| |||||||||||||
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power usersMena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power usersPosted Nov 11, 2012 23:54 UTC (Sun) by luya (subscriber, #50741)In reply to: Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users by bojan Parent article: Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users
> Of course these users are not complaining about usability - they have no reference for comparison. All of us technical users do: many other systems, including Gnome 2 (against which all those usability problems are actually regressions). Duh!
Then can we address the regressions instead of wasting time arguing that x DE don't care and actually talk to these DE designers and software developers?
(Log in to post comments)
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 0:59 UTC (Mon) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
There are Gnome designers and developers reading LWN. The issues have been raised, repeatedly. I almost annoy myself these days by constantly trying to point out real usability regressions, many of which one can actually measure.
Maybe you did not read the blog post that this LWN article is about in great detail. It is clear from it that people that point out such technical issues (i.e. the technical people, to which the blog post sarcastically refers to as "regular people") are being systematically ignored.
That actually is the real problem - not the software itself. It almost like a "cultural revolution", where everyone that does something even remotely different with the system than what the designers had in mind needs to be re-educated.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 1:37 UTC (Mon) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
BTW, I have also raised many of these points on gnome-shell-list, as far back as Feb 2011.
It started by my watching of Gnome Shell screencasts on YouTube, which looked rather nice. Unfortunately, watching a film about something and actually doing that something are two completely different things. So, when I attempted to _use_ the system, I noticed usability regressions.
Here is almost the end of that thread (i.e. one of my last e-mails to gnome-shell-list):
- I liked what I saw on YouTube
It triggered this whole thread.
In the meantime, I went to read as to why Gnome Shell introduced overview.
In order for me not to be distracted when I want to do one of the
- start an app
I get the busiest interface known to man, which contains at least 2/3 of
Seriously, who writes that stuff?
I'm wondering how are all the users of Windows and OS X surviving at all.
So, yes. It's an attitude problem, really.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 1:39 UTC (Mon) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
> Feb 2011
Sorry, Apr 2011.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 4:31 UTC (Mon) by luya (subscriber, #50741) [Link]
Let see:
> Something about users having their focus taken away and having more space > available (I have just about the same space available in my Gnome 2 and > have taskbar and workplace switcher).
What are those users really focused into? Overview is virtually your task bar including a dynamic workspace switcher(gnome-tweak-took allows setting a fixed amount), notification and dock.
> In order for me not to be distracted when I want to do one of the
> - start an app
- Meta key to go to Overview mode -> Type application of choice or click Application (on gnome 3.6, Application is located at the dock)
> - find a hidden window
- switch workspace
> I get the busiest interface known to man, which contains at least 2/3 of
Care to list those distracting stuff? See how the complains are not fully detailed yet wondering why there is no response? By using your own comment, visible taskbar on Gnome 2 is a distraction. Does that mean a technical user is that challenged unable to figure out way or seeking help about the use?
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 6:20 UTC (Mon) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
I won't respond to your keyboard shortcut suggestions as solutions to GUI problems. Completely orthogonal.
> Care to list those distracting stuff?
Sure. When I want to start an app, all other elements contained in overview are just distractions. I never asked for expose. I never asked for dash. Never asked for (placed too far to be useful) workspace switcher.
In summary, please see RFC 1925 (6a) for what overview really is.
> Does that mean a technical user is that challenged unable to figure out way or seeking help about the use?
If you cannot parse what I wrote properly, please do not comment. I was not asking for help.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 7:05 UTC (Mon) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
> When I want to start an app, all other elements contained in overview are just distractions.
And just to be clear, that would be on Gnome design documentation criteria, not my own. If people can focus on just one thing at one time, how could they possibly handle the kitchen sink of the overview?
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 15:02 UTC (Mon) by davidescott (guest, #58580) [Link]
> Sure. When I want to start an app, all other elements contained in overview are just distractions. I never asked for expose. I never asked for dash. Never asked for (placed too far to be useful) workspace switcher.
Those are perfectly reasonable things for you to think for yourself, but those features are things that many others have come to expect from modern operating systems. To say that Gnome should not have expose on Alt-Tab makes it harder for everyone else who likes and expects expose, and doesn't want to have to hunt around for a menu option to enable it and set a hot-corner keystroke. Gnome3 "just works" for users like myself. Sure I was happy with gnome2 once I got the correct combination of gnome2+compiz+ccsm+awn+X+Y+Z but it took months to find the correct combination and hours to replicate on new systems. With Gnome3 I can sit down in front of a brand new install and just start working.
