Lobotomizing Gnome

#1

Post by deafcalculus » Wed, May 30, 2018, 6:38 AM UTC

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#2

Post by twblalock » Wed, May 30, 2018, 6:57 AM UTC

Open-source desktops are never perfect for anyone, but everyone expects them to be. For everyone who says they are too bloated, someone else says they are too spartan. That's probably why there are so many of them.

I would expect working on Gnome (or KDE or Cinnamon or Mate or XFCE or LXDE, the list goes on) to be a thankless task. You try to please everybody and yet please nobody. The imperfections of Linux desktops are more grating because of the knowledge that alternatives exist.

On Windows or Mac OS, you are stuck with the desktop you have, with little ability to do anything other than basic customizations. But people soldier on and get used to it because they have no choice.

I wonder whose users are truly more satisfied in the end.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#3

Post by keyle » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:03 AM UTC

I recently switched to Linux (from Windows 10 - forced upgrade took 45' in the middle of an extremely important moment)

Debian netinstall + Mate desktop (Gnome 2/3 extension?)

I expected to switch back within a week. Surprisingly, I love it. After a few tweaks and Nvidia drivers installed, it's way better than I expected. Super fast, minimal, and no annoyances.

Linux desktop really has improved in the last 20 years, since I last tried it.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#4

Post by ISL » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:12 AM UTC

keyle wrote: post #3

I recently switched to Linux (from Windows 10 - forced upgrade took 45' in the middle of an extremely important moment) Debian netinstall + Mate desktop (Gnome 2/3 extension?) I expected to switch back within a week. Surprisingly, I love it. After a few tweaks and Nvidia drivers installed, it's way better than I expected. Super fast, minimal, and no annoyances. Linux desktop really has improved in the last 20 years,…

Welcome back!

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#5

Post by pjmlp » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:15 AM UTC

twblalock wrote: post #2

Open-source desktops are never perfect for anyone, but everyone expects them to be. For everyone who says they are too bloated, someone else says they are too spartan. That's probably why there are so many of them. I would expect working on Gnome (or KDE or Cinnamon or Mate or XFCE or LXDE, the list goes on) to be a thankless task. You try to please everybody and yet please nobody. The imperfections of Linux desktops…

And UI/UX designers work happily and feel welcome on Windows and Mac OS systems, which are what everyone non-technical buys anyway.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#6

Post by dajonker » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:19 AM UTC

While there is a lot of bloat in gnome, it personally doesn't really bother me as it doesn't get in my way.

Although I agree it should probably be easier, it's great that it is possible to cut a lot of unwanted bloat from Gnome. Try that with Windows or MacOS.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#7

Post by forkerenok » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:23 AM UTC

twblalock wrote: post #2

Open-source desktops are never perfect for anyone, but everyone expects them to be. For everyone who says they are too bloated, someone else says they are too spartan. That's probably why there are so many of them. I would expect working on Gnome (or KDE or Cinnamon or Mate or XFCE or LXDE, the list goes on) to be a thankless task. You try to please everybody and yet please nobody. The imperfections of Linux desktops…

I think you are spot on with your later point about availability of choice making people less happy/productive.

I myself do jump from one DE to another every other year. But that's more out of curiosity.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#8

Post by yani » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:24 AM UTC

It is a bit of controversal article. There is need for 2 applications a terminal and a browser. Why do you need gnome for that?

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#9

Post by Brometheus » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:25 AM UTC

twblalock wrote: post #2

Open-source desktops are never perfect for anyone, but everyone expects them to be. For everyone who says they are too bloated, someone else says they are too spartan. That's probably why there are so many of them. I would expect working on Gnome (or KDE or Cinnamon or Mate or XFCE or LXDE, the list goes on) to be a thankless task. You try to please everybody and yet please nobody. The imperfections of Linux desktops…

I tried to switch to Linux for philosophical and customization reasons. Found it nearly impossible to configure stuff reliably and such it wont crash in new interesting ways. For example: Create a new keyboard layout and have it appear in KDE keyboard settings. Good luck. Input Manager for macOS: done.

Re: Lobotomizing Gnome

#10

Post by DocTomoe » Wed, May 30, 2018, 7:26 AM UTC

yani wrote: post #8

It is a bit of controversal article. There is need for 2 applications a terminal and a browser. Why do you need gnome for that?

I'm using i3. I still keep Gnome around, because from time to time I need to hold presentations, and randomly appearing and disappearing monitors (=beamers) is not something i3 deals with gracefully.