The decrease in activity may be to do with its opinionated development, as people opt not to participate in an ecosystem with a design they disagree with, leaving a small group of die-hards and...
The decrease in activity may be to do with its opinionated development, as people opt not to participate in an ecosystem with a design they disagree with, leaving a small group of die-hards and occasional contributors. Their more conservative model, as well, may be to blame. Plasma seems to be more exciting in terms of development, and isn't particularly opinionated about how the software is used, coming across as more open to change and submissions.
After using KDE for quite some time now and mostly loving it, I just gave GNOME a whirl on an old laptop (2011 era AMD) with a slow spinning disk. It was surprisingly snappy, and the UI is far...
After using KDE for quite some time now and mostly loving it, I just gave GNOME a whirl on an old laptop (2011 era AMD) with a slow spinning disk. It was surprisingly snappy, and the UI is far more polished and consistent for an average user.
At this point I think the Grandmas of the world would find better homes with GNOME than Windows or OS X, especially since it can run on damn near anything and still provide a good experience.
I really tried to love KDE a few weeks ago. I just can't get over the window/activity switching paradigm they're using (if they even have a paradigm). I wanted something faster than Debian 10 +...
I really tried to love KDE a few weeks ago. I just can't get over the window/activity switching paradigm they're using (if they even have a paradigm). I wanted something faster than Debian 10 + GNOME and found Ubuntu 20.04 + GNOME to be suitable.
The window management is why I love KDE. They don't really force you into one pattern or another, and you can create quite detailed rules on how to position and size windows. Firefox on left, two...
The window management is why I love KDE. They don't really force you into one pattern or another, and you can create quite detailed rules on how to position and size windows.
Firefox on left, two consoles on the right.
Launch a windowed fullscreen game on Activity 3 every time.
Always keep VLC on top of other windows
Change default sizes for any window
And this is the stuff I figured out in < 15 min by clicking around the UI. Gnome never quite felt that intuitive to me as a power-user before, but I can see the appeal for an average user.
I prefer a simple automated system. Just keep creating more and more activities as needed. Just keep subdividing my screen space as I open new windows. Most of my windows are going to be...
I prefer a simple automated system.
Just keep creating more and more activities as needed.
Just keep subdividing my screen space as I open new windows. Most of my windows are going to be maximized, though.
#2 is something I need to figure out how to do in GNOME. I really liked i3 back when I used it.
Have you checked out PaperWM yet? It's an extension for GNOME that I believe adds tiling abilities. I've also heard something about Pop_OS's extension doing the same
Have you checked out PaperWM yet? It's an extension for GNOME that I believe adds tiling abilities. I've also heard something about Pop_OS's extension doing the same
I just installed it and I love it! Thanks for the recommendation. I found it helpful to re-bind "Next Window" and "Previous Window" to Ctrl+Alt+(Left/Right) to match Ctrl+Alt+(Up/Down) that GNOME...
I just installed it and I love it! Thanks for the recommendation.
I found it helpful to re-bind "Next Window" and "Previous Window" to Ctrl+Alt+(Left/Right) to match Ctrl+Alt+(Up/Down) that GNOME already uses for workspace switching.
In my opinion, contributing to GNOME now is harder than it used to be before due to this conservative approach. You'll have to discuss a bit before getting your code approved, which alienates...
In my opinion, contributing to GNOME now is harder than it used to be before due to this conservative approach. You'll have to discuss a bit before getting your code approved, which alienates one-off contributors. And I say this as someone who really likes the GNOME workflow (even though I fight with it sometimes).
One of the things that make Plasma's development seem more active is the weekly "This week in KDE" which shows what's going on behind the scenes. GNOME has something similar but it is either monthly or bi-weekly, and it isn't as unified as KDE's equivalent: KDE puts all apps in a single article, meanwhile you have different blogs for GNOME Web or GNOME Games.
I have thought about doing a weekly or monthly or whatever-y blog post about advancements in GNOME.. I do think marketing and communication is something GNOME struggles with.
