Was I Wrong About Gnome?
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 ต.ค. 2024
- Today I talk about my three weeks on Gnome, and why I've been thinking about it all wrong.
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You see an every-man trying to turn your project into a rosseta stone for reinventing the wheel, well tie a millstone and think what would Jesus do? F*ck the job security of such wicked servants, there are worse things than death. That nice guy who hides his mistakes and chokes up error checking, that is the one passing the buck, leading the little ones astray and probably pisses in your coffee calling it a latte.
It is not about scoring 100 A+ on the compile test. You want the code to bug out and fail before its ever ran live on an actual machine.
Gnome loads up blank templates and stub files. DWM defaults to kicking you in the ass at compile time if you try such slop code. The only thing worse than Gnome code would be those asian mmorpgs that compile all flags enabled so you get an entire webserver running in your chatbox with players html injecting d*ck pics. (search: new world sausage party)
"I need that stability in my life right now"
Don't we all.
@@ch4lw8yz2f exactly, i don’t want updating the system and gnome update breaks some extensions and causing issues. Important when you use linux at work.
the worst thing about gnome for me is going back to using windows and spending half my day throwing my mouse to the top left to switch apps and it doing nothing.
Hot corner is funny. It starts out infuriating when you don't know it's there, and then you get used to actually using it, and then you realize you want it when it isn't there.
hahaha xD happens to me as well
Try the pop shell extension. My gnome system supports both full keyboard and full mouse navigation, which is awesome.
lol the window management of gnome has grown on me and windows is unusable lol the lack of minimize actually is good for me I either dedicate a workspace or it doesn't need to remain running
just click the Start button, you can see all active apps in the current workspace - then you can close any or bring it to front with just a click of a mouse
I use KDE now but gnome is maybe the most aggressively misunderstood piece of software ive ever seen. Almost none of the tech 'influencers' make any attempt to give it a fair shake. It's basically the only super opinionated DE that has many users but everyone just wants it to behave like every other DE in existence instead of just using those
Tbh this was a pretty beastly moment of critical reflection and awareness
You could use the gsettings command to read if Do Not Disturb is enabled or disabled and enable/disable it with the key binding. Write a bash script, if needed, and run it with the key binding
Yep, I even posted a ready-to-use script here in the comments.
@@luizfilipemotta great! Thanks for sharing the script
This is so timely because I've been considering giving GNOME another try on my desktop or laptop. I have loved Plasma for so long but the bugs in Plasma to get frustrating. On the flip side, the last time I used GNOME it was great until I started adding extensions to do the few out-of-band things I wanted. I definitely want to try it again and maybe keep it a bit closer to vanilla.
maybe you should be reporting those bugs then.
@yag-yet_another_gamer I totally would if they were things that hadn't already been reported. I'm not the only person using Plasma and experiencing issues 😉
My hot take is that Gnome is a great accessibility DE for those of us with ADHD. The simplicity and keeping everything out of sight until you tell it you need them is the point.
Good. God... !
That makes so much sense. I found myself being more productive on gnome. It just got me to do my things. All the tools I need are pinned to the dock, and I usually just get to it. Never thought that it could be because it keeps the distractions hidden.
Out of sight??? There's no way of hiding that huge top bar without using an extension.
I actually use vanilla GNOME, no minimize button, no desktop icons, I don't even have the extensions app. I like it that way, it does the job I intend to do on my PC.
same, i like how it just gets out of my way and lets me do my thing.
Thank you, I was starting to feel like I am a weirdo by using vanilla GNOME for several years now. I get it is a very different workflow compared to something like Windows if people come from that camp, but if you are more keyboard focused, I think vanilla works very well, and lets me focus in my work instead of my DE.
Same here. The vanilla GNOME workflow seems so natural to me that it feels like such a hassle trying out and adjusting to any of the other popular desktop environments nowadays. In fact GNOME gives me very similar feelings to tiling window managers. Both are largely keyboard driven. As for configuration, I am largely dependant on gsettings, making it more similar to tiling wm workflows.
I just can't live without the clipboard indicator extension, that's the only one I use
I'm new in using Vanilla Gnome, saw some KDE guys on reddit saying it's buggy... but so far I'm loving it.
