What People Are Saying About GNOME [Part 2]
1601: 1. Allow back in some configurability; specifically, text resizing for the general UI, reducing the (huge) padding present in GNOME 3.
2. Allow some option for users who need visual indications to be present on their desktop/workspace (I know you want to avoid distractions, but having to move the mouse or hit a hot-key to present any kind of information other than the current application is a HUGE step backward in usability for some workflow patterns).
3. Provide an easy way (or if there is one, document it) for a user to create a custom application launcher similar to the old gnome-panel launchers (run something with custom arguments, etc). I have a .desktop file, there just isn't a place to put it where it'll be accessible to me.
All customization and "visual fluff" is not evil. Sometimes I have something going on in another terminal that I _want_ to be distracted by when it finishes or updates. By the same token, let me get rid of the "visual crack" you have deemed necessary: if I don't need/want the little Vitruvian-Man acccessibility options hanging around, I should be able to turn it off. (By all means, yes, it should default to being there in case anyone needs it.)
1602: It would be nice if NVIDIA/ATI drivers could be integrated into the display settings tab of system settings. It would make display selection and use of external monitors/projectors more streamlined. Similarly, graphics chipset makers need to be given more of heads up about changes in gnome shell. Fedora 15 did not have a working ATI driver for many, many months, and the one that is out right now is still prone to artifacts.
Nope, keep up the good work.
1603: Keeping with 2.x but with a bit more shiny stuff.
Revert back to 2.x
1604: Bring back scientific mode in gcalctool
Support Gnome 2 and port it to GTK3 as an option for those who dislike Gnome 3 (and COMMIT TO SUPPORTING IT FOREVER!) I understand that Gnome 3's fallback mode will be depreciated, and that's fine to keep the codebase clean, but at least keep maintaining Gnome 2.
Allow me to set the width of the windows in the window switcher applet, and other similar customizations.
Gnome 3 can die in a fire. I'm happy with Gnome 2 and will support any attempts to fork it (such as Maté) if you don't do so yourselves.
1605: remove unity and the Gnome 3 shell
Get back to listening instead of telling
Wake up, your not the only people using Gnome. I moved to Linux & Gnome for all of the freedom of use it offered. Now I may as well be using a M--. Open source was & should be about freedom, security, & speed. Ease of use comes with practice and documentation. Why move forward and present buggy distros when you have never fiunished the previous itteration.
Since you don't seem to listen to the user base, who the HE--- do you listen to?
It's not about not wanting change It's about not wanting useless demeaning change.
pajo
1606: Improve responsiveness
1607: bring back right click
desktop icons that i dont have to hack to enable
not have to use the alt key to get a different option, just show shutdown and log off.
3.0 had great intentions but yea not very usable at all without some tweaking. Im sure that this will be fixed in the future.
1608: - a bit more settings for desktop features
- performance. especially on the lastest GNOME 3
- better, more consistent and professional GTK and icon themes
1609: Listen to Linus
If it ain't broke...
It's still pretty good though. :)
1610: Yes, I would like to plea to keep the window manager as it is now in 2.x. I really don't like the way it's done in GNOME3 and Unity.
To me personally, this works counter productive. This is the same reason I hate mac os; the unifying of application windows, if I'm working with 5 terminals, then I want to be able to click the terminal I want in an instant, and not have to click on the "application" button, after which I select the appropriate window. I will stick with 2.x as long as you support it.
Thanks a LOT for all the hard work :)
Sincerely yours,
Tom Reitsma
1611: Add a ton of more options to the GUI, make the UI smaller, stop the gnome team from developing gnome to appeal to old people who aren't glasses who only know how to click on huge buttons.
I don't want to use a gui designed for old people who can barely see and don't know how to use a computer, much less a linux box.
1612: I'd actually change very little -- there's a lot of change for the sake of change, or oversimplification going on in UI design at the moment.
However I would copy some of the windows-key functionality from windows as a default or easy setting -- some of these keyboard shortcuts are very useful and familiar to users of multiple OSs.
Don't copy Unity! Gnome 2.x support being dropped from Ubuntu is a major irritation, but it would be worse if the alternatives reduced.
1613: More options
More control
1614: customization of app panel
filtering in file manager
easier renaming of files in file manager in gui
1615: The awful UI introduced with v3
Remove the awful UI introduced with v3
1616: 1) Bring back the traditional desktop environment, not this Unity crap.
