System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 2 Desktop Packages

[skeevy420]

This might sound dumb, but I'm upset that they used an AI generated image to create the Files preview images. I'd like to think that System76 has at least one digital artist or photographer on the payroll that can create unique content to use in their blog posts and previews instead of letting some AI create it for them. Even Phoronix takes pictures of the evening meal and random bottles of alcohol when all else fails.

[sophisticles]

the point of cosmic is to get away from gnome. S76 has stated multiple times that they are being held back by gnome, not that they can't sell enough systems

This claim is disingenuous.

They could get away from Gnome by forking Gnome as has been done before, adopting any of the dozen other desktops, such as Mate, Cinnamon, XFCE, Deepin, Plasma, there's lots of options other than writing a De from scratch.

But they decided to create a unique DE from scratch, in a language that no other De uses.

Even if we grant that they didn't initially start out with the goal of selling more systems, they are still missing a golden opportunity.

In theory these people are adults running a business, not some hippie high school kids chasing some dumb ideology.

[sophisticles]

I'd love to try it out and help with testing, but sadly there's no Ubuntu build. Of all distros to miss.

That would be the icing on the stupid cake, since PoP_OS is Ubuntu.

[royce]

? It's up to the other distros to do the packaging.

Pop is built atop ubuntu. All (?) they have to do is to publish their packages in a separate repository to allow installation on both Ubuntu and Debian.

[SophiaS]

This claim is disingenuous.

They could get away from Gnome by forking Gnome as has been done before, adopting any of the dozen other desktops, such as Mate, Cinnamon, XFCE, Deepin, Plasma, there's lots of options other than writing a De from scratch.

But they decided to create a unique DE from scratch, in a language that no other De uses.

Even if we grant that they didn't initially start out with the goal of selling more systems, they are still missing a golden opportunity.

In theory these people are adults running a business, not some hippie high school kids chasing some dumb ideology.

You (or me) are probably missing the point. Cosmic DE is conceptually a completely new DE with new concepts of "How to use your desktop". Making a fork of a fork of a fork and working from there away to "the new thing" is probably harder than rethinking new from the beginning. Including the choosen language for it.

[ezst036]

How stupid do you have to be to spend 2 years developing a unique piece of software written in a language that is not used by similar software and then not only give it away for free but also enable people to use it on OSes that enables them to avoid buying your product.

If you need to lock your customers in cages then your product is shit.

Vendor-lock-in is in reality nothing but a digital cage.

COSMIC not being designed as a cage/lock-in speaks highly to its quality.

[Quackdoc]

This claim is disingenuous.

They could get away from Gnome by forking Gnome as has been done before, adopting any of the dozen other desktops, such as Mate, Cinnamon, XFCE, Deepin, Plasma, there's lots of options other than writing a De from scratch.

But they decided to create a unique DE from scratch, in a language that no other De uses.

Even if we grant that they didn't initially start out with the goal of selling more systems, they are still missing a golden opportunity.

In theory these people are adults running a business, not some hippie high school kids chasing some dumb ideology.

none of those are good though. This is still a paid product. The only DE remotely accetable for a paid product is ChromeOS'

[Quackdoc]

This might sound dumb, but I'm upset that they used an AI generated image to create the Files preview images. I'd like to think that System76 has at least one digital artist or photographer on the payroll that can create unique content to use in their blog posts and previews instead of letting some AI create it for them. Even Phoronix takes pictures of the evening meal and random bottles of alcohol when all else fails.

what? can you elaborate on this? Im not sure I understand.

[Gabbb]

Gnome used to be rather grounded in the olden days, did the previous devs retire or have gotten usurped? XD

As for the AI generated images? I couldn't care less in this context.

[mrg666]

Looks very nice. So does Plasma (to me) but, what the heck, it is time to try since Fedora has it and I have a backup of my system in a portable drive. Let's see how it feels different.