GNOME Shell UX Continues Improving For GNOME 40

[dragon321]

Gnome 2 wasted the good gnome 2 ui to allow tablet workflow.

GNOME 3 is not for tablets or even touch screens. Stop repeating false things.

[Mario Junior]

Okay, where's the file picker?

[andre30correia]

since Ubuntu uses it as main canonical improves it a lot, its stable and more faster maybe with gtk4 and wayland in 2022 the things become at level of unity

[MastaG]

As long time Fedora user, I sort of got used to the Gnome shell UI.
I just put my favourite apps in the bar on the left side so I rarely have to open the apps screen.
The thing I like most is the hot-corner acting as alt-tab..
I got used to that so much that when I dual boot into Windows 10 that I always try to put the mouse pointer to the top left side of the screen in order to switch Windows...

[Mez']

Why in hell would I want to boot into a window picker? Especially since there's no memory of the state of the last session and its open windows when shutting down.
I hope we can deactivate this. I want to boot in my session, like normal people do.
Who am I kidding though, it's not like Gnome (since v3) offer options... Ever. They'll force everyone into an extra completely useless step to your workflow. I'm getting really desperate about how far from UX they are. They should be forbidden from using the term.

I wish I could also remove the window picker entirely (deactivate Activities). I don't think I've ever used it. I also renamed that dumb "Activities" title. Neither am I using the app grid (maybe once a month). Dash-to-dock and uLauncher gets me everywhere much faster with a better overall visibility of what I have open.

[Mez']

Boot - now you have to make 1 more click just to get to a desktop or launched apps.
Window Picker - windows visually overflow the desktop they are in making it a visual mess.
App Grid - my 29 inch 21:9 display likes that. My hand moving mouse also.
App Folders - wow, we had categories like always when App freakin' Menu existed.

So much UX, nice. Thank you KDE, Xfce, MATE, Cinnamon and others less popular classic DEs that you exist.

I'm really hoping Budgie 11 will step up and be ready for Gnome replacement. It's nearly there but not quite.

That extra click to the session is the dumbest move ever. Why? Why? Why? But why?

Their app grid looks more and more like the Unity shell though. It had the same category icons below back in 2011 already. 10 years ahead of Gnome they were.

[finalzone]

Basic computer users get messed with Gnome at home too, specially when it shows all windows.

Basic computer users depend on those who taught them how to use a desktop environment. In the case of Gnome Shell, they will feel at home with a much easier access to an application and find the Windows style approach chunky.

[Mez']

The best thing with GNOME Shell is that you can load the ArcMenu and Dash-to-panel extensions.

Plus Dash-to-dock, Unite, Activities configurator, Frippery Move Clock, No topleft Hot Corner, Multi-monitor, User Themes, and it's just off the top of my head.

[jo-erlend]

If you want to decentralize development, then you have to be very good at communication or you have to put in something that will direct design on its own, like adding a tram system to a city. That's what Unity did and I think that's what makes it great. It's a modern desktop that just works. Sure, it's not perfect, I mean I would appreciate the ability to have a tiled workspace, for instance, but the main problem with Unity is that it's tied to X11. That's going out of fashion. But from purely a UX point of view, Unity is by far the best desktop system that has ever been made and there's no shame in taking that design and making it your own.

I have no idea what Canonical is thinking. I know less about Gnome. I just think it would be great if we once in a while could just get something done.

[bug77]

I saw this earlier today and I'm honestly shocked at what I saw. The new metaphors are worse than current shell in every possible way! They propose, instead of iterating on the current excellent spatial model of gnome-shell, to completely ditch it in favor of a more Apple-esque model for absollutely no reason. I've been using gnome-shell for a decade, it's a great desktop UI. It needs iterative development. It definitely does not need re-imagining as an Apple product.

You haven't been following Gnome for too long then