Everyone talks about extensions breaking all the time, but I just want to briefly share my experience: I am using Gnome for about 6 months now with about 10 extensions to get desktop icons, a task bar and a start menu. Right on the release date of Gnome 46 I upgraded to it. 7 out of 10 extensions were disabled. Within 30 minutes I got all extensions back running by adding Gnome 46 to their compatibility list and changing *one* line of code in two extensions. And yes, I knew what I might run into, as I installed it from the testing repository on a rolling distro.
So for users of non-rolling distros this shouldn't be an issue.
I'm a sysadmin. I've used Linux for ~25 years. Tried almost every distro and DE/WM. I've come to realize it's a waste of precious time and energy trying to find/configure the "perfect" system/workflow. I settled on Debian stable and vanilla Gnome.
everyone can have favorites and dislikes, but only developers make things
I use Plasma on desktop, Gnome on laptop. I didn't like Gnome at first until I used it the Gnome way. No minimize button forces a minimalistic way of working, closing things more often, and using virtual desktops more often. In desktop, this is annoying, but on laptops, the easy swipe over on track pad means it works nicely.
Same here. Plasma on desktop, Gnome on laptop. Gnome on laptop, especially with the Gesture Enhancement extension (abandoned but being kept alive by users) is outstanding. Hopefully one day Plasma devs will give the same level of attention to gesture customization. Until that happens, Gnome will rule the laptop space for me.
I wish it had tiling by default and animations like Hyprland, but Gnome sure feels like a secure space do be in.
It doesn't have animations like Hyprland, but the pop-shell extension does pretty decent tiling. Better than any of the other tiling extensions for Gnome I've tried. Cosmic has animations that are shaping up to be pretty nice, though definitely nothing as flashy as Hyprland.
GNOME are working on designing the best tiling system in the world. Context-aware tiling where apps will use sane amounts of screen space rather than being squished or stretched. Hopefully it won't take 5 years to finish the feature as usual though.
Vanilla GNOME workflow is just a typical tiling wm workflow applied to floating windows (sending window to separate workflow instead of minimizing, having as little environment GUI as possible, etc). Issue is while this workflow really is more efficient, if your tasks do not require this efficiency objective efficiency turns to subjective annoyance. Also what makes workflow built around tiling actually work is, well, you know, tiling. Otherwise it doesn't do anything really.
GUI programs are basically never designed with tiling window managers in mind. and if you want to tile terminals thats why tmux was invented. i dont see how a workflow based on using workspaces is made more or less "efficient" because the windows are auto-tiled or not
@@breadpirateroberts4946 programs don't need to be designed for tiling, they just need to handle resizing properly. If you don't need to work in multiple GUI apps mixed with multiple terminals at the same time you won't understand what's the point because you don't need it and all tiling will give you only additional layer of complexity with no benefits.
@@artemsmushkov766 i dont think popup windows taking up half the screen is intended behavior but thats what tiling window managers do unless you dick around in a config, thats the kind of thing i mean. and windows being maximized by default when that often isnt the size they were designed to be used comfortably at. its just a janky experience compared to using a normal desktop. there's nothing inherently efficient about it unless you are just fighting for every millimeter of screen real estate
I use no as a manager with the popos extension. It suits my workflow too. Using a tiling window manager like hyper land or sway is not a real good experience went on a laptop and you connected up to a monitor. Would you get that stuff built-in. you also get no options for ui scaling which can very much matter as I have a laptop with a 4K screen.
@@breadpirateroberts4946 At least hyprland handles dialog pop-ups fine. And main point of tiling is not screen space usage, it's quick keyboard-driven way to build workflow that involves multiple different apps at the same time. Pretty niche thing , if you don't need it it's not for you. And GNOME ideal workflow is very similar to tiling wm workflow, except it does not include one crucial element of it. So it annoys most people who don't need it and doesn't really help people who need it.
I've been minimizing with a keyboard shortcut ever since I was on KDE, and even then I don't really minimize very often anyway, so not having one wouldn't be a big deal for me personally. I think GNOME Tweaks has an option to add the minimize button back, as well as an option that will let you use middle click on titlebars to minimize. If you're a masochist, the window menu will do it too, but I imagine that's a pretty annoying way to minimize.
