot of the stuff Elementary is doing, but I loathe the way they're mimicking OS X. It's a complete deal breaker for me. It feels like a knock-off.

As someone who just watched the video but hasn't used it yet, that was my thought as well. Are they doing things design-wise and interface-wise that are different than OSX? Or are they simply aiming to re-implement OSX's GUI in Linux? (This is meant as an honest, non-sarcastic question, my curiosity is piqued but I'm genuinely wondering what their goal is)
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