Gnome 3 - my reaction was not positive

[prana_yama]

Actually what needs to be done is provide 3 seperate UI modes: Normal, Touch, and Fallback. Of course, knowing Gnome, they'll probably feel that having users realize whether they are on a touch screen or not is too complicated...

Yea, after KDE I believe Windows 8 will do the same. Can not imagine anybody using "touch oriented" UI on serious workstation.

Like sling your cursor to the top left corner (kinda fun with a trackball) to Alt+` key combo just to get to a menu then when you get the menu click on an item like Sound and if you have a lot of stuff there you may have to scroll to fined then click on it.

Alt+` combo remind me that when I tried GNOME Shell, I really wanted to get used to its "improve" window switching, but never managed to switch from first attempt to the program I wanted when having two terminals and two editors open. Silly me

[Tal]

Gnome, Unity, and Windows 8 seem to disagree. Your PC should act like a phone from now on, according to them.

Ha ha
It's funny that Canonical Unity was the less worse.
It's hilarious that people actually believe them.
And it is surprising that Microsoft fallback mode is better than GNOME fallback mode(this decade history proves otherwise).

[62chevy]

Alt+` combo remind me that when I tried GNOME Shell, I really wanted to get used to its "improve" window switching, but never managed to switch from first attempt to the program I wanted when having two terminals and two editors open. Silly me

Gnome shell is what I was talking about, gave it some time but all that clicking is just to much. I'm setting up KDE now don't much care for the menus but you can ad stuff to the panels so no need to use the menus much.

[confuseling]

I'm setting up KDE now don't much care for the menus...

Right click on the K icon, you can turn the menu to 'classic style' (widgets need to be unlocked first). Or try adding the 'Lancelot' style menu (right click on panel -> add widgets)... some prefer it.

[62chevy]

I'm setting up KDE now don't much care for the menus...

Right click on the K icon, you can turn the menu to 'classic style' (widgets need to be unlocked first). Or try adding the 'Lancelot' style menu (right click on panel -> add widgets)... some prefer it.

Thanks that worked. Menus I can deal with now.

Why would any Distro give you a Desktop setup for a tablet when they know full well it will end up on old-style computer.

[dark_stang]

So I decided to try XFCE out again (after rolling back to Gnome 2.3 initially). And I must say, wow. I have found a new favorite desktop environment. It only took me about 15 minutes to get everything the way I want it. As an added bonus, my login time is down to 1-2 seconds (compared to gnome's 15-20).


Note: Iceweasel says login isn't a word. It wants me to change it to "loin." So that sentence would read "...my loin time is down to 1-2 seconds...". Hah.

[Roel63]

Note: Iceweasel says login isn't a word. It wants me to change it to "loin." So that sentence would read "...my loin time is down to 1-2 seconds...". Hah.

Isn't that French?

[Mr James]

It only took me about 15 minutes to get everything the way I want it.

Gotta say, with all respect, that that is a crap argument seeing as configuring the DE to your taste is something you do only once.

[sgosnell]

Not necesarily. Remember Mr. Murphy and his law, and all its corollaries. Just because you've only done it once...

[Roel63]

Just because you've only done it once...

When you have done it once, you should do it again. Just to get the hang of it

[Mr James]

While I have not tried Gnome 3 and have no idea how long it would take to configure it to my liking, I can reasonably assume it won't take any longer than customizing an OpenBox setup, what with all it's key bindings, menu XML, and wiring of stuff like suspend.

[dark_stang]

It only took me about 15 minutes to get everything the way I want it.

Gotta say, with all respect, that that is a crap argument seeing as configuring the DE to your taste is something you do only once.

I wasn't using that as an argument to switch to XFCE. As you said, you set it up once and you're done. I was just surprised I was able to configure it so quickly and easily, since I've never really messed with it before.

[nadir]

And some run more than just one or two machines.
One could move the configs around, sure. Assuming all are the same distribution.. And its just as much trouble as setting it up again
(at least for xfce, where, like said, it is done in a few minutes).
If you do that a few times a week or month (for what reason ever), then yes: it matters how long it takes to set it up.
Don't let me start on openbox.

[BBQdave]

Actually what needs to be done is provide 3 seperate UI modes: Normal, Touch, and Fallback. Of course, knowing Gnome, they'll probably feel that having users realize whether they are on a touch screen or not is too complicated...