2) See #1
3) See #2
Change for the sake of change is retarded. Only change from something known to work if it *really* needs it.
1617: no ideas
keep the bloat to a minimum.
1618: Hated Unity! Don't like Gnome 3. May have to change to KDE ... Just saying.
1619: 1. Get rid of gnome 3.
2. Stop trying to make gnome look like MacOS.
3. Support gnome 2 forever, concentrating on fixing bugs and speed improvements.
Please realize that there are a lot of people who think Gnome 3 is pure evil, and will switch to almost *anything* else to avoid it.
1620: Remove the Simplistic interface, some users like menus.
1621: 1. Allow more configuration to attract more technical people who are then able to help the less technical ones.
2. Provide support for multiseat. I stopped using Gnome and moved to KDE because Gnome 3 broke this functionality and in KDE it just works. No other OS provides this capability and if you can make sure it just works, it can be great differentiator (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MultiseatX)
3. #1
Thanks for great product. You cannot satisfy everybody and it doesn't work all the time for all the people. Even though I am currently not using it because of the lack of multiseat support I appreciate the work you are doing.
1622: Don't break things that have worked fine for years. Idiots.
1623: Make it 100% tablet friendly, e.g. on screen keyboard, finger-friendly controls, app switching, etc.
Make it faster if you can. ;)
Keep up the good work!
1624: 1. The fact that I don't have enough time to contribute more.
2. Persistent pandering to certain time-wasters in the community/on the mailing lists.
3. Can't think of anything else apart from a few specific bugs which I know have already been fixed.
Keep up the good work. Ignore the trolls.
Note: The way this survey has been run is conspicuously biased. I would not be confident that the results (whatever they turn out to be) are representative of anything. The (Phoronix) article which brought me to this survey picked some choice quotes from the survey responses so far, which is a sure-fire way to bias people going into the survey.
1625: Bring back old alt+tab
Remove app menu
1626: Allow you to move the quick launch bar.
1627: Bring back Gnome 2, sorry but Gnome 3 is terrible. I loved the simplicity of gnome 2, yet the complexity it could bring when needed. Throwing it away and giving users no choice was a terrible idea.
gnome 2, bring it back
1628: Can't even think of one. Maybe add some kind of taskbar back. I like the new way of things, but sometimes miss the taskbar
1629: Smaller memory footprint
1630: 1. Mainly, quicker application launching.
Activities > Applications > Group > app it a bit too long.
What's needed?
Activities > Most Used App
Most Used does not mean Favourite. I don't need to see empathy or banshe in the favourite list if they are always running. But I may need to relaunch them.
How can you solve this?
A quarterer circle pie menu accessible by a click and hold on the Activities menu then releasing in the general area of your task.
e.g. Click and hold, drag right, release, select most used app
There are other ways of course.
2. Built in terminal. In fluxbox I hot keyed my terminal to Ctrl+~ and could cycle the tabs independently of everything else. Overlayed quite nicely and was always available.
3. There was something minor that I can't think of right now. Oh well.
Don't listen to the useless bickering unless somebody has a real suggestion to fix any problems they see.
1631: I wouldn't make it so confining and simplistic - we're not stupid.
I would fix the "hidden files/backups" problem.
I would add options settings to adjust things. WTF? Can't adjust screensavers?
1632: 1. Ugly big titlebars, especially for maximized windows. Just eats space.
2. Be able to do pure keyboard navigation -- in overview mode, on the login screen.
3. Rethink unmovable modal dialogs -- sometimes they should be moved (to see underlying window).
1. Thanks for a lot of work you did.
2. It's not what user is doing that should be simple.
3. Look at KDE alternatives: Dolphin, System Monitor, Konsole have more useful features.
4. Test extensively in multimonitor setups with monitors hotplugging -- I switched to GNOME from KDE because of major flaw in that support, but GNOME is also not perfect.
1633: Easily move windows between different monitors on the same workspace. Have the option to expand a window to use multiple monitors.
1634: Better getting started documentation for developers.
More end-user configurable options.
1635: More Options/Settings
Smaller default fonts
Faster, more responsive
Desktops are here to stay
1636: More configuration options. Better documented API for gnome shell.
If you're not going to make it configurable by default, at least make the extension API well documented so others can add to it.
