GNOME 3.6 Review – Against the Grain
The latest version of the GNOME Shell is here, has it addressed the concerns of users, or gone further down the path of simplification?
The release of GNOME 3 was just over 18 months ago, and it’s been an interesting time to say the least for the desktop environment and its users. With complaints centring around usability and the abandoning of the traditional desktop metaphor, the GNOME project says it’s taking this user feedback to heart, returning oft requested features such as the power button on the user bar in the brand new GNOME 3.6.
There are things that GNOME 3 does do well though – and 3.6 carries on this tradition. Keyboard navigation is pretty great, allowing you to press whatever your equivalent of a Windows Key is and search for documents and applications – this is very responsive, and if you know what you’re looking for you can access apps faster than before. Notifications have always been good as well, and there have been a few updates to allow for multiple events, easier dismissal of boxes, and they only show up important notifications when doing something full screen. We even quite like the dynamic workspace, creating new virtual desktops as you start using another.
Unfortunately, there is still so much fundamentally wrong with GNOME, and 3.6 seems to have gone even further out of its way to interrupt or generally slow down workflow. The main problem that has been plaguing GNOME 3 since its inception is navigating with a mouse – everything requires too many actions to perform. In the past, it was going to the hot corner to either go to another open window or workspace, and to open applications just add a few more steps. None of this has been addressed, and in fact has been made worse. Maximised windows now lose the menu bar, so to close them you need to go to the hot corner and do it from there, or right click on the top bar to access quit – both an extra action on top of the very simple one used before. With the GNOME Web Browser, you can’t use the drag feature to return it to windowed mode, instead having to right click the top bar again.
If one of the criticisms of Unity was that it seems optimised for touch screen devices, then these changes and the new additions in GNOME 3.6 can only be specifically targeted towards tablet use. All the mousing issues and simplification of the UI make sense if you’re primarily using your fingers – no maximise button next to exit in case you press one and not the other, the hot corner, using the activities overlay to change windows, etc. The addition of the new lock screen and a clock application typifies this change to touch screen friendly interface.
The lock screen works very much like a smartphone or tablet lock screen – it has the good stuff such as notifications, big clock display, but it also has a ridiculous unlock process of using your mouse to click and drag the overlay up to access the login screen. A few glowing arrows are your only indication of how to do this, and while similar to the iOS Slide to Unlock message, these arrows flash up very briefly and quite rarely. You can use Escape or Enter to get past the screen, but you’ll only learn that through experimentation or finding the brief sidenote in the GNOME documentation.
GNOME tells us that they’re listening to user feedback, but the results of 3.6 seem to say otherwise. While touchscreen devices are slowly gaining market share, PCs and Laptops still make up the vast majority of systems that can even use GNOME. However, GNOME 3 is just no longer for desktop use.
And don’t get us started on Nautilus.
Verdict
2/5
GNOME 3.6 continues the practice of taking half a step forward and several giant leaps back, making it frustrating to use on a standard desktop PC or Laptop. The focus on touch friendly controls have further hampered the user experience and noticeably slowed down workflow, and we don’t believe that this will ever change.
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I just got fed up with GNOME irritations and did the unthinkable – I tried KDE. And it sure surprised me in an extremelz positive way. After a few days of learning about KDE and apps it is simplz awesome. I kind of feel sory I didn-t try KDE sooner.
Sorry, but this is not a review. It’s a compendium of arguments without sense. Your method for a review it’s: oh! I like this! or I don’t like this. Come on…..
My main complaint about GS at this point is the fact it’s unfinished. There is no standard to user interfaces (global menu implementation and such) even to the native Gnome programs. Also, it’s true, using the mouse to navigate it makes for a pitiful experience. Personally if I had to run GS, I’d welcome the chance to finally use the keyboard more, been wanting to make that effort for ages, long hours+mouse use, not the healthiest option. But that’s just me.
