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Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

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Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#51
post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No. Simple means being willing to make hard choices and say “no” when something’s inclusion doesn’t warrant the cognitive overhead it adds. Or effectively designing so that complexity is only exposed if you really need it.

Yeah maybe, but for desktop OSes it usually means "we don't want to do the work to implement that obviously useful feature". Consider for example MacOS removing the mouse acceleration setting. What a brave choice. > designing so that complexity is only exposed if you really need it. Yeah this is the right way to do things. But again, often stuff is just ripped out rather than sensibly managed. Another example: most o…

> Consider for example MacOS removing the mouse acceleration setting. What a brave choice.

I haven’t used a Mac with a mouse in ages. I feel the trackpad interface is so much better (and consistent between laptop and desktop) that I think a move away from mice is a deliberate choice by Apple.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#52

If it was "born from unhappiness with the status quo" why not join forces with Void Linux?

Void Linux is part of the status quo they were unhappy with. Chimera Linux started off as a rewrite of the Void source packaging system. One of the complaints was using shell scripts for package templates. Chimera cports uses Python. Cports builds the binary packages (for apk 3).

TBH depending on Python also isn't the best choice - it has become a huge and complex language, goes as far as optionally embedding another full language (Tcl, for Tkinter), all the async stuff, kitchen sink standard library, etc. I don't even know how much effort it would require to bootstrap.

I would personally go with something like Lua - small, trivial to embed, multiple implementations to pick from, etc. It would fit exactly where the shell falls short.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#53
post #37
post #36

Desktops shouldn't be simple. They should work reliably and predictably like every good procduct. Everyone wants something simple until they want to do something that's not supported because it's not a simple use case. So unless you are a very simple person who always only does very simple things and lead a uniquely simple life (i envy you), a simple desktop is not for you.

>They should work reliably and predictably like every good procduct. So you're saying they should be simple? >unless you are a very simple person who always only does very simple things and lead a uniquely simple life Considering the massive popularity of MacOS and iOS which all mandate the same reliable and predictable user experience on every Apple device, most people are "very simple" persons who "do very simple t…

> The power user paradigm of old that expose all the knobs and dials and levers there are to pleasure us simply does not appeal to the commons.

I feel that I wasted years of my life changing UI themes and colors since Windows 3 and MacOS 7, and, frankly, I have never felt tempted to do anything like that since Gnome Desktop. On the more vanilla Gnomes I don’t even change the wallpaper.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#54
post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>They should work reliably and predictably like every good procduct. So you're saying they should be simple? >unless you are a very simple person who always only does very simple things and lead a uniquely simple life Considering the massive popularity of MacOS and iOS which all mandate the same reliable and predictable user experience on every Apple device, most people are "very simple" persons who "do very simple t…

Haven't you heard that the terminal is the most simple and efficient interface? Obviously everyone should just use terminals for their tasks /s

It is conceptually very simple and it pays to learn it.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The creator used to be a Void contributor.

The were the PPC maintainer. Which is why PPC is a tier one arch for Chimera Linux from the start.

Interestingly enough there are almost zero reasonable PPC computers one can get.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#58

If it was "born from unhappiness with the status quo" why not join forces with Void Linux?

The creator used to be a Void contributor.

I see, thanks. https://chimera-linux.org/docs/faq#what-is-the-distros-relat...

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#59
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah maybe, but for desktop OSes it usually means "we don't want to do the work to implement that obviously useful feature". Consider for example MacOS removing the mouse acceleration setting. What a brave choice. > designing so that complexity is only exposed if you really need it. Yeah this is the right way to do things. But again, often stuff is just ripped out rather than sensibly managed. Another example: most o…

> Consider for example MacOS removing the mouse acceleration setting. What a brave choice. I haven’t used a Mac with a mouse in ages. I feel the trackpad interface is so much better (and consistent between laptop and desktop) that I think a move away from mice is a deliberate choice by Apple.

It's very good but mice are still undeniably better. Even Apple sell mice.

Re: Chimera Linux works toward a simplified desktop

#60
post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Consider for example MacOS removing the mouse acceleration setting. What a brave choice. I haven’t used a Mac with a mouse in ages. I feel the trackpad interface is so much better (and consistent between laptop and desktop) that I think a move away from mice is a deliberate choice by Apple.

It's very good but mice are still undeniably better. Even Apple sell mice.

For gaming, absolutely. But macOS and Apple devices aren't tailored towards that, and their mice are oddballs anyway: one button, and heavily tailored towards gestures. They're a mouse and touchpad in one. I quit using it when I got RSI. Now I use a vertical mouse (by Logitech). Now that is one of a kind (but it does not do gestures well).
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