One of the things that make Plasma's development seem more active is the weekly "This week in KDE" which shows what's going on behind the scenes. GNOME has something similar but it is either monthly or bi-weekly, and it isn't as unified as KDE's equivalent: KDE puts all apps in a single article, meanwhile you have different blogs for GNOME Web or GNOME Games.
I have thought about doing a weekly or monthly or whatever-y blog post about advancements in GNOME.. I do think marketing and communication is something GNOME struggles with.
Ummm... what about number of users or user satisfaction? To say that GNOME "peaked" when development was most active is not very interesting. As a user, I don't care about the number of commits. I...
Ummm... what about number of users or user satisfaction?
To say that GNOME "peaked" when development was most active is not very interesting. As a user, I don't care about the number of commits. I just want it fully featured, performant, and not break on updates.
If reaching those goals means that the core team is more selective about contributions, that's fine Imho.
I think the main point is one of long-term sustainability. If there's not a sufficiently diverse and consistently replaced developer community, things will stagnate quickly. Even if GNOME is fine...
I think the main point is one of long-term sustainability.
If there's not a sufficiently diverse and consistently replaced developer community, things will stagnate quickly. Even if GNOME is fine now, what about 10 years from now?
My workplace has a similar problem. Huge numbers of people within 6 years of retirement, relatively few people between 30 and 50, and several interns and junior staff who typically don't stick around for more than 3 years. There's a low valley between two mountains, which does not bode well in the next 10 years.
It's not a problem now, but there doesn't seem to be much effort being given to train replacements with the literal decades of knowledge about the field.
It's how companies die, and the same likely applies to open source projects as well... especially opinionated ones.
I use GNOME on my daily driver and I quite like it. I think (dash-to-panel) is a must-have extension among others because out of the box GNOME has quite frustrating defaults and is quite ugly IMO....
I use GNOME on my daily driver and I quite like it. I think (dash-to-panel) is a must-have extension among others because out of the box GNOME has quite frustrating defaults and is quite ugly IMO. I don't enjoy KDE because I find Qt bloated compared to GTK and don't enjoy the Windows-esque design experience.
I do however prefer a DE with a stacking WM over a tiled WM. I find stacking and re-sizeable windows organized in workspaces vastly superior for GUI applications and tmux is great for tiling my terminal as well as managing sessions.
Gnome 3 taught me to seek out other window managers, and I found many great alternatives that let me customize how I want it to look instead of deciding for me.
Gnome 3 taught me to seek out other window managers, and I found many great alternatives that let me customize how I want it to look instead of deciding for me.
In the '00s I tolerated GNOME, but ever since GNOME 3 launched I can't stand it. I am consistently surprised by it's popularity, as the general design seems actively hostile to the way I think...
In the '00s I tolerated GNOME, but ever since GNOME 3 launched I can't stand it. I am consistently surprised by it's popularity, as the general design seems actively hostile to the way I think most Linux users use their computers. It's like the Fisher Price version of a desktop environment. Anything that might be remotely confusing to a new user is hidden away or gone entirely. There isn't even a way to "minimize" windows by default (this feature is hidden behind a setting), I'm guessing because they figure someone might accidentally click that button and wonder where the hell their email went.
Maybe I'm way off base here, and the average Linux user loves it. But as for me, I'll stick with XFCE and Plasma.
I that's because for a vast majority of all computer users, a Fisher Price UI is a preferred one. I see GNOME3 as trying to make 'the year of desktop Linux' a reality. I truely believe they laid...
I that's because for a vast majority of all computer users, a Fisher Price UI is a preferred one.
I see GNOME3 as trying to make 'the year of desktop Linux' a reality. I truely believe they laid the foundation for it well, and at this point the real hurtle is that most users are indoctrinated from a young age to only use Windows.
I switched about a year ago from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 18. Gnome really made the transition easier for me, which is critical given that so many things in Linux are going to have a learning curve....
I switched about a year ago from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 18. Gnome really made the transition easier for me, which is critical given that so many things in Linux are going to have a learning curve. And it's not like tweaking Gnome is hard...