If you were a bit older, you would have used Gnome when they adopted the cute little garden thing and was part of the desktop graphical elements. It was that charm that drew me to the desktop that no other at the time had. Anyway, I speak English and just cannot make myself say guh-nome. When everyone else starts calling the cutting utensil a kuh-nife, perhaps I’ll reconsider. Glad to see you back to a proper DE. Thanks for the content.
It used to be "kuh-nife" a few hundred years ago
@@petr_v hmm. I did not kuh-no that. 😁
as a non-native, the k is knife might or might not be silent, depending greatly on subconscious mood or smth
The Gnome desktop is a different paradigm. On a laptop with touchpad and gestures it's superb IMO. Yes, you have to do it their way, yes it demands some learning, but after that it delivers an excellent experience. Just miles ahead of WIndows.
Even with not touchpad is quite nice 😃 I rarely use my laptop without a mouse, and it's still a great experience 👌🏽
Thank you for sharing your GNOME experience. I share many of your assessments. Whatever I use, there is always a criticism or two.
I will be very happy when there are more videos about GNOME and your way of using it. You have already made a start with your video about GNOME Commander.
Gnome is home
its a safe space to return to when you're tired 🙌
I use practically vanilla GNOME. I don't have any extensions that modify the UI, but I do like the Just Perfection setting that enables you to loop around your workspaces when you're at the last one. I also use Hot Edge so that I can move the mouse to the bottom of the screen to bring up the overview and panel. Plus I use clipboard indicator so that I can copy and paste multiple items. I know of no other option to do that in GNOME without the extension.
Gnome extension situations is worse. If for whatever reason you run an older version of gnome-shell, everything borks.
Matt. “Gno, I am gnot!” 😂
Someone gneeds to help this gnuy with his prognougnciation.
You know, Gnome has a lot more in common with a Tiling WM then you might think. The emphasis on keyboard shortcuts, and additionally using virtual desktops with all apps at full screen. And yes, Gnome even has minor tiling functionality (albeit only two windows per monitor/virtual desktop). The workflow really isn't that different. Gnome just looks more modern out of the box.
And I am sure everyone is going to hate on me for this, but it's kinda true.
About toggling the “Do Not Disturb” setting, you might be able to just write a short bash script to toggle the gsettings value to the other state “on” or “off”, depending on whatever the current value is read as, and then set the keybinding to call the bash script.
Super+h (or Windows+h) hides a window, so you don’t need the minimize key in Gnome. Which is why a lot of people don’t complain I suppose. Another set of shortcuts is pressing Super+a number key to switch applications: the number is the order in which the application is in the dock. There are quite a lot of such window management shortcuts. Both of these lead to fast window management using the keyboard.
(Some of this seems to come somewhat naturally for people who come from a macOS background, I’m not sure if it’s a Nextstep thing)
Everything is perfect in it's imperfection.
I love Cinnamon but only on Mint. Gnome is what I like on Debian, Fedora and Arch. I was never a fan of KDE it always seemed too busy for me.
I mostly use Cinnamon and KDE Plasma because I like the "windows-like" (really old windows) environment, and I didn't adjust to Gnome well, but since I learned it's trying to really create its own experience free from the assumptions of other desktop environments, I've wanted to go back to it and give it another shot.
BIG yes to the stability. That's by far my favourite thing about GNOME too. I used Plasma for a bit, it's fine, but I constantly run into what I like to call "Plasma jank" which is when something, for whatever reason, just does not work right.
Good example for me is drop down terminals, on Plasma 6, I can't get the terminal to drop down on my main monitor no matter what I try to do and it's a pain in the butt.
GNOME? I install one extension (ddterm) and it's seamless from there. For somebody who likes to primarily use her computer most of the time instead of tinkering with it to make stuff work, GNOME is fantastic in the department of being stable and it's the biggest reason I continue to daily drive it
gnome has 1 thing that people don't think to use. "keybinds"
The one thing that keeps me from using gnome is per-display workspaces. you can either have one workspace on auxilarry monitors and only on main or all of them linked to the same desktop number. it's infuriating.