I run KDE myself but once this new Gnome DE is actually final, standardized, coherent, I wouldn’t mind giving it a try. But not before that, not on the laptop I use for work, at any rate.
This is about as close as you’ll get to a whine about GNOME 3 shell from me these days. I don’t use it, I won’t even try it now, and your review pretty much confirms my choice not to.
Just out of curiosity, are you a touch typist? I’m guessing not because you seem to want to do everything with the mouse. Yes, GNOME 3 is geared toward touch… touching keys on the keyboard. Yes, you did admit that it is good at keyboard stuff… so get use to them… that is more efficient than the mouse for most all of the areas you complained about.
Let’s review:
logo-key, type-to-search, select/enter arrow keys help
alt-control arrow-up/down for switching screens
alt-tab / alt-~ for switching applications / windows
It is very usable for me… as a keyboard (aka touch) user. :)
While I do like GNOME 3 it isn’t the only desktop I use. At work I primarily use KDE 4 because I like the session management features. Perhaps GNOME has those too but I haven’t noticed them or looked too hard for them.
On older hardware I like XFCE.
I pretty much use all three environments on a daily basis and don’t have much trouble moving around in any of them. I have found that I much prefer the search-based application launchers over the drill-down menu hierarchy. Oddly I end up customizing XFCE the most before I’m happy with it. Next KDE gets some customizations but not as as many as XFCE. And finally, with GNOME, I do almost no customizations because, egads as the developers aim towards, their defaults (so far as keyboard stuff goes) are the best.
I haven’t used the 3.6 version much yet (only in a few bootings of Fedora 18 alpha in a VM) so I haven’t encountered the changes with the titlebar you mentioned so perhaps there is some merit to those comments, I’m not sure.
Ok, I tried 3.6 again for a few minutes… and was able to drag full-screen Web (aka epiphany) windows off by click-dragging from the menubar… so I’m not sure why that didn’t work for you. Perhaps the drag threshold (how far down you have to move the mouse before it tears off) has been increased and you are giving up before you have gone far enough. And of course double clicking on the titlebar window is maximize so it is like the whole titlebar is the max button… but now you have to click it twice.
I didn’t see a way to reduce the fonts to the tiny size I like… but I wonder if that is because I neglected to install a package or two… as I originally installed from the KDE media and then added GNOME, XFCE and a few others manually.
Anyway, I hope I’ve been helpful.
Oh, logo key-up/down arrow are also good for fullscreen, non-fullscreen.
They need to have a way to get around gnome documents as well. There is nothing so frustrating than not being able to open your search result with the correct application. The result opens in documents first and then you have to open the app from that. Bah, broken by design.
Love gnome shell. Been using it for almost a year. I don’t have the probs that you guys are noting. The shell is easy to customize and is worth the effort. I find it to be much easier and faster to move through. Always hated working through menus looking for a program. Not a prob in GS. Easy to add shortcuts to minimize movements to open a program, start a document, listen to a song. I really think those who do not like GS haven’t tested it. Trying it is one thing, but actually testing it to see what can be done is something entirely different.
Break into your shell. :)
If the Mint guys wouldn’t have done Cinnamon I would use Xfce by now. GNOME 3.x does indeed slow down my personal workflow and the file manager in 3.6 lacks of anything that makes a good file manager. So I’m quite looking forward to what will Nemo become … seems like the Mint guys have far more sense of usability then the GNOME developers.
Cheers …
@ Juergen, could you describe your personal workflow? What exactly caused it your slowdown on Gnome Shell?
I think you simply don’t like gnome 3 and wanted gnome 2 back; I like a lot Gnome shell, is perfect for netbooks and lazy people like me
Gnome 3.6 Rant Review
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5i_ew_ibLl8&list=UU7-BWdwziR8LozMCBD1Ei7w&index=1&feature=plcp
Those icons are still way TOO BIG & There is no easy way too adjust their size.
Really want to use it but can’t in its current state.
My favourite portable toy has always been a fold-up “palmtop” with touchscreen and small-ish QWERTY keyboard. Current incarnation is a 7″ tablet plus wallet with built-in USB keyboard.