At the end of the day, I was able to jump right in and start using a new OS and make a few customizations, but wasn't overwhelmed. Equally important, I wasn't underwhelmed either. The desktop is snappy and I like the workflow. And, other people can use my computer without direction, which is a huge plus.
I just don't really understand why people hate Gnome so much. If we keep up the narrative that Linux users are super power users and liking the friendly desktop environments is stupid and they're garbage, it's going to be intimidating for a new user to switch from Windows. Apple gets praise for its UI/UX (which I think is waaaaaaay worse than using Gnome) being friendly to new users, so why can't there be a Linux analog to that? Not everything has to be hard mode.
I don't think the desktop environments have ever been what was getting in the way of widespread adoption of desktop Linux. Many KDE-based distros ship with defaults that resemble Windows rather...
I don't think the desktop environments have ever been what was getting in the way of widespread adoption of desktop Linux. Many KDE-based distros ship with defaults that resemble Windows rather convincingly, and the UX is arguably even more polished.
I think the real reason the "Year of the Linux Desktop" isn't happening is because typical users are already on Mac and Windows. Linux doesn't offer them much of a reason to switch beyond "It's free", which isn't very compelling when your computer likely already came with a perfectly adequate proprietary OS.
That is true. However, I think the reason it is that way is Microsoft's threatening of the OEMs in the 90s and Microsoft deeply entrenching itself in early education, replacing general computing...
That is true. However, I think the reason it is that way is Microsoft's threatening of the OEMs in the 90s and Microsoft deeply entrenching itself in early education, replacing general computing literacy with Microsoft (especially Office) proficiency.
And as open source replacements for proprietary software get better, the paid stuff starts looking far less compelling.
The decrease in activity may be to do with its opinionated development, as people opt not to participate in an ecosystem with a design they disagree with, leaving a small group of die-hards and occasional contributors. Their more conservative model, as well, may be to blame. Plasma seems to be more exciting in terms of development, and isn't particularly opinionated about how the software is used, coming across as more open to change and submissions.
After using KDE for quite some time now and mostly loving it, I just gave GNOME a whirl on an old laptop (2011 era AMD) with a slow spinning disk. It was surprisingly snappy, and the UI is far more polished and consistent for an average user.
At this point I think the Grandmas of the world would find better homes with GNOME than Windows or OS X, especially since it can run on damn near anything and still provide a good experience.
I really tried to love KDE a few weeks ago. I just can't get over the window/activity switching paradigm they're using (if they even have a paradigm). I wanted something faster than Debian 10 + GNOME and found Ubuntu 20.04 + GNOME to be suitable.
The window management is why I love KDE. They don't really force you into one pattern or another, and you can create quite detailed rules on how to position and size windows.
And this is the stuff I figured out in < 15 min by clicking around the UI. Gnome never quite felt that intuitive to me as a power-user before, but I can see the appeal for an average user.
I prefer a simple automated system.
#2 is something I need to figure out how to do in GNOME. I really liked i3 back when I used it.
Have you checked out PaperWM yet? It's an extension for GNOME that I believe adds tiling abilities. I've also heard something about Pop_OS's extension doing the same
I just installed it and I love it! Thanks for the recommendation.
I found it helpful to re-bind "Next Window" and "Previous Window" to Ctrl+Alt+(Left/Right) to match Ctrl+Alt+(Up/Down) that GNOME already uses for workspace switching.
In my opinion, contributing to GNOME now is harder than it used to be before due to this conservative approach. You'll have to discuss a bit before getting your code approved, which alienates one-off contributors. And I say this as someone who really likes the GNOME workflow (even though I fight with it sometimes).
One of the things that make Plasma's development seem more active is the weekly "This week in KDE" which shows what's going on behind the scenes. GNOME has something similar but it is either monthly or bi-weekly, and it isn't as unified as KDE's equivalent: KDE puts all apps in a single article, meanwhile you have different blogs for GNOME Web or GNOME Games.
KDE also has many apps that post progress independently of the Weekly log, eg. KDE Connect, KDenlive, Krita etc
I have thought about doing a weekly or monthly or whatever-y blog post about advancements in GNOME.. I do think marketing and communication is something GNOME struggles with.