1637: 1. Reduce clutter even more, so no fancy eye candy that only serves to distract.
2. Enforce user interface guidelines even more. They are excellent, but only when used consistently across all applications.
3. Spend a few releases on bugfixing and code cleanup (reduce bloat), not adding new features.
Think long and hard about Gnome 3 / Gnome Shell. Does it really add more productivity for users? Or is it mostly shiny veneer that actually gets in the way of getting work done?
1638: 1. Go back to Gnome2-type interface.
2. Dump ugly "touch-screen/tablet" icons.
3. Restore toolbar apps.
Give up on that whole Gnome3 dealio, kiddies. I've gone over to an openbox-based system and in spite of years in the gnome-only world (KDE is worse than even Gnome3) will never come back if you keep the "new" interface.
1639: More memory efficient
Native Gnome apps independent of OS (like widgets but with more scope - similar to things like Google Docs). Light and easy to use and as easy to install as a theme is.
1640: Cater slightly non-canonical setups.
1641: not suspend when I close my notebook lid
please work toghether with KDE.
1642: Xmonad like tiling windows management
1643: Looks simple, works great, if it ain't broke...don't switch to Unity.
1644: 1. don't break Gnome 2's workflow
2. listen to the community
3. don't ruin a great UI
Fix the usability issues in Gnome 3.x.
1645: Create a better workflow in version 3 with regards mouse usage. It seems to function much better with keyboard shortcuts than traditional mouse usage.
Focus on users and not developers.
1646: Make gnome-shell compatible with Compiz
1647: I would snag the doctors TARDIS and make it so GNOME 3 never happened. Thrice.
Come to your senses.
1648: More customization options across the board.
Better support for large displays, with several ways of doing clever maximization. (W7 style half-maximize, osx style clever maximize, and user-defined maximize ala those obscure tiling window managers)
Go beyond the idea of one size fits all, because one size doesn't fit everyone.
1649: 1) Nautilus split-screen support (via button in UI)
2) EPUB/CHM support in evince
1650: make the developers not have a God complex
1651: -keep updating gnome 2.x
1652: There are still areas where ease of use could be improved.
All my answers on this survey are with respect to Gnome2x-3.2 (not Gnome-Shell). I do not like Gnome-Shell at all.
I tried using Gnome-Shell for a while but had a lot of problems with it. For example, having to hold ALT to shutdown, having to hold CTRL to delete things, the absence of minimize and restore buttons on titlebars. In addition, huge amounts of space (especially vertical-space) was wasted by thick titlebars & menubars. There is just way too much chrome in Gnome-Shell.
I very much like Ubuntu's Unity though, especially the Unity that uses Gnome3.2 (Oneiric Ocelot). For Gnome Developers, I would suggest working with Ubuntu to make sure Gnome3.2 support in Unity is very strong as Unity will help bring GNOME to the masses. I don't thing Gnome-Shell will succeed in being used by "the masses."
1653: 1. Use less vertical space, i.e. just a single bar (top or bottom).
2. If necessary ditch support for *BSD in favor of better Linux support.
1654: 1) Provide more configurability
2) Provide more configurability
3) Provide more configurability
Quit dumbing things down
1655: - Stop catering to tablets
- Better support for multi-monitor setups
1656: have support for gnome 2 so I can keep up to date and actually get some work done FFS.
1657: 1) Make Gnome 3.x more like Gnome 2.x layout
2) Sloppy focus by default
3) Less Linux-centric, better support for BSDs
I didn't start using Gnome 2.x until around 2.8, so I will give Gnome 3 some time to mature before giving it another try. Gnome 2.32 was one of the most mature, solid desktop experiences by the time it ended. I have switched to Enterprise Linux to keep using this setup for the short term.
1658: 1. I would rework the default theme sizing to adapt to the screen size; in my laptop it looks too big by default.
2. I would add a font configuration page in the control center.
3. I would try to optimize the integrated search. It is a bit slow sometimes, especially when searching for files. (Maybe wait a bit after the user stops typing for looking for files, or threading that search so it isn't blocking?)
I love the direction GNOME 3 has taken. In my opinion, is much cleaner than anything else, and allows for a more focused working environment. The notification system is *genius*.