Agreed. I hate that. It's gotten so bad I've just stopped using workspaces
I would like to hear about more your experiences with Gnome even though I prefer xfce.
Oh no, Matt's developing Stockholm syndrome!
Gnome is alright, in the sense that it pretty much just works. It has a number of bizarre idiosyncrasies, but if you can live with those (or change them), then it's quite solid. I used it on my laptop for ages, and for that exact reason. It worked, and I didn't have to worry about it going wonky after updates.
The DWM vs Gnome-thing is interesting. You're absolutely right that it's functionally the same process, and I think the difference is mainly down to expectations. DWM tells you immediately that this is not a full package. It's the bare minimum, and from that starting point you can (and indeed must) add functionality until it does what you want. It invites us to turn on the tinkering mindset, and make it into something useful. It's like buying a thing at a dollar store, and thinking "well, maybe if I cut off this bit here, add something there, and don't look too closely at this bit, it's actually pretty good value!"
Gnome looks and feels complete, and that's when the odd choices and shortcomings start to nag. When something sucks in Gnome, it's neither an oversight nor a play for minimalism. It's a deliberate choice they made, and that can feel irritating when _their_ reasoning doesn't match _our_ use case. That's when you get the whole feeling of "why on earth do I need to fix an obvious problem like this."
I always try to use things as vanilla as possible. Then make a few slight changes it reqd.
Im with you. Im tired of customizing things. vanilla gnome, vanilla kde. Hell I even use basically vanilla sway lol.
When I started using GNOME, I tweaked it to resemble Windows/Mac (like using Dash to Dock). Over time, I began disabling extensions to enjoy a more vanilla GNOME experience. Learning the shortcuts and hotkeys made me appreciate GNOME for what it is: a clutter-free desktop environment that doesn't tax your cognitive load. I regularly switch between Windows and Mac for work, but since using GNOME on my personal computer, I've become increasingly annoyed by the clutter on Windows and Mac. The only thing I miss in vanilla GNOME is the taskbar tray icons, which is the only extension I have enabled now.
I use Xfce and old hardware. Something might be able to run Gnome, but it's then different than the pcs that can only run xfce. Gnome's development ethos involves placing requirements on the hardware, when software should run on the hardware it's given. But rightly or wrongly I associate Gnome with the Ubuntu attitude of hiding the terminal and pretending the computer will work without it.
Isn't Gnome made for a phone? I can't imagine using Gnome on a desktop. For people like me that have to look at their keyboard to type a Windows XP type interface works best, for those good at typing a window manager is probably best.
I think it'd be horrible on a phone. It was never made for that. You're thinking about Unity, two different things.
Gnome relies on keybindings way too much to be useful on a phone it its vanilla state
I once also thought gnome was bad, but now after I have used it for a week I have realized that it worst then I thought
Extensions management has gotten so much better these days. I like that I can use "Extension Manager" to directly look for and install extensions rather then trying to get some browser extension to work with the website or messing with the AUR to get an extension.
I don't think you're giving enough credit to the the built in keyboard shortcut tool found in settings. You are able to create key commands to execute arbitrary bash commands. I was able to make a DND toggle with that same gsettings command. What made it complicated was just the setting was a static "true or false" so you need to do some bash trickery to detect what status it's in now a do the opposite. You would run into this same problem when trying to write a command/alias to do it.
I don't know how well the devs of dwm embrace patches, but the general attitude of GNOME devs toward extensions is negative to reluctantly tolerant. So it's not exactly an apples to apples comparison. You're kind of preventing their vision by running extensions.
And I think that attitude colors the way we, as users, view extensions; as add-on software to correct shortcomings, rather than making our (their) desktop our own. In other words, don't blame yourself too much for the different attitude, it's fostered, not independently developed.
Comparing patching DWM with installing GNOME extensions is not fair because the baselines are different. You don't go into DWM expecting a full desktop out of the box because that is not what Suckless apps are. I've only had to use GNOME while setting up classroom VMs (fortunately we're switching to Mint+Cinnamon next semester) and it felt not only inconvenient, but openly hostile to deeper modifications.
Compare buying a rusted project car versus buying a brand new car and finding out that it's not only missing the indicator bulbs but also runs on an 18V system.