If by normal you mean Gnome-2.3 then I agree but that is what the Fallback should be. The Shell is better suited for touch screens. The current Fallback Mode is for telling user you suck get a better computer and I thought only Window$ did that.

That's the funniest and best way I have heard that put (Fallback Mode is for telling user you suck get a better computer)

And again, thanks iOS for infecting so many

[xfrabbit]

As I longtime Xfce user, it is funny to me that people are switching just now... it's been pure awesome since 4.6 at least. The more you get to know it, the more you will love it.

But even funnier, Gnome Shell 3.2 is the first thing yet that could pull me away from Xfce. Been using the Shell for a couple weeks full-time at home, and it just feels so natural to me. It's gorgeous as well, and that doesn't hurt. After just a few minutes and learning a few new keyboard shortcuts, I just plain GOT it. Amazing work.

[debianized]

I just read that Gnome 3 is meant to be keyboard driven, instead of mouse driven, which is why so many people are complaining about it. I haven't messed with Gnome 3 myself. (I know from past experience it takes time for those .0 releases to settle down.) However, since I know this now, whenever I do begin to mess with Gnome3, I imagine I will be nosing around in the documentation for keyboard shortcuts a bit before I even install Gnome3. Since I am pretty much braindead at using a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation, I will use it as a learning opportunity I suppose.

[sej7278]

I just read that Gnome 3 is meant to be keyboard driven, instead of mouse driven, which is why so many people are complaining about it. I haven't messed with Gnome 3 myself. (I know from past experience it takes time for those .0 releases to settle down.) However, since I know this now, whenever I do begin to mess with Gnome3, I imagine I will be nosing around in the documentation for keyboard shortcuts a bit before I even install Gnome3. Since I am pretty much braindead at using a keyboard instead of a mouse for navigation, I will use it as a learning opportunity I suppose.

http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/CheatSheet is very useful.

unfortunately i use my left hand for my mouse (even though i'm right handed, its just my desk layout/preference) which doesn't seem to have been taken into account, as some of the shortcuts mean i have to take my hand off my mouse as for example, the right super/alt keys don't work as shortcuts, and f2 is on the left side of course.

i assume left-handed people are equally inconvenienced, as i guess they too use their left hand for mouse.

that said i am getting used to gnome3. it was an abomination in fedora15, not helped by all the other new (and broken) stuff they bundled at the same time. i quite like being able to find recent documents by typing part of their filename (and applications) rather than from nautilus.

i like not having to spend ages configuring compiz-fusion to make gnome2 useful, as most of the functionality is in gnome3 (or is not needed).

i like being able to launch an application onto a new workspace, although its a bit of a pain to open a new window in a running application.

i wish we could bring up the workspace "list" thing (on the right) without having to use the topleft hot corner (or super key) and then moving the mouse to the right of the screen, its too much movement. maybe i'll read up on gnome extensions and make one that brings that up when i use the right super key, that would be nice.

[fabrixx]

I've reinstalled debian because a new ssd HD and now i don't know if Gnome 3 will a good idea
Gnome 3 does not allow me to work as I would like, is for a passive use of pc (like a phone)

Now with Gnome 2 just installed all il great & clean

After reading this thread I am also informing me of xfce.
How to correct install it upgrading gnome 2x?

Anyone have tryed mate gnome 2 fork?

[endived]

My primary DE is Openbox. Has been for many years, but I always have a Gnome desktop as a plan B. I hadn't tried Gnome3 before but I was prepared for the worst.
My first impressions weren't all that bad. In fact, it reminds me of a pimped version of Openbox in many aspects. There are quite some keyboard shortcuts and they can be customized, so in fact, it can be turned into a keyboard-driven desktop very quickly, just like Openbox or a tiling window manager.
I did have some issues with it, like configuring an extra monitor. That didn't go very well and configuration settings aren't stored. And for some reason, I can't have a transparent background in any terminal.

The product is still in a very early stage and far from ready for daily and productive use, but that could soon change. There aren't any gnome-shell-extensions in the repositories yet and I feel that many of the extentions developed by the Linux Mint people will already make Gnome3 a far better experience than it is today: http://www.webupd8.org/2011/11/try-new- ... sions.html.
These extensions seem simple enough to build so I don't think Gnome3 was designed to discourage customization. At the contrary, I think it's just a matter of time before Gnome3 becomes something of a useful desktop again.

[fabrixx]

Intresting..

Openbox is better than Xfce on Debian?