I think the GNOME team must make extension development more appealing and easy: promote it more, and document the Javascript API. I think there is some work in that direction, so I'm optimistic.
1659: footprint,size,name (gnomes scare me)
stop staring at me!
1660: 1. The 3.2 user interface
2. Better 3.2 developer documentation
3. More user options
1661: Bring back all the features you took out of gnome2 then build up
Less of this treating the user like an idiot crap
My desktop is not a tablet. Stop trying to make me use it like one.
Bring back the old GNOME2 style and refine that. It was a great work in progress. It still needed some development in the way of making everything responsive and stable, but it worked brilliantly, and was the only DE that really rivalled windows or OSX (for me, at least).
You can keep GNOME3 for tablets or just as a viable alternative, but KEEP GNOME2 DEVELOPMENT GOING. KDE is just buggy and clunky; gnome2 was my only aesthetically pleasing hope!
I want my lightweight, completely customisable, skinable interface back!
1662: 1. Small changes in file browser could make life a lot easier for some user (samba, nfs, ...), as the access to remote disks is a bit complicated. Come to think of it, MacOSX is also a bad example.
2. Making an icon and manipultation of the desktop icons is more intuitive in windows, and even in OSX.
3. Touch interface is my cup of tea, as I can't see through my fingers.
Keep up the good work!Thank You very much!
1663: Return focus of project to Gnome 2.X desktop metaphor
Remove evolution
Improve Nautilus batch file handling.
Why have you taken the most functional desktop and fucked it in the ass.
1664: Improve the user menu, Unity user menu in the top right is much more functional.
Further customization out of the box. Installing many extensions before having a comfortable desktop is a bit of a turn off.
More customization again. In Gnome 2.x the Preferences and Administration menu were huge, I like how it is slimmed down now, but I do not like to feel that the DE is locked down.
I'm a very mature 19, not a typical jackass teenager. I loved Gnome 2.x, it was what I started out with and grew to love. I understand the need to innovate, but do not not slap old users in the face. Everything in Gnome 2.x was so easily found. I feel like in Gnome 3 things are hidden in the crazy menu. I know I have to use it more to get more comfortable, but it just does not feel right out of the box.
1665: Continued development of GNOME 2.x
Why did you leave behind those who use the desktop as part of their work for a tablet / internet portal experience.
1666: Gnome 3 is a mistake.
1667: Gnome should be more configurable and should not enforce how the desktop shall be used.
A lot of bugs are left in unknown state - there is no feedback from developers if a bug is confirmed or rejected. It discourages from further bug reporting.
1668: DUMP GNOME 3. Stick with the GNOME 2 interface. Perhaps make the configuration control stored under sqlite.
GNOME 3 makes me abandon the interface and switch to xfce at its fullest. GNOME 3 is the dumbest development effort ever.
DUMP GNOME 3. Stick with the GNOME 2 interface. Perhaps make the configuration control stored under sqlite.
GNOME 3 makes me abandon the interface and switch to xfce at its fullest. GNOME 3 is the dumbest development effort ever.
1669: Better acceptance of new development contributions. Often when patches are submitted it can take a very long time for them to be acknowledged
I would make the shell an optional component, and not the main focus of the project.
I wouldn't mind relegating config options to an 'Advanced' dialog, rather than removing them altogether.
Overall you are doing a great job, and I appreciate the time and care each Gnome developer puts into the project
1670: I would like it to be slimmer, more customizable, and more stable. I want the option to have a "traditional" Gnome 2.x-like desktop.
Stop forcing your ideas upon people. Let them opt-out and customize their way to their own desktop.
1671: I prefer simple and quick; not a typical consumer who wants a MS-Win look-alike. Gnome & KDE have too
many bells and whistles for me to use often.
see above
1672: get it back into ubuntu main branch as unity blows.
don't go the route everyone else seems to be going ie: metro/unity.
1673: Performance, power, flexibility/configurability
KDE is light years ahead of Gnome in terms of performance and configurability. For example, the file manager, Nautilus, is a sluggish beast. Mac OS on a 68K Mac was faster the Nautilus on modern hardware. It's time to stop playing catch-up with Mac OS X and Windows and start coming up with new ideas that work the way Linux/Users want things to work. Linux will never be a desktop OS -- why not cater to the more technical users?
1674: Go Back to Version 2.
Fire yourselves.
