GNOME 2.0 Released

MAXOMENOS writes "The GNOME team has announced the release of GNOME 2.0. You can get more information about the GNOME 2.0 system here." Congratulations to everyone involved. Use the mirrors...

Comments

Re:Makes of mockery of the ealier story

[colmore]

I don't know what the submitter/editor was thinking on the Linux Is Dead article, because if you were one of the four people who actually read the article, it said no such thing. (In fact, quite the opposite.)

But yes, this, KDE, Moz, and the ever-improving stability of the 2.4 kernel are quite forceful rebuttals of (real) Linux is Dead claims.

If only BeOS had had the kind of community support that Linux enjoys.

Re:Gnome 2 vs KDE 3

[georgeb]

I really think it's a matter of taste rather than functionality. Both KDE and GNOME are huge undertakements and both seem to have their userbase... Well, of course I like gnome, but wouldn't mind working in KDE either.

Re:Using the Debian packages

[Jeffrey Baker]

deb ftp://ftp.debian.org/debian/ ../project/experiment al main

Gnome 2 is terrible to configure

[wray]

I must object. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I found gnome 2 much harder to configure. The worst is the endless windows registry type settings in GConf (even with the GConf editor.) I tend to want to change things per application, and finding the specific option is nearly impossible under this scheme.

Additionally, I really dislike what has happened with gnome 2 in configurability. Making intelligent defaults is all fine and good, but when you can't get it how you want, frustration ensues. The reason I never used KDE was precisely this lack of configurability. I have heard this same comment from many people and I predict that an outcry of configurability problems will happen.

As an example, there are no virtual desktops in gnome 2, and neither metacity nor sawfish 2 add them. I realize there are only subtle differences, but there are many people who use those differences. Additionally, at least for now, sawfish doesn't even have the infrastructure to bind keys to switching to workspaces in a 2d sense (I can move left or right, but not up or down) Another example is that in metacity, clicking anywhere on a window raises it. This is terrible for me. One of the biggest reasons I use sloppy focus is so that I can have overlapping windows and cut and paste from the window underneath. This is especially useful with overlapping terminals that tend to be smaller and thus just disappear when the larger window raises. According to Havoc, most of these options (unless he uses them) are just "crack-rock." So don't use metacity right? Well, unfortuanately there isn't anything else that fits the bill right now, perhaps sawfish will get back to its usual self -- dunno. And to those who say, "make your own then, that is what open source is all about," I query, "Are you the same folks who wonder why we can't quit duplicating effort?"

My vote still lies in configurability, and my hope is I don't have to turn to enlightenment to get it.

Re:Gnome 2 is terrible to configure

[tempest303]

Note: nearly all of my responses to you will be directly influenced by this document. I personally consider it a must read for anyone interested in Free/OSS desktops.

Additionally, I really dislike what has happened with gnome 2 in configurability. Making intelligent defaults is all fine and good, but when you can't get it how you want, frustration ensues.

Understandable. As it says in the above link, if you feel that the behavior of a particular program is frustrating, file a bug either suggesting a change to the behavior, or, if it really really must be, requesting a preference to change the behavior. Either way, have a logical arguement ready, though - please be aware that "But I've always done it this way!" probably won't fly. If something is broken, but familiar, it's still broken. Sometimes it's really worth the small pain of learning to change your user habits. Of course, other times, the developers are wrong, and need your help in straigtening it out! :-)

Another example is that in metacity, clicking anywhere on a window raises it.

Read the Metacity README file! This is one of Metacity's precious few user options. If you really want a GUI instead of using GConf to change this stuff, check out Metacity Setup - it's a seperate project from Metacity proper, but it's becoming quite nice!

(incidently, sloppy focus really is total crack, as Havoc also says in the README, but he's letting it slide anyhow *because* of the fact that it's so very useful. The "weight" of the preference is justified in this case. Again, the README is highly informative on this subject.)

Additionally, at least for now, sawfish doesn't even have the infrastructure to bind keys to switching to workspaces in a 2d sense (I can move left or right, but not up or down)

See the release notes: http://www.gnome.org/start/2.0/errors.html#id28297 18

My vote still lies in configurability, and my hope is I don't have to turn to enlightenment to get it.

Well, if you can put up with E's serious bloat, stability, and consistency issues, (that I've always had with E - maybe it's different for you) in exchange for maniacal control over your WM, be my guest. My guess is you'll probably go back to Gnome or KDE after only a few days. ;-)

(My apologies to E users and developers, but my experiences with it have been *terrible*...)

Star Control 2 for Linux

[Jagasian]

Star Control 2 for: Linux, OSX, and Windows
Why isn't this a full Slashdot news article?