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Gnome's Nice Little GUI Perks

Posted by timothy on from the thinking-of-users dept.

asdren writes " Steven Garrity has written a short article highlighting some 'user interface niceties' found in Gnome with regards to file renaming, screen captures, fonts and file zooming." Garrity points out that "... tiny details can have a significant impact on the user experience on operating systems. Inconsistencies that seem insignificant when considering individually, but together they degrade the overall polish and sense of stability in the system," and points out a few places where Gnome manages to avoid such inconsistency.

4 of 502 comments (clear)

  1. and it took Microsoft how long by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    to get Windows a decently stable and complete Desktop? 10? 15? Let's not forget GNOME is a relative new-comer at 6 years old, and the fact that it has a fraction of the number of developers and resources Microsoft can devote to their desktop should tell you how quickly it is progressing. Yes it is far from perfect, but you simply have not been paying attention if you aren't astonished by the advances GNOME (and KDE) have made in the last 3 years.

  2. Re:Huh? by Audity · · Score: 5, Insightful

    He never said you couldn't rename files in windows by right clicking-them. The point was that there's a "feature" in windows and OS X that allows you to rename files easily. The problem is it's too easy and gets triggered by accident often. Gnome doesn't have this problem (and niether does KDE).

  3. Re:6 points by officepotato · · Score: 5, Insightful

    That's more important than you'd think... It seems that everyone loves OSX, which is notable for having an incredible display manager and style standards. People notice the little perks like the camera-shutter sound more than they notice the bigger architectural changes.

    At my job, I run a network of mainly Windows XP computers, and a small lab of linux servers with KDE 3.2 installed as the default desktop environment for whoever wants to use it. Invariably the first user comments are on the bouncing icons, translucent menus, or the fact that GAIM shows buddy icons in the main list. People generally don't care what the operating system is, but they do notice changes in the UI.

    Linux has matured as a server OS, but being fast and pretty will bring it to the masses.

  4. Re:You've mentioned ONE technical problem... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful
    " I'll be honest, I really couldn't care less if I'm taken seriously by the Slashdot collective, as any technical issues I could come up with would be almost certainly brushed off by a group who has an agenda to fulfill at all costs. That is, in short, "Linux roolz"."

    On the other hand, it's just possible you're incapable of grasping that millions of people are quite happy, efficient and adept at using the software you disdain in spite of your authoritative opinion. When they disagree with your assertions that they're not, you pidgeon hole them as fan boys and adolescents and compound it by getting your panties in a knot when that upsets them too. What do you expect by coming on a Linux-centric forum shit-talking Linux, the hushed admiration of the throng of newly enlightened and a laurel wreath?