But you need a mouse when working at a busy desktop, both for precision and because comfortable viewing sets the monitor beyond convenient arm’s reach. GNOME, note that busy = mouse!
I recently used a huge 48″ or similar touchscreen attached to a corporate PC. The mouse and keyboard remained essential because you had to stand away from the display so others could get at it too: animated discussion involved touch gestures, system housekeeping involved the mouse. Interacting like this with a highly detailed map was a joy – as good as or better than a real map all over the wall. A glimpse of the future, I am convinced.
Is it even sensible to try and create a single UI across all the endless combinations?
Might the screen size dictate the OS – I mean, who needs a thousand options and a mouse on a 7″ screen? Who wants just a few massive buttons on a presentation-size PC monitor, with the invisible “hot corner” to your busy desktop out of reach on the far side? Being able to flick modes from one UI paradigm to the other would be really cool.
GNOME need to get to grips with every future, not just their favourite one. Otherwise, GNOME won’t be the UI of choice for the “universal operating system” any more.
Gnome Shell, and Unity receive the worst reviews. I don’t use GS, I have only tried it, and found it counter intuitive to my uses. I used Unity, Xfce, and Lxde. I didn’t like Unity at first, but then I discovered how fast it was using the Super (windows) key. I don’t have to move my mouse, I don’t have to remember whether Geany is an accessory, or programming, or educational, or whatever. I just hit the super key and push G, and click the picture. simple. But Xfce does the Gnome 2 experience very well. possibly better than Gnome did it, and I am sure GS is similar to Unity, in that if you don’t get used to the new UI it is a rather horrid and unusable thing. What I don’t understand is why Gnome and Canonical don’t rejoin forces. They share so many similarities….. But the thing to remember is this isn’t Windows 8, I am able to install Xfce, and log out and log back in if I get fed up with my UI.
I agree with the comment about touch typing above.
If you can touch type and become accustomed to the keyboard shortcuts gnome shell is much more streamlined and easy to navigate than any other UI out there.
If, however, you rely mostly on a mouse to get around it is inferior to all the others.
If you care to learn to touch type and use the navigation keys available there isn’t a more nimble UI available anywhere.
For me the choice was simple.
GNOME 3 doesn’t like my hardware (i915 chipset / 82865g integrated graphics, bla… bla… etc… etc…) so I stayed at OpenSUSE 11.4 months longer than necessary.
Recently, I decided to try KDE again (after having jumped ship to GNOME quite a number of years ago) and was quite pleasantly surprised to learn that OpenSUSE 12.2 with KDE4 more than “just works” — it fully and completely supports my hardware. Even with all the hottest eye candy bells and whistles enabled KDE4 is responsive, tight and nimble on this old rig.
*sigh* Your subtitle says it all; “has it addressed the concerns of users, or gone further down the path of simplification?”
You assume there is a conflict here. Most GNOME users within the community love it. GNOME 2 didn’t address many of these same issues, except by a thin taskbar which was often replaced by a dock for most users.
There are a dozen extensions for docks or window lists in GNOME Shell, so even if you’re not willing to try the overview to manage activities, all it takes is a tiny bit of effort to do it the old fashioned way. But you should ask yourself whether it’s really easier to aim at those 50×50 icons and miniature workspace thumbnails, or if it’s just what you know.
Also, it makes more sense to just press Enter to remove the lock screen and enter your password than to grab your mouse and drag it off. It would be smart to notify the user that they can press enter to do this, at least until they try it. Same issue with bringing windows back to a windowed mode- just drag the empty area in the top bar, it’s easy. You just need to know it’s there, and there’s nothing telling you it is.
Anon,
” I didn’t like Unity at first, but then I discovered how fast it was using the Super (windows) key. I don’t have to move my mouse, I don’t have to remember whether Geany is an accessory, or programming, or educational, or whatever. I just hit the super key and push G, and click the picture. simple. ”
Gnome Shell makes full use of Super key.