It seems to be me the compromise they made with a fixed set of commonly desired features + the ability to customize further with javascript is a good one. The biggest mistake they made was to start shipping 3.0 prior to getting a good stable infrastructure (extensions.gnome.org) in place. Had they been able to have both perhaps the frustration with the gui might have been directed at plugins to change the behavior instead of forking. That said its understandably hard to get a .0 release out the door and enable customization.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 15:15 UTC (Mon) by Otus (guest, #67685) [Link]
> Those are perfectly reasonable things for you to think for yourself, but
> those features are things that many others have come to expect from modern > operating systems.
I think you are missing the point. bojan didn't complain about Gnome3 having
I.e. if you want to start a new app, why should most of the screen first
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 12, 2012 17:26 UTC (Mon) by bronson (subscriber, #4806) [Link]
> if you want to start a new app, why should most of the screen first be taken over by your currently open apps and workspaces?
Wow, I never noticed. That's a really good question.
Especially on my Thinkpad X120e where it takes two seconds to show all that stuff that I don't need.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 13, 2012 15:42 UTC (Tue) by davidescott (guest, #58580) [Link]
> if you want to start a new app, why should most of the screen first
be taken over by your currently open apps and workspaces?
I understood his point. I'm saying its easier (and makes more sense) to put the expose in the start applications functionality over forcing the user to setup the hot corners.
I also think you are using some (unintentional) rhetorical devices to make your point. When I go to "start a new app" that doesn't literally mean "I want to start a new app" it means "I want to start an application AND SWITCH TO IT." You almost never seen anyone start a gui application and want it to be immediately backgrounded (exceptions being things like chat or file-sharing).
So its perfectly natural to show the application switching at the point of starting an application, because it IS application switching to start an application. I might have started the application I needed already; I might want to start the application on a new workspace, and having the switcher appear at that point means it appears at the exact moment I need it.
The moment you start typing in the name of an application, the overlay of other windows is replaced with the full screen display of relevant applications, because that indicates to the shell that you know you need to start a new application and not switch to a running one.
Compared to the GNOME2 model where:
GNOME3 has all that functionality in a single hot-corner/hot-key, and there is no configuration step. It just works... so I'm extremely pleased with GNOME3 it finally makes sense.
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 13, 2012 17:01 UTC (Tue) by Otus (guest, #67685) [Link]
> I'm saying its easier (and makes more sense) to put the expose in the
> start applications functionality over forcing the user to setup the hot > corners.
What does "setup the hot corners" mean? In Unity I have one button for
I don't disagree that having better defaults than in Gnome 2 is a good
> So its perfectly natural to show the application switching at the point
Sure, you can consider "opening the app" a common action regardless of
However, the expose shown seems IMHO counter to that point: You scan the
> Compared to the GNOME2 model where:
Again, I don't think the Gnome 2 defaults were very good. However, I find
* There isn't a button (only keyboard shortcut) for expose on all apps, but
Mena-Quintero: A Friday rant on Gnome 3, journalists, and power users Posted Nov 13, 2012 21:36 UTC (Tue) by bojan (subscriber, #14302) [Link]
> Compared to the GNOME2 model where:
> 1. You start applications in the (not a hot-corner) upper left (unless you move it)
Just because the corner is not hot is no justification for overview. In fact, compiz could do hot corners just fine.
> 2. Expose is not enabled until you configure it (and you cannot put it in the same place as starting application without risking overlaying a hot/non-hot corner)
Nobody asked for expose.
> 3. If you start searching for an application and then remember its already running (or vice-versa) you have to start over from the beginning
You don't have to remember anything. You can see the darn things in the workspace switcher or the taskbar. Or you can use expose directly, if you so desire (it used to be upper right hot corner in compiz).
> 4. If you want to start a new application on a different workspace you have to wait until it is running and then move it.
Rubbish. First, you can actually _see_ which workspaces are available and without lifting a finger. Then you can switch to one with just one click and without your screen being repainted and your mouse travelling all the way to the left, followed by all the way to the right. And you can start the app there. So, it takes _less_ actions to do this in Gnome 2 or Gnome3 fallback than it does in Gnome 3. In fact, I do this a hundred times a day.
Nobody is saying that improvements to the way applications are started in Gnome 2 or Gnome 3 fallback are not welcome. Of course they are. Search is very useful, menu could signal that the application is already started somewhere etc. But overview is unnecessary and really just another indirection.
Overview also causes the desktop to be managed half here and half there. Why can windows be moved in normal view? Isn't that a distraction and "difficult" (according to Gnome developers/designers)? Shouldn't that be done in overview? Etc.
|
|||||||||||||