The only extension I use on gnome that fundamentally (slightly) alters how it works is Dash to Dock. That should be default imo, or just replaced by allowing the user to toggle a persistant dock on/off.
Anything else I add is either some way to sligtly modify the look (Blur my Shell, Custom Accent Colors, User Themes - just so I can switch to Papirus icons, Coverflow Alt Tab) or something that extends (slightly) functionallity (Caffiene, Gsconnect).
No minimise button? Whats the big deal, just close the application or stick it on another workspace.
Thats probably the maximum extension point I reach before I start considering if I should just be using Plasma instead.
Glad you are liking Gnome. I never understood the general hate towards extensions. It's just like anything else with Linux.. Know what you are installing, check it and you're fine. Also, I am now going to start pronouncing KDE, KA-de since that seems to be the new way of "pronouncing" acronyms. 😉
I love vinilla GNOME.. but ever sense using a customized window manager I've been hooked with DWM Flexipatch for a while now. There are some hitches I've ran into with the WM.. but I just love dynamic tiling.
I may visit GNOME or jump to Cosmic when dynamic tiling is really good.
Hi and thanks. Thanks for the Eternal Noob shirts, too.
You could have a keybinding run a script that toggles do-not-disturb by
1) "gsettings get" to get the state of the do not disturb mode,
2) use an if-statement to turn it on if it's off or turn it off if it's on.
(In bash there aren't boolean variables, they are strings, that's why you can't just use the a negation of the variable)... Something like:
#!/bin/bash
state=$(gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.notifications show-banners)
if [ $state = true ]
then
state="false"
else
state="true"
fi
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.notifications show-banners $state
Thanks for your view on it, I believe for a part you are right. This desktop indeed favours to be vanilla and clean by default. The main point is clearly Minimalism.
But still, it's mainly focused on touch screens and touch pads first rather than real desktop pc and keyboard usage. Good menus require extensions and hotkeys are quite uneasy to configure. While the touch slide effects come out of the box.
For this reason I still don't prefer it on systems where I do a lot of programming, development. I am a really keyboard power user. I use Xfce, if I move away to anything, it's likely Kde Plasma, which actually does have all that wanted flexibility by default.
i have been using debian 12 with gnome+wayland for a almost a year now on my laptop that i daily drive for work, study, multimedia and some casual gaming... i have like 4 simple extensions only... and man i gotta say, it just works ... i love the layout, and how the managed to simplify a lot of settings and everyday tasks while keeping the UI unique and also how they integrated gestures on the trackpad with wayland, and the general smoothness of the workflow.. after that i havent looked back to any other DE the same way .. gnome suits really well with the laptop portable style and workflow ...
Hm, I didn't realize minimize button was off by default, I guess I just always enable it in Gnome Tweaks, it doesn't even require any extensions, just one of the basic settings.
Same here.
I remember being infuriated by early Gnome 3 which had such an utterly misguided design. Apparently the idea was that everyone really wants to have their desktop computer to be as crippled as an iPad. No minimize button, perhaps not even a resize button, because the designers had decided that "users should focus on one task a time". What?
I used XFCE for some years, then tried Gnome again and managed to find an acceptable set up. But it still boggles my mind how a crazy "UI ideology" could do so much damage to what was a perfectly usable system.
i actually love using almost vanilla (only menubar extension) gnome whenever sway isn't an option
It also reminds me of the very early days of Firefox (how I miss that time!) when you'd get just a basic browser, and anything else you wanted it to do, you'd add an extension.
I rather like Gnome for what it is. I like using it on my laptop, where I mostly just use a web browser and a few other programs. I use a tiling window manager on my desktop. I think the Gnome workflow makes sense once you understand it, and I think they could do a better job of making that clear to people, especially new users.
Customizing gnome - Set dark theme , set background. I don't enjoy spend endless hours customizing the desktop any longer.
What I really like about gnome is how good it is with digitizers like Wacom tablets with touch enabled. It's been quite good for my workflow and I just started using it about 3 months ago.
Gnome on laptops makes a lot more sense. Gestures + fullscreen apps + workspaces.
Very interesting video. I agree with your take on this.
I would be much more profitable worker in Windows 8.0 than in Gnome. It is so bad workflow. But hey, It's meant for hobby-use.