“What I don’t understand is why Gnome and Canonical don’t rejoin forces. They share so many similarities….. ”
Ask Canonical that chose to fork early Gnome Shell for Unity which is a mess code wise heavily relying on Compiz.
Back in 2010, I saw what was coming down the pike with GNOME and got the heck out and switched to Xfce. Every review I’ve seen saying what a disaster GNOME 3 has been only confirms what I thought all along.
Yep Xubuntu all the way :-)
The GNOME guys are fallowing there weird arbitrary usability guide over a cliff, and Unity is following close behind.
Its actually a pleasure to use Linux again.
Yep Xubuntu all the way :-)
The GNOME guys are following their weird _arbitrary_, usability guide over a cliff, and Unity is close behind.
Its actually a pleasure to use Xubuntu it does everything I want it to no backchat.
Gnome Shell,
I like it, it sort of makes sense to me.
I’m running Fedora, so its a given.
People seem inflexible. My children run Mint Linux with cinamon on the desktop, Windows 7 and Fedora with GS on the laptop, and jellybean on the tablet.
They have no problems with usability, and they’re all under 12 …
I think you really need to bite the bullet and use it more than 30minutes, actually try and get your head around what they are trying to achieve here.
Yes, it can be a pain, and awkward sometimes. but there are things it does well…
So compromise …
Ore use something else …
The lockscreen sounds like the windows 8 lockscreen… how horrible :p
Amateurish try-hard attempt at a GUI that is still stuck in the 1990′s
My uncle once told me not to touch girls as yet when i was 13 …….its bad manners.
………..Today i throw my hands up …………..im done with gnome. What am i supposed to do …tap my fingers on the hdmi lcd?? But gnome’s library is still the best and easiest to program.
Its kde or lxde for me.
BTW i like what zorin has done ………made awn into a taskbar!
thank fuck theres still good old gnome-panel fallback mode, long may it reign.
Absolutely useless on a desktop PC. Fact. And I’m someone who has spent significan ttime with Gnome 3 since it’s launch.
Thanks Christ there’s Cinnamon. On a desktop PC, it’s what Gnome 3 should have been. Add a dock of choice and you have the perfect modern desktop environment.
I get amused at comments about how Gnome 3 is so much faster becuase you can hot key to a search to type the program name. That same feature was available under gnome 2, it was just alt+f2 instead of the super key. Gnome 3 and Unity have just made that search prettier and forced people to actually use it.
I don’t cae for either Gnome 3 or Unity. Weird work flow and mess with production. On a corporate desktop there really is not a place to make people learn a major new desktop interaction method that breaks established work flows. This is going to be a major hurdle for Windows 8 as well.
“how Gnome 3 is so much faster becuase you can hot key to a search to type the program name. That same feature was available under gnome 2, it was just alt+f2 instead of the super key. ”
alt+f2 is actually a command line which is still available on Gnome Shell. The search feature on Gnome allows user to see not only a list of available applications but also files and folders from activities session.
“Gnome 3 and Unity have just made that search prettier and forced people to actually use it. ”
How so given that users can still use mouse click to access their favourite applications?
” Weird work flow and mess with production.”
Care to elaborate? As an independent designer, the Gnome Shell paradigm dramatically improved production with less mouse movements and more usages of keyboard. One of application that use similar principle is Blender 3D.
” On a corporate desktop there really is not a place to make people learn a major new desktop interaction method that breaks established work flows. ”
Does that mean using the old fashion typewriter for production? The traditional nested menu feels archaic and requires more precision for selecting a program.
The availability of extensions nullified the reason not to use Gnome Shell which can be transformed into traditional desktop. Cinnamon is nothing more than highly extended Gnome Shell.
“Absolutely useless on a desktop PC. Fact. And I’m someone who has spent significant time with Gnome 3 since it’s launch.”