1675: Keyboard navigation
1676: Some windows don't respect precedence rules (they won't go under another), I would prohibit that capability.
1677: * Allow the end user complete customizability, the computer belongs to the user, after all.
* More consideration for BSD-based unix variants, and non-redhat distributions.
* Enterprise configuratbility -- If the Gnome desktop can be managed in an enterprise environment similar to win32 & group policy, it would make much more inroads into the enterprise desktop.
Though I am primarily a KDE user, I'd hate to live in a KDE-only world. A project of this size requires tons of effort, and I commend the team for keeping up the good work, and continuing to bring new ideas to the desktop.
1678: 1. forget the current path. Go back to gnome2 I prefer an interface that doesnt get in the way
2. i would love to run gnome 2.x on windows 7. I have to run windows for work.
3. The only complaint on gnome for me was the menu system could get very slow.
Fire whoever suggested gnome 3 would be an improvement. It isnt. I showed it to my 65 year old dad, and asked me to not put it on his computer. He liked the gnome 2.x interface much better. He runs linux mint.
1679: Give me more options, I keep wanting to switch back to kde, but kde4 is still suprisingly buggy.
1680: Simply put, I like the gnome 2.x style interface much more than the 3.x interface. After trying the 3.x branch for a month (on top of fedora, if that matters), I decided to go back to 2.x and will probably stay on 2.x for a while...
The drawback in 3.x was mainly because I want a traditional desktop with a panel, an application menu, support for browsing files on remote smb & sftp servers, a list of open windows, options to shutdown and restart the system, and minimize/maximize buttons. I know that most of these things can be enabled in 3.x, however I got to the point where I needed that "just worked". After all, my employer pays me to develop their software, not to fiddle with my desktop.
1681: 1)
The Gnome3 workspace management is a complete disaster. WOrkspaces are constantly moving around or removing themselves, the top/bottom paradigm is the opposite of what every other group is doing, and there's no intuitive way to easily move windows to a specific workspace quickly.
I just now noticed I can list up to three things.
2) Don't treat us like children and let us configure our desktop environment a bit without going into gconf. I promise we know what we're doing.
3) Re-read #1 and #2.
Gnome3 is a great step in re-inventing Linux desktop environments, and you've done a mostly great job so far.
1682: - ability to have more control and customization (even very simple ones !)
- the use of gconf : complex, big and so much more difficult to use than simple text files
- the way the Gnome developers look down at the users, considering them too dumb to take their needs into account
Please, listen to your users, and do not think all of them are dumb or stupid.
Today, Gnome 3 is more difficult to use than for example XFCE or even LXDE, as any customization force you to delve into the configuration of gconf.
As I do not have time to tinker with this kind of thing, I will switch to a more user friendly desktop environnment, like XFCE or KDE, instead of being pushed to Gnome 3.
1683: 1. Make sure it still runs on 2D environments. Desktop virtualization will become important and I don't need wobbely windows and shadows in a VM.
2. Lower memory footprint
3. Emphasize on seamless integration of social networks like facebook, twitter, IM. F.e. In the notification bar. Also strongly support dropbox and evernote. Basically enable save to... Intgrate like Android/iOS does
Stay true to your motto of simplifying the desktop. Do not go back in making it geeky. Don't be tempted because ESR or Linus switched to XFCE. Reach out for the masses
1684: Vastly, vastly increase configurability, perhaps behind an "advanced user" dialog.
Convince the developers that daily usability for the work environment is extremely important.
Convince the developers that the users' concerns are the most important thing in developing software.
Get over yourselves.
1685: 1. Make sure it still runs on 2D environments. Desktop virtualization will become important and I don't need wobbely windows and shadows in a VM.
2. Lower memory footprint
3. Emphasize on seamless integration of social networks like facebook, twitter, IM. F.e. In the notification bar. Also strongly support dropbox and evernote. Basically enable save to... Intgrate like Android/iOS does
Stay true to your motto of simplifying the desktop. Do not go back in making it geeky. Don't be tempted because ESR or Linus switched to XFCE. Reach out for the masses
1686: Nautilus needs to die, and be replaced with Thunar, or something else. Anything else really.
Actually make the thing configurable via panels. For instance, GDM hasn't has a configuration applet for, what is it, four years now.
Separate the desktop and file browsing into two separate applications, so users can switch whichever to whatever they want to.