Good video. Yeah it's simply a matter of perspective. The clever folks at Gnome have made a lovely, if a little half-baked DE and simply supplied the tools for the users to make optional add-ons to the experience. This keeps it as lite as it needs to be, or indeed as the user wants, and the beginner user doesn't get bogged down in features. It's pretty much the Firefox model more or less. I think they have the balance nearly right, but I think they need to add just a few more interface design features out of the box. At least though we can find them online. The day extensions dies I will probably leave Gnome. What's annoying using Gnome is waiting and hoping for extension updates when new versions break them.
Also, I didn't know Gnome was an acronym but I thought you might state what it stands for. Nevermind, I found it: GNU Object Model Environment. Good to see that some software at least uses part of GNU in it's name. :)
Also, if they don't like extensions, why gnome-shell-extensions is part of the core set of apps?
Haha finally, I knew you'd come around :) Ironically, I've actually moved to Hyprland now :))
Been using Gnome since I started with Linux. Started using it with absolutely tons of extensions to make it look and function like Windows. I moved away from that an embarrassed Gnome as is and now I only use 4 extensions for QoL purposes, none change the basic function of base Gnome.
I'm new to using Linux, but KDE feels like yesterday's Windows compared to Gnome. I like that Gnome is polished and has its own vision rather than trying to cater to every preference. Even if it does occasionally make me cringe with its MacOS vibe 😆(at least it's like having a _good_ version of a Mac).
It was weird for me too, not having Minimize functionality. But I quickly get used to not having it and it doesn't bother me.
Now, I just hit the Start button and I can see at a glance all active apps in the current desktop (Workspace) - and with a single click I can switch to an app or close one or more apps. It is quick and this way, there is no much point for minimizing things, then maximizing them again, right?
Just enable minimize and a taskbar and go back being productive.
@@ronald3836 there is really no need for that. Does Android or iOS implies apps to have minimize buttons or a taskbar? No. Do they need? No.
The practical usage proves, that a phone-like styled desktop, like GNOME doesn't need Windows concepts to be a top productive and easy to work with environment.
@@moetocafe Exactly, I very much do NOT intend my laptop or desktop for doing actual work to be as crippled as a smartphone or tablet.
Of course you are free to do otherwise, but there is no need and, in my view, no benefit in handicapping ourselves in this way just because the Gnome UI designers are misguided.
in the end of the day, what matters is not what tools you use but what products you ship
What's the font of the credits? JetBrains mono or Hack mono?
Jetbrains Mono Nerd Font
I keep Budgie as a backup to Hyprland, and Budgie is a close to Gnome as I need to be. Gnome has some good apps to offer, but the Gnome window environment is clunky. Hyprland has spoiled me. Budgie can be keybinding friendly too with a more pleasant window environment. However, Gnome's app are quite good.
I've been running stock gnome on my laptop for couple months now. The latest stock version is very good, but it's my laptop and not my daily driver. I use arch btw
If you really want to have the full power of vanilla gnome blow your mind? Try it with a touchscreen 2-in-1 laptop tablet.
I have found Gnome is amazing to use as a Linux tablet interface. This especially true with a dock at the bottom of the screen. Their onscreen keyboard is probably best touchscreen keyboard out there for a full fledged UI. A lot of the principles of the gnome interface make 100 sense when using it with a touchscreen
I use gnome with the pop shell extension and a workspace selector extension and so it emulates the exact same workflow I used on i3.
When a new extension-breaking version comes out I just wait until they're updated, which happens pretty fast.
This system is so much better to use than i3 it's not even funny and there aren't any drawbacks.
My only friction point is the slightly buggy pop shell window tiling. If pop shell had become a part of gnome instead of an extension or a new DE it would have been perfect for me.
Perhaps you already know this but just in case... the pop os devs are about to release an alpha version of COSMIC DE, an entirely new Wayland DE with tiling like pop built in rust. They had frustrations working with Gnome and decided this was the way forward, so in case you didn't know already, your prayers have been answered!
@@willowisawisp9570 I do know about that but I'm not sure about the prospects of creating an entirely new DE with an entirely new software ecosystem for this purpose. The gnome ecosystem is already strong and beautifully designed so I'm unsure if remaking all that from scratch is the right choice.