Care to elaborate? I also participate to the development of Gnome 3 (Gnome Shell to be precise) and have no problem for using it. The paradigm is very easy to understand especially to younger audience
“Thanks Christ there’s Cinnamon. On a desktop PC, it’s what Gnome 3 should have been. Add a dock of choice and you have the perfect modern desktop environment.”
Then by definition, this is not Gnome 3 but “Gnome 2.5″ (Gnome Fallback mode) stuck in the legacy of Microsoft Windows 95 interface style. The dock is already part of Gnome Shell which can be permanently visible via extensions. What Cinnamon only did ironically was to display the sheer extensibility of Gnome Shell built in that mind.
I love Gnome3, Gnome 3.6 is a homerun for me. I use it with Ubuntu 12.10 currently and find it to be the most productive UI for me. I love putting my mouse pointer in the top left to see all open windows and see my favorites bar on the left. It makes things so easy. I have a 23″ monitor (non-touch) and couldnt be happier! I truly dont understand the hate that gnome3 gets.
I’m a big mouse user and I find Gnome3 the best UI for mouse driven computing. Just put the pointer in the top left…thats it! What am I missing?
I am another person for which Gnome 3.x is unusable (at least in current state). I like some of the things implemented in Gnome shell, but these are not for desktops; they are for touch screens. Before I used Gnome 2.x and Compiz on my desktop and I love them; they were the main reasons why I switched from Windows to Linux, but regarding Gnome 3.x. I am completly agree with you Rob: it’s very frustrating to use on desktops. Currently I have KDE on my desktop and XFCE on my laptop. Until Gnome is comming back into its senses and it’s developers realize that it is primarily used on desktop pcs and then on tables (I wonder how many tables are there that use other linux than Android and needs such revolutionary UI).
Those who liked old GNOME (2) should try MATE. I use Linux Mint with MATE desktop.
“GNOME tells us that they’re listening to user feedback”
And how, exactly, do they get that feedback? I’ve never heard of any place to go post comments that will be systematically reviewed by Gnome developers.
Is there such a place?
”
Radu said:
9 October 2012 at 10:43 am
I am another person for which Gnome 3.x is unusable (at least in current state). °
Exactly what are those factors making Gnome Shell unusable?
“I like some of the things implemented in Gnome shell, but these are not for desktops; they are for touch screens.”
What are those things? How using keyboard shortcuts plus mouse unusable in the first place?
” Before I used Gnome 2.x and Compiz on my desktop and I love them; they were the main reasons why I switched from Windows to Linux, but regarding Gnome 3.x.”
Compiz itself is a maintenance nightmare. Its effects can be replicated on Mutter like Slide Animation for example available via extensions. Gnome 2.x style interface can be reproduced. Apparently your preference is geared to special effect, why can’t you use your creativity like you spend customizing stock Gnome 2 using Compiz?
If you want full control of your desktop try KDE 4.9. I switched from Gnome about a year ago and couldn’t be happier.
I have heard the “pros” and the “cons” about Gnome….and I’ve had enough! If you LIKE it…..then USE it!……..if you DON’T…..then DAG-NABBIT! DON’T!….I’ll never cease to understand this incessant bashing of something that someone ELSE might have a passion for……to give an example…if I created….Pepsi Cola…..and you liked Coca Cola……why in the WORLD would you come time and time again to the PEPSI store?…when you could easily, and more happily frequent the Coca Cola store? I happen to love Gnome, but not because of any of it’s “tricks” that it can do…and it’s not a matter of “getting more done”……or doing things “quicker”…I USE it because I LIKE it! I also have Unity on my Ubuntu box and I’ve heard nothing but a slew of complaints about that as well……for the love of peanut butter and broccoli people……SHUT UP about it already…..and use WHAT YOU LIKE! Has everyone forgotten the days when you HAD NO CHOICE at ALL in regards to what your desktop looked / acted like?……why not embrace change?….if you can’t get used to the latest version of something go a version back….or find an alternative…..but please…..no more 70-something internet posting back & forths about what’s good or what’s bad about Gnome….Unity….KDE…..XFCE…..and all the other desktop environments out there. Its hard enough trying to be different, and not infringe upon someone elses material, but to have a bunch of ninnies nit-picking about this, that, and the other all because it doesn’t suit THEM is just too much! Its a wonder the developers of these great desktops haven’t abandoned us in pity and despair……so please…..can’t we all just move on? It’s really not that big a deal, I mean you’ll save what?….0.4356 MICRO-seconds doing something in a different DE than Gnome?….or Ubuntu?…or KDE?…or whatever version of the latest “bash-topic” is?…..give it a rest. Grow up…..decide…….accept…..and move on.