Copy Xfce for ease of administration and customization.
Kill Nautilus. Then delete all copies of the code, so no one resurrects that horror.
Realize that tablets with touch interfaces and netbooks are fundamentally different from desktops and laptops with keyboards and mice, and one desktop metaphor is not going to work foe both. KDE has the right idea with the separate Plasma Desktop and Plasma Netbook interfaces.
Remember, the customer is king, and you're not the customer.
1687: The only thing that keeps me on AfterStep is the pager. Get a pager that works as well as AfterStep's, and i'll consider switching.
1688: 1. I wish I could tell gnome which monitor it should use for particular full-screen app, not that it's full screen over all my monitors
2. rearranging panel contents (or shortcuts on my panel) by mouse is a major pain and more often ruins everything than achieves something.
1689: 1) Power off options by default in the user menu, not hidden behind ALT+Suspend. I dont suspend my netbook, so dont force it on me. At least provide a config option.
2) Fix the ALT+F2 launcher. For example, launching the terminal requries typing "gnome-terminal". In comparison, KDE 4.7 does this *much* better. I just type "term" and then hit enter - a list of matching items is presented and the sensible option (Konsole) is automatically ready for selection.
3) Why cant I remove the accessibility menu? I won't ever use it. The lack of config options is frustrating.
Your attitude has to change. This "haters gonna hate" response to criticism is not helpful. GNOME 3 is not perfect and, in addition to ignoring any feedback which doesn't sing GNOME's praises, you have removed the ability for us end users to customise it. We have to use the desktop exactly as YOU intended or go find another.
1690: The ability to switch back to a more "classic look." (more below)
Support for traditional screen savers.
I found Gnome 3.x to be the perfect interface for me EeePC 900A. But on my desktop with 1920x1080 resolution is is not what I am looking for. I have, for others and my self installed Linux Mint to keep the classic look. On my main desktop I have switched to XFCE. Again for the look and feel on a larger monitor. My EeePC is running Gnome 3.2 and I can think of nothing better to run on it. Thus I would love the option to seamlessly switch between the 2 styles based on screen resolution. Without that ability I will be following Linus to XFCE for my larger screens and relegating Gnome to my netbook.
1691: - I know you must get so much of this, but a few more configuration options, please.
- Had to upgrade my ram (from 1GB) to use Gnome 3 comfortably so memory usage isn't as good as Gnome 2 (there certainly seems to have been leaks in the 3.0, 3.2 releases). This isn't a giant issue as most people have >1GB RAM but could still make a difference in some areas (tablets, netbooks etc.).
- I would like to be able to have applications running in a terminal window (e.g. a pylab shell that I use as calculator/graph plotter/data analyser) to have a separate entry in the dock area if desired. This would facilitate easier switching between applications and separation of tasks which are quite different in purpose i.e. application running in a terminal vs. the terminal itself. This might also address some of the complaints I know other people have regarding handling of multiple terminal windows.
On the whole I have been pleased with the new gnome UI paradigm and think it improves my experience on my laptop, however I have switched to XFCE for my server/media centre (lower resource use, simpler for basic tasks) and I can understand why there are some very polarised views on the new design. Despite being in favour of the new UI I would not consider the current releases to be complete as they lack some basic configuration options and other potential enhancements which would improve functionality. I am confident, however, that the gnome team will be able to address this in future releases and improve what is already an exciting and innovative project. Thank you for all your good work so far.
1692: I would make the fallback mode default instead of gnome-shell on non-tablet devices. I would have work done to make gnome-panel look nicer, like a hybrid taskbar/dock. I would work on allowing advanced users to tweak a lot more in gnome-control-center instead of having to edit registries by hand.
I hope you'll find a good direction for the project.
1693: 1. Either kill the shell or make it flexible and powerful.
2. Stop with the "tablet" direction. GNOME is used on desktops and laptops, not an iPad. If someone wants a custom distro for a tablet, let them do the work outside of trunk.