Maybe COSMIC will be perfect for everyone.
I was testing it and I was surprised. They got something big coming up. The Cosmic Store is super fast too.
Causation and correlation. If you change the way your system works, say you're optimising the codebase and removing a function you haven't used since GNOME 2, it makes perfect sense to remove it. And if some extension uses that code, well, they have to reimplement it. Good thing that it's all publicly available so we have extensions like App menu is back. It's not a feature because people have been calling it obsolete for years, but people have gotten used to it and are installing it as an extension to keep that GNOME 44 experience.
This makes GNOME like Vivaldi for me. Sure, a few features that are pretty much standard like clipboard manager aren't included, but the extensions make the possibilities absolutely endless. It's like developing settings without having to make a pull request that would surely get rejected. I have 15 extensions and my 2019 laptop works very well. Anti-extension mindset is a psyop. Embrace the freedom!
I'd love a gnome workflow video!
I really like Gnome on the laptop but on the work station I don’t like how Gnome handles dual monitors. I don’t like that the Status bar cannot be placed on more than one monitor.
Or independent workspaces per monitor? I don’t want all my workspaces on all my monitors to switch when I do that on monitor 1…
I love gnome, it's not perfect as there are room for improvements, but you can't deny the effiency of it. I only use 2 plugins "removable devices" and "Clipboard" - both of whitch really should be standard on vanilla gnome. When using gnome i primarily use the super key and type in what i want to open, it can be for example apps, folders, pictures or search for something on gnome software. Gnome deserves more love. IMHO it's the best DE, even with it's shortcommings but those will be improved upon i am sure.
What are the essential extensions though? I have clipboard indicator, and spacebar
many people seem to consider the dash2* extensions essential, I don't use either, but I can see why you might think that. I think the gTile extension is pretty essential myself
@@paultapping9510 I prefer large visuals, so I use workspaces.I can split screen with Super + < / >
1. The status of apps/services that run in the background and you should know if something goes wrong is mandatory. It should not be done via extensions. This is one point that shows how arrogant are the Gnome devs, and how they wont accept even the good ideas.
2. Should we mention the theming of apps?
Gnome is a mess at this point of kids throwing a tantrum on what they will or will not do , by having the power that Gnome 2 gave them 20 years ago.Gnome has serious problems and creates problems for the linux adoption in desktop.
Thanks for the video :)) If you can make a video about castomising gnome. How do you do it :))
Nice video! And quite funny that you posted this just now, as I was making almost the exact same conclusion for myself over the last days before coming back to GNOME from i3 and herbstluftwm. I love those WMs but I have to configure them to my needs and this tool here and that tool there and this little helper.... and in the end it's a environment I like to work in, but which isn't 'vanilla' so to speak. Same thing with GNOME, with the added benefit of polish, easy configuration (like sleep, backgrounds, mouse accel etc. etc.). I try to limit my extensions to the bare minimum that I need/want, and so far I feel most pleasant with just 'Tiling Assistant' and 'App status indicators'.
good timing since i switched from arch kde to debian gnome this week
I really like gnome so far
i don't have any extensions enabled
i am thinking of installing gsconnect though
i need a way of controlling my mouse with my phone and a way of running simple commands
I have come to realize that I either work or play. When I am in 'work' mode, I tend to prefer GNOME, and when in 'play' mode, I tend to use some tiling window manager! KDE, well, I stil can't get used to it. Too flexible, configurations spread all over the GUI. As for GNOME, I never find any need to use any extension(s) other than what already comes with my distro (Fedora at the moment).
The two worst environments I have used are .gnome and dwm
It makes me tired
Thank God for COSMIC.
You are absolutely right
Can you make a video on how you configured your gnome
what I think is not being said enough, is that you should be using a stable distro (e.g. Fedora) if you want to use a ton of extensions. That way you can wait until all your extensions are updated to support the new GNOME version before upgrading your distro and this way you can stop worrying about any of the extensions breaking.
yeah but comparing a very simple C window manager to a DE kind of make sense, but gnome is a DE it should be pack full of features as to dwm is a simple tiling wm, theres a major difference, there's no excuse for gnome to take out features.