Gnome 3.* is stuffed. I just use Gnome 3 in fallback mode
Well written Edgar Perez.
I love gnome shell and grateful to the gnome developers. With gnome 2 I always felt depressed, it was too similar to windows 95, and for a long span of time it progressed a little.
Frankly, I think the gnome 3 bashers are all morons. I have set up cinnamon for use by my father(proverbial grandpa) because he used gnome2 for a long time, and he is not of an age to learn new things. What cinnamon does is that it takes gnome 3 as input and produces gnome 2 as output!
“I have set up cinnamon for use by my father(proverbial grandpa) because he used gnome2 for a long time, and he is not of an age to learn new things. ”
@Biswarup Ray: be very careful, some of us old ones can learn new things thankyou very much.
Working on GS on Gnome Ubuntu Remix 12.10 to see what the fuss is about. Ok on my old thinkpad X200s, runs fine and snappy. Don’t spend that much time in desktop anyway, mostly in LibreOffice or GIMP or Web.
I’m with nixninw. I love Gnome Shell. I doubt that the wingers have actually tried it. I don’t have the problems they complain about. Most of the issues are simply a tweak away. Tweaking is built into Gnome Shell. I use it exclusively now and find nowadays I am less frustrated by the interface than I used to be with Gnome 2.
@keithpeter: Sorry, and you are my hero :-)
I am using gnome since 2006 on serveral distributions. I am actually working with linux. And of course I do that on a PC. I am not the user sitting on the couch an surf some ebay or youtube. I am working with it. And yes, it does slow down my work flow. That´s so easy to prove. The more information you hide, the more actions you do need get them. And sliding up the desktop lock feels pretty stupid doing it with a mouse.
With 3.4 I had I got it to a usable state with the help of the extensions. With the update to 3.6 most of the extensions do not work. And if they do in the future, I will need more and more of them to get rid of that information and functionality hiding.
Gnome has to decide whether they are designing a tablet HMI or a Desktop GUI. They will fail if they try to accomplish both at the same time.
I am writing here because I got really frustrating. I did love gnome a lot, but I really start hating Gnome 3 the longer I use it. It´s only a question of time until I move to some other solution.
I like and use gnome. However, for me, Gnome3 is usable only with extensions. Without extesions, I’d have to do mouse gymnastics.
I’m frustrated by the new tray in Gnome-3.6 though: it’s simply not usable. Fortunately there are workarounds and the tray will change in v3.8.
No nautilus compact view, damn near every useful extension broken, “Show Applications” my ass. In the time it would have taken me to deal with such nonsense I have E17 replacing Gnome which was my default desktop for 5 years. Enough is enough.
Since I tried Gnome 3, as soon as I found, I have to do two mouse clicking and dragging the mouse half of the screen to switch between windows, and there is no way to minimize a window, I remove it immediately. The gnome 3 is absolutely NOT designed for desktop users but tablet users. The Gnome community has lost what they are targeting.
Lucky, they are not the only one who make this mistake, Microsoft Windows 8 is also making the same mistake, but at lease they do have a product namely Surface that can cover this embarrass.