3. Stop trying to kill the desktop.
Stop fucking dumbing it down. You've literally taken out every option to do anything useful. I first saw Linus' rant and, most recently, ESR's... They are spot on. ESR said (paraphrasing) "I don't want to text search for an application I want to run" - no shit. GNOME has taken "ease of use" to an extreme that can only be matched by the worst device vendors out there... Let's make it as easy as a thermostat. Wait, seriously? Do you morons truly expect that someone sitting down at a computer to use it has no knowledge of said computer, so you're targeting them? You continue to force this extreme ideology and isolate all the developer/power-user types? You push them away and you're only going to end up with a tiny community of developers who are being paid - the rest will go to XFCE or something that works. And, please, pardon my language, but I'm frustrated and heading toward XFCE now. I've been around GNOMEland since Miguel first announced it. I started with KDE and hated it and loved the first GNOME versions. I wrote a widely distributed desktop app for GNOME. GNOME 2.x was the best. I can handle the shell, but not a shell that has zero flexibility in how it's configured and operated. GNOME has become painful to use, not easy. Get over yourselves and stop making up new rules and paradigms. Write software for real users, not users you've constructed in your imaginations. Make the folks who got you where you are happy and they will help making the future users happy.
1694: 1) Ease of customizing the "Start Menu"/"Menu Bar"/"Main Menu". This is in terms of completely changing it: Adding main entries, reordering main entries, removing main entries, changing icons, changing the "distributor-logo". For example, I would like "Log-out" in the menu, but not "Shutdown" or "Reboot" (because I don't want my users to accidentally shut down the computer). I've looked for instructions and I haven't found any that I know will work (although I recently found instructions that I think may work). It seems that the menus are made up of a patchwork of different configuration files distributed across the system, and the GUIs don't allow that level of customization.
2) Better handling of frequently changing screen resolution. In particular, I ended up moving all my panel objects to the left side of the screen because every time the screen resolution changed they the objects on the right would get moved around and jumbled.
Please don't abandon GNOME Panel (AKA GNOME 2.x style), pretty please. I'm refusing to upgrade my laptop because I want to keep my "main menu". I don't run a Mac for a reason.
1695: Better use of vertical screen real-estate (like Unity, but more functional).
Increased focus on aesthetics.
Just this: thank you!
1696: 1) Change Gnome 3 ro be clearly for tablets/phones
2) Make a desktop/laptop version for real users (more like Gnome 2 or KDE)
3) Make Gnome Configurable - stop forcing 1 way is the right way. its not.
Listen to the community - distinguish tablet/phone usage from desktop/laptop usage
Distinguish tablet type users - those who essentially are only browsing and cloud using .. from the more serious users/developers who are doing very different things. Gnome 3 targets a limited user base.
1697: 1 - Make it more customizable and flexible (without having to write shell extensions).
2 - Make it possible to customize the individual locale settings. My preferences do not match any of en_US, en_GB, en_DK nor es_ES. Please, let me chose how to write numbers independently of how to write dates and of the default paper size. The UNIX idea of locales sucks.
3 - Don't hide information. It is becoming increasingly hard to know what happens when something goes wrong (or even when everything goes well). Don't dumb down messages, and if you do please provide an easy way to get to the details. I hate when my computer refuses to tell me what's going on exactly.
You are doing a good job overall, but please don't forget that some of us have been using computers for a long time and still use them daily during more hours than we should, hence we may have slightly different needs than the "average user" (assuming it exists).
Actually, I think that targeting an "average user" is a big strategic mistake, because there are no true "average users".
1698: More configuration options.
1699: Support Thunderbird + Lightning as data sources for GNOME integration (calendar, notification, "Mail to" functionality). I am not interested in using Evolution.
Make the type-ahead search in gnome-shell faster (is it really necessary to return results based on only one character of input?)
100% complete integration of Empathy into the online-accounts / Telepathy shell integration (having a window plus a pop-up notification happen every time I get an IM sucks).
Move menus for GNOME apps up into the top bar! (this is coming I assume)
Keep moving forward. I was a KDE user for years until KDE 4 was released, what a travesty that was. GNOME 3 was initially a bit of a shock but now I am quite enamoured with it.
1700: - More configurability, options
- Decent default GTK+ and icon theme, current are not ok
- Having a working multidisplay configuration
Shell is quite okay (changed from Unity due its numerous bugs) but lacks too much polishment. JS extensions are a nice feature! However, I'm not able to use 3.2 because I require FGLRX, hence I'm happily running KDE 4.7.1. Will check out Gnome Shell again when Ubuntu 12.04 gets released.
Currently
KDE > Gnome Shell > Unity