Ummm... what about number of users or user satisfaction?
To say that GNOME "peaked" when development was most active is not very interesting. As a user, I don't care about the number of commits. I just want it fully featured, performant, and not break on updates.
If reaching those goals means that the core team is more selective about contributions, that's fine Imho.
I think the main point is one of long-term sustainability.
If there's not a sufficiently diverse and consistently replaced developer community, things will stagnate quickly. Even if GNOME is fine now, what about 10 years from now?
My workplace has a similar problem. Huge numbers of people within 6 years of retirement, relatively few people between 30 and 50, and several interns and junior staff who typically don't stick around for more than 3 years. There's a low valley between two mountains, which does not bode well in the next 10 years.
It's not a problem now, but there doesn't seem to be much effort being given to train replacements with the literal decades of knowledge about the field.
It's how companies die, and the same likely applies to open source projects as well... especially opinionated ones.
I use GNOME on my daily driver and I quite like it. I think (dash-to-panel) is a must-have extension among others because out of the box GNOME has quite frustrating defaults and is quite ugly IMO. I don't enjoy KDE because I find Qt bloated compared to GTK and don't enjoy the Windows-esque design experience.
I do however prefer a DE with a stacking WM over a tiled WM. I find stacking and re-sizeable windows organized in workspaces vastly superior for GUI applications and tmux is great for tiling my terminal as well as managing sessions.
Gnome 3 taught me to seek out other window managers, and I found many great alternatives that let me customize how I want it to look instead of deciding for me.
In the '00s I tolerated GNOME, but ever since GNOME 3 launched I can't stand it. I am consistently surprised by it's popularity, as the general design seems actively hostile to the way I think most Linux users use their computers. It's like the Fisher Price version of a desktop environment. Anything that might be remotely confusing to a new user is hidden away or gone entirely. There isn't even a way to "minimize" windows by default (this feature is hidden behind a setting), I'm guessing because they figure someone might accidentally click that button and wonder where the hell their email went.
Maybe I'm way off base here, and the average Linux user loves it. But as for me, I'll stick with XFCE and Plasma.
I that's because for a vast majority of all computer users, a Fisher Price UI is a preferred one.
I see GNOME3 as trying to make 'the year of desktop Linux' a reality. I truely believe they laid the foundation for it well, and at this point the real hurtle is that most users are indoctrinated from a young age to only use Windows.
I switched about a year ago from Windows 7 to Ubuntu 18. Gnome really made the transition easier for me, which is critical given that so many things in Linux are going to have a learning curve. And it's not like tweaking Gnome is hard...
At the end of the day, I was able to jump right in and start using a new OS and make a few customizations, but wasn't overwhelmed. Equally important, I wasn't underwhelmed either. The desktop is snappy and I like the workflow. And, other people can use my computer without direction, which is a huge plus.
I just don't really understand why people hate Gnome so much. If we keep up the narrative that Linux users are super power users and liking the friendly desktop environments is stupid and they're garbage, it's going to be intimidating for a new user to switch from Windows. Apple gets praise for its UI/UX (which I think is waaaaaaay worse than using Gnome) being friendly to new users, so why can't there be a Linux analog to that? Not everything has to be hard mode.
What I like the most about Gnome is how it doesn't try to fight for attention. In their design principles they call that "Avoid interruptions".
I don't think the desktop environments have ever been what was getting in the way of widespread adoption of desktop Linux. Many KDE-based distros ship with defaults that resemble Windows rather convincingly, and the UX is arguably even more polished.
I think the real reason the "Year of the Linux Desktop" isn't happening is because typical users are already on Mac and Windows. Linux doesn't offer them much of a reason to switch beyond "It's free", which isn't very compelling when your computer likely already came with a perfectly adequate proprietary OS.
That is true. However, I think the reason it is that way is Microsoft's threatening of the OEMs in the 90s and Microsoft deeply entrenching itself in early education, replacing general computing literacy with Microsoft (especially Office) proficiency.
And as open source replacements for proprietary software get better, the paid stuff starts looking far less compelling.