Why should it necessarily be "packed full of features" out of the box? It would be an example of feature creep and bloat by definition, and we already have a DE following this paradigm and probably don't need another one.
The parallel with window managers isn't just extensions/patches. Like why do you care about minimizing and menus and all that stuff if you're a window manager user? You don't typically have any of that in WMs cause you have launcher and workspaces, just like in vanilla gnome. Although workflow is still not the same, at least by default
You're pronouncing it w.... I'm kidding.
I can see signs of increased maturity in this video.
Thinking Gnome could break extension on purpose is just plain conspiracy theory.
I hated the lack of minimize button. Then I got used to it.
Sometimes, it is good to give things a real and honest try despite our biases.
I enjoy using GNOME, and have used it for a large portion of my time on Linux, but I’ve always felt like extensions felt “hacky.” - Not in the sense that GNOME devs don't want me to use them, but moreso like, “I guess I’ll just hope that installing this extension won’t crash my compositor in 5 minutes.” Especially in comparison to DWM, where like, it’s literally C code. It’s theoretically more dangerous than GNOME extensions, but if you know C, and care enough to make patches for a niche window manager, you probably know what you’re doing.
I think the biggest downfall of the extension API is that they’re all written in JavaScript, they’re all so deeply intertwined with the compositor, and (if I am recalling correctly) that they’re ALL single-threaded. It’s obviously a lot easier said than done, but I wish GNOME either had the ability to seamlessly reboot the shell without any problems (like in Plasma), and/or, if GNOME was able to terminate extensions on-the-fly if it’s about to risk a compositor crash. Extension stability is my #1 reason for keeping with vanilla GNOME as much as possible, because I just don’t want to deal with the constant stress that my session could die at any moment.
But I do strongly agree with your sentiment at the beginning, it almost feels like the GNOME devs don’t want you to use extensions, and only maintain the API so people don’t get on their ass about it. So I don’t see either of my hopes for stability being granted any time soon.
very good critical thinking. It's nice to see that you re-think things and are able to change an opinion based on that critical thinking. Some people can't.
8:20 I know this videao is 12 days old but in case you still want to have a better solution; instead of putting the gsettings command right in the custom keybinding, write a shell script which checks the actual "on/off" value of the do not disturb setting and toggles it accordingly. Basically with an if else statement. Then put the path of the script as the keybindind command. This way you have only one keybinding to toggle it
That's a good idea. Thanks.
Would you be maybe interested in Cinnamon? I'm not sure about stability but I'm pretty sure it's more stable than Plasma lol.
When Wayland is ready for it maybe.
@@TheLinuxCast completely forgot about the lack of Wayland.
8:21 Instead of having two key bindings, you can just use a command that toggles the value.
gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.notifications show-banners $(gsettings get org.gnome.desktop.notifications show-banners | grep -q true && echo false || echo true)
lol@upset about no minimize button. yet have no issues with window managers not having any buttons, but if really does upset you, you can add it back with dconf setting
Windows aren't meant to minimize in a window manger, at least a tiling one. In a DE, they are. At least I think so
@@TheLinuxCast short cut key? not sure what that key combo is for gnome, but im sure there is one.
@@TheLinuxCast double click the title bar
@@TheDrunkenAlcoholic that's maximize.
@@TheLinuxCast middle mouse button maybe?
i did install extensions before, but my system broke several times on upgrade. now i just use gnome without any additional extensions
Agree with you on the pronouncing of gnome as almost everyone says it the way you do and it does make sense but then ill be playing something like gnome mahjong or some other gnome app and there will be gnome foot prints somewhere in the app and that then has me doubting how it should be said again
We love you Matt welcome Gnome!
Roosevelt is spelled like "rew" with double O's creating a long Ō sound. But it's a proper noun and it's pronounced "roh". Language is indeed fun.
The Minimize issue is not really an issue, as you have unlimited workspaces.
I pronounce it like the garden gnome. I just have always for years... That's just how it's going to be for me. But I do understand why you call it guh-gnome. We can all disagree but still get along
That's fine. I honestly don't care how people pronounce it. I hate being corrected on it. It's a peeve.