I think most of these complaints about Gnome 3 are by people that have no imagination and would have complained about Windows 95 as “confusing”. I’ve used Gnome since the low 2′s. I think Gnome Shell was a radical leap forward in UI, and the first serious attempt at a UI that leapfrogged Apple’s creaky interface and Windows 7. It’s the best attempt at a system that can bridge touch and WIMP navigation, and it has forced the user to use search more directly, which is an undeniable efficiency improvement.
That said I really loved 3.4, and am dismayed to see 3.6. I liked apps and windows separate in the hot corner. Using the panel’s new button for apps was not what I was expecting, so I guess I’m really going to be using the search now. I am also in mourning that the Computer icon has been removed from the desktop. Not everybody wants to start their navigation from their home directory.
Hi everyone,
I Rally like using GS (on a netbook – small screen) bit why Do they have to re-invent tue wheel with every update????
Extensions broken, libraries screwed up so that Most Themas Do not work anymore, THAT is what p… Users oft, even tue ones who actually like te Look and feel of Gnome Shell
Btw the best Feature of GS can be easily built in practically any DE: Set a key combination to Start a Programm launcher, and there you go. Done that vor XFCE wich i use occasionally, and it Works great.
I have used Gnome for the last 9 years. And version 3 through 3.4 for the last year and a half. Today, after a week of intensive effort to make Gnome 3.6 usable, I gave up. I came very close to dump Fedora an OS I have been using since version 3.0.
Fortunatly, Cinamon, another interface offered by Fedora 18 saved the day.
Many have commented Gnome 3.6 configuration limitations. For instance Nautilus no loger offer “Tree View” in the side panel and “List View” can not be made the default selection. Documentation is superficial, it laks critical information such as to configuration files etc.
It is a shame that outstanding programs such as Gnome are becoming just tablet and cell phone apps.
RIP
Gnome
As far as I’m concerned Gnome took the momentum out of Linux with Version 3, and although a lot of great software guys have come forward to fill the void it created, the historical software efforts made by many over the years were trashed in the process. Thousands of apps no longer work, and there is no one out there to update them.
As for usability, Windows 7 is much better than all existing desktops. Fortunately Microsoft also suffers from auto-suicide, but Microsoft has one thing Linux does not have for the Desktop users – Office, and NOTHING beats office or is even close at this point.
So the entire Linux industry took several steps back thanks to the gnome team. If Microsoft had real engineering oriented marketing, Linux would fast becoming a historical footnote in the computing industry list of challenger who had it better, did it better, and then self destructed. Gnome reminds me of Honeywell and Digital Equipment.
I am excited at the possibility that a shift to KDE might just save the day, but KDE never impressed me.
I have been re-evaluating gnome 3 this week, to keep current, and a lot of bugs are gone, but I still find myself being forced to run to the command line in frustration. Not that I mind much, but most desktop users won’t or can’t do this. I concur BTW with the standards comments in the review, with one exception. There are standards in the industry, and they are Microsoft’s. Those standards are what the MAJORITY of users expect to see, and when they don’t they get confused. The idea that some new paradigm en masse exists and sufficiently useful as to justify the changes in gnome is simply foolish, and that illustrates the lack of experience on the team.
On this vein, I have to mention Intel and the idiotic architecture we now labor under, well hidden by the tools we use, and certain fighter jets that prove even a brick will fly if you have enough power behind it, or the banking system that steals worldwide prosperity. All of these are examples of mistakes from the past that live waiting for re-discovery by future generations. Unfortunately, you just can’t hide the desktop, and for that reason gnome’s mistakes map opportunity as much as they expose serious danger. Left uncorrected for much longer, gnome will no longer be with us.
This isn’t a review. It’s a temper tantrum!
Gnome 3.6 perfect, no. But if there was a perfect UI out there, we wouldn’t have multiple.
Most of the issues you have with Gnome 3.6 are a result of not knowing how to use it. In fact, most of the key sequences in Windows work on Gnome 3.6 and other UIs.
Closing a full screen window: alt-F4 or drag the app off the top
Navigating through open applications: alt-tab or move the mouse to the hot spot.
