GNOME Shell UX Continues Improving For GNOME 40

[extremesquared]

A lot of the hate comes from the personal memory of the inconvenience of being forced to switch DEs. Especially when the alternatives to gnome would introduce new issues into your workflow.

It's similar to the google product model:
1. Buy / adopt working product.
2. Identify feature that <100% of the userbase demands, and has no workaround if removed.
3. Remove feature.
4. Bask in anger of people suddenly stuck looking for alternatives.

Gnome project owes me nothing and I've contributed nothing to it. But I still can't un-remember the annoyance when I had to switch to KDE4.

[Vistaus]

Basic computer users are running Windows.

And those basic computer users have had their DNA altered to know how Windows works from the day they were born?

[duby229]

A lot of the hate comes from the personal memory of the inconvenience of being forced to switch DEs. Especially when the alternatives to gnome would introduce new issues into your workflow.

It's similar to the google product model:
1. Buy / adopt working product.
2. Identify feature that <100% of the userbase demands, and has no workaround if removed.
3. Remove feature.
4. Bask in anger of people suddenly stuck looking for alternatives.

Gnome project owes me nothing and I've contributed nothing to it. But I still can't un-remember the annoyance when I had to switch to KDE4.

Last time there wasn't very good alternatives, KDE4 or Xfce and they both had major drawbacks, so alot of people just switched to Windows. At least this time there are quite a few good alternatives available. Hopefully overall Linux Desktop marketshare doesn't drop off as dramatically again.

Maybe right now it's a good time to preemptively write up migration guides from Gnome to each of those alternatives...

[extremesquared]

Maybe right now it's a good time to preemptively write up migration guides from Gnome to each of those alternatives...

Why would there be a second exodus? This seems like an incremental change to gnome.

And I'm not sure about the premise that people will change kernels to escape a DE when there are several DEs available. Those people certainly are not a source of the resentment, at least. Also, the suggestion that a failure of one DE caused an exodus to Windows does not exactly reflect positively on the linux ecosystem.

[finalzone]

The important thing is that they can't ship that useless UI as is. Vanilla Gnome is unusable except for (Fedora) nerds.

Useless only for those think that way while users outside forum without bias are happy using plain GNOME Shell as long their favourite applications are installed.

You can't put that into non-geek hands (a lot of Linux users are curious and more IT literate than average Joe's but still no geeks or nerds), it's a given failure. If only for the cheap and outdated Gnome basic theme (without user theme extension you can't change the original theme).

Flawed assumptions as I have helped average users installing Fedora, taught them how to update and upgrade to the next version via Software. Some of them figured out the shortcut and like using keyboard more to quickly access their applications. Majority of them use Windows 10 at their office and Android mobile.

You can't do anything easily or configure anything with bare Gnome. Users would freak out.

Yes you can as bare GNOME is designed with minimal distraction n mind and more emphasis on productivity.

[extremesquared]

... bare GNOME is designed with minimal distraction n mind and more emphasis on productivity.

Googling stackoverflow posts for how to accomplish something basic using dconf is not necessarily going to result in a net productivity gain for everyone. I'm at least marginally computer literate, and at some point realized that dconf was going to be more of a time drain than "apt install xxx-desktop".

[JackLilhammers]

I'm a kde user, fan, and occasional contributor. Kde has its problems, which everybody know and I'm not going to list here.
I'm trying gnome on pop os just for fun and because I like to try different stuff.
It runs pretty well with at least a couple of unavoidable extensions, but there are way more quirks than there should be. This is a leitmotif of the linux desktop though. The other DEs are no exception and have their own personal quirks.
I say this just to clarify that I don't want to troll.

Booting in Activities seems unnecessary. Nobody ever complained about booting in a clean desktop. At least it should be optional.
I like favourites at the bottom, because I'm not a fan of vertical docks or taskbars.
All in all these seem pretty good enhancements.
To me they're shamelessly copying apple and macos, but that's fine. Copying is good!
The thing that really bothers me is that they still havent copied the one ui concept that apple kept over the years. The global menu.
IMHO a global menu would fit gnome perfectly. There's already an almost empty top bar with only a clock, that's centered just to make it seem less empty!
By the way the useless topbar with the centered clock is one of the reasons why people think of gnome as a tablet os. Becase it looks just like an ipad!

PS: I know that there's an extension that should introduce it back, but I extensions are tricky and usually not guaranteed to work (and that's on the upstream devs, not on the extensions devs)

[JackLilhammers]

PPS: Allergy to feedback and general attitude both from the devs and the fanboys are another big hindrance for gnome

[JackLilhammers]

Just for the lulz, the little clip from the original post showing the improved navigation is a little stuttering.
At least on their blog they could try to show a buttery smooth experience

[Mez']

Useless only for those think that way while users outside forum without bias are happy using plain GNOME Shell as long their favourite applications are installed.


Flawed assumptions as I have helped average users installing Fedora, taught them how to update and upgrade to the next version via Software. Some of them figured out the shortcut and like using keyboard more to quickly access their applications. Majority of them use Windows 10 at their office and Android mobile.


Yes you can as bare GNOME is designed with minimal distraction n mind and more emphasis on productivity.

I accept opposite opinions but this seems more like lobotomized yes man opinion with little arguments on the why it's productive or the why most users are frustrated by the lack of options and also why they pick Ubuntu that overcomes the shortcomings of Gnome by adding the necessary extensions for people to be able to make the DE their own, not the one somebody thought was good for them.
You'd be a good solider, receiving orders without challenging them. But people want to have their own will.

Productivity should not be linked with bare Gnome, neither should be UX/UI, and even less "continues improving" that makes me choke every time since it seems like extra steps (reaching suspend in 3.36 or the session at boot in Gnome 40) and stripped down features with each version (too many lost features to mention).

Gnome is made for Apple fans, that will bigotly support every move. I have yet to read a strong Gnome or Fedora fan say just once "OK, I don't like what they did there". It really feels like a sect dumbed down of their free will.
Other people have a critical mind and are autonomous enough to create their own way rather than depending on a single version of the truth, or forced down choices.