Open application: Move to hot spot, type name (or part of) hit enter. I’ll take that over menu navigation any day!
With Firefox and Chrome, hit F11 to go in and out of full screen.
Lock screen: His ESC to get password prompt! Took me 5 seconds to figure that out!
I’ve been using Gnome 3.6 since it came out, and love it. It’s so much better than Gnome 2 or any Windows. I like it so much, I haven’t even bothered looking where KDE’s at right now. Hope they’re doing just as well.
Unusable on a desktop? Takes way too much clicking?…. I have been a devout LXDE fan for about 2 years and hated Gnome 3. I decided to try out the shell about 2 months ago again after trying the first release and I adore it. 3.6 does exactly what I want out of linux, and I think it’s the most attractive desktop I’ve seen. I’ve never been a huge Gnome fan so this is coming from simply loving the Gnome shell.
You seem to not know how to use it, as none of your critics are issues or problems with my installation. On LMDE it is lightning fast and with the extensions you can make it do what you like. I don’t know, I wanted to read a review not a lesson on why Gnome 3 isn’t a good desktop. I thoroughly enjoy using it. I think Cinnamon is ugly.
Gnome 3.6 is gorgeous looking compared to MATE, Cinamon, et al.
Functionality-wise, no, would not use Gnome 3.6 as is.
However, all is not lost.
Use Gnome in the background and slap a tiling WM like Awesome or i3 over the top.
Couple of alt-clicks to hide Gnome top and bottom panels, yum install gnome-do, and voila, Gnome is hidden from view, but still accessible if you prefer GUI panels, not to mention that network manager, keyring service, notifications and friends continue to do the legwork for you behind the scenes.
Fedora 18 + i3 window manager = all good ;-)
p.s. am curious to try out a Gnome free setup, just not yet sure what I’ll need to replace the suite of Gnome tools and services.
I like devon comments above.
All desktop environments have their pros and cons. Some prefer kde, some prefer GNOME 3, or Xfce or whatever. When I first tried GNOME 3 when it was released I was on the fence. I liked GNOME 2. I was use to it. However, GNOME 3 has a very nice design and solid quality behind it. Sure, I was slower at finding and running programs. However it all depends how you use it.
For example, I run my programs using ALT+F2. Whether I use GNOME2 or 3, it is the same. If anything, GNOME 3 as already mentioned just looks more polished.
Another example when flicking between programs, I use ALT+TAB. Again, same for GNOME2 or 3. However, it is better in GNOME 3, much easier to find what you want in my opinion.
Also, instead of clicking ‘Activities’, click move your mouse to the top-left! Or even easier, just press the Windows key near the ALT and CONTROL key. It will toggle it.
I am not saying GNOME 3 is perfect but it does look like it is going a nice direction in my opinion. I will admit that I am using Debian (Gnome 2) as I write this, but I feel confident GNOME 3 will be pretty cool in a few more years.
There are improvements to be made, but my hat is off to GNOME. I personally feel they have done a good job. Sure, one big difference compared to GNOME2 is programs take longer to load, sometimes by about another 4 seconds! Also It does have a more touch friendly interface than a mouse one, and would like to see a bit more improvement on that side (people like myself who program will still prefer a proper keyboard and mouse — however as an emacs user I dont use the mouse that much)
I certainly do not hate GNOME 3. I think people negative reviews are over the top. Some are likely to argue with me here but still I feel GNOME 3 will get much better.
for note – I chose to go back to debian for a while since using fedora for a few years (most of that time using GNOME 3). I found GNOME 2 a little clunky but got the hang of it. I do like and in some ways miss the GNOME2 menu but I also miss GNOME 3 as I write.
I rarely went into the ‘Activities’. In the end, the shell, emacs, and the keyboard commands are my most used assets. Doesn’t matter what I use, really.
I love gnome3!
It’s a modern gui!!
I think we’re overlooking something important. Bill Gates is still alive. He needs to be assassinated.