It is time to use MATE DE as default desktop on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS

[Khurshid Alam]

Hi,

On Sun, Oct 22, 2017 at 4:47 PM, Nrbrtx <nrbrtx at gmail.com> wrote:
> Dear Ubuntu users and developers!
> 
> I just installed the newest Ubuntu 17.10 with a new version of GNOME 
> Shell, pretending to be Unity.
> This release is very important, because it determines the future of 
> the next LTS version - 18.04.
> 
> I want to share my impressions on 17.10. In short, it's a total 
> nightmare.

I am not Ubuntu-dev, but I agree that it's not a nice experience.

> Why can not I change the behaviour of the window (<Alt+Space>, <t> 
> for fixing it Always on top or <m> to maximize it) with the standard 
> shortcut? This functionality has existed for years. To whom did she 
> interfere? (see bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1725706 ).

Not sure. But we could still do that in Unity. No?


> Why do we need this new-fashioned Shell? Why can not programs be 
> categorized as they were before?
> You can see GNOME FlashBack and MATE DE as good examples.

You  can install extension to achieve that. The default gnome is bad.


> GNOME Shell does not improve productivity at all. Even Unity was more 
> convenient.
> How do I explain to a person by phone what he should do to run a 
> program?
> How can I find the program in this menu, if I do not know exactly its 
> name and keywords on which it can be found? GNOME Shell can't speedup 
> this process.

Again extension and you will get you programs (categorised) back. May 
be Ubuntu should install this by default.
There are gno-menu, application-menu and arc menu to choose from.
https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/1228/arc-menu/


> Why are the icons in the new system tray so small? (see bug 
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1263228 ).

Theme issue. Use a different icon theme

> Why are the Wi-Fi, Ethernet, Bluetooth and VPN status icons hidden by 
> default? Horizontal space on modern monitors is wide enough. Why do I 
> need an additional "Select network" step when connecting to Wi-Fi? 
> Why can not I connect to the network selected in this window by 
> double-clicking? Why do I need to see entire desktop shaded the when 
> entering the network key? Behind shade, user can hardly see the 
> current keyboard layout. Where did the check mark for showing entered 
> symbols?

They are visible if available or when required. Bluetooth is different 
story though. Bluez has thousands bugs and one has to be really lucky 
if he wants his bluetooth works out of box.
"Select network" --> Gnome's design. Take it them.
Single click will let you connect to the network.
Keyboard layout is a mess.


> Why network indicator with a question mark is displayed in the tray 
> on normal Wi-Fi connection (sites in the browser open normally, ping 
> works)?

Not sure. Something to do with in security. Check recent changes.


> Why is switching windows to <Alt+Tab> so slow? If I opened two 
> terminals, why can not I see them at once? This system for work or 
> for what?

Mutter is slow.  It's corrupted at the core and can't easily be fixed. 
So everything window management related is slow.
Btw, new <Alt+Tab> behaviour came from Ubuntu and similar to Unity.

> Why does the terminal open its new instances by default in a new 
> window?
> Why not in the tab?

You can change that in terminal preferences.

> Who removed the keyboard shortcut <Ctrl+Shift+t> to create a new tab? 
> (see bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1725938 ).

 From the bug, keyboard switcher problem.

> Why can not I rename the title of the terminal or its tabs? (see bug 
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1448511 )

Gnome's design. Take it their mailing list.

> What should I do for quick connection to the server, for example via 
> FTP, SMB or SSH? Where is the equivalent "Places -> Connect to 
> server"? This is a frequently used function.

Nautilus-> Other Locations


> Why can not I right click to change the properties of the Gedit 
> editor window, and instead the window just minimizes? (see bug 
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1725708 ).

Window action menu is broken on wayland. Right-click pressed may work.

> Why all local disks are hidden in the Nautilus?

Glib bug or gvfs bug. Still not resolved. Very complected.

> Why do I need the "Other locations" button to view all logical drives 
> of this computer?

Users can have 10 or more logical drives. So it will make sidebar ugly. 
At least that's reason Gnome gave.

> Why can not I create a new blank document from the drop-down menu 
> (see bug https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1437502 ).

There was a patch for nautilus which doesn't work any more. But Ubuntu 
should make it work for next release.

> Why can not I run graphics applications that require root privileges 
> for years to function properly under the Wayland default session?
> I do not need such security, I need to work.
> (see bugs https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1713313 , 
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1713311 and fresh discussion on 
> AskUbuntu - https://askubuntu.com/q/961967/66509 ).

Take it wayland dev. Although I don't think it will help.


> As a result, I can conclude the following: a modern desktop GNOME, 
> not intended for real work.
> I understand that GNOME developers are probably inspired by Apple's 
> macOS interfaces. But macOS is productive and functional.
> Perhaps GNOME developers are looking at macOS interfaces under the 
> hipster dope of stupid innovation without taking into account the 
> experience of past generations.

Gnome 3 was inspired from Android or chrome-os, afaik.

> Modern KDE is good, but overloaded with settings, like the good old 
> KDE 3.5. Modern Xfce is not functional enough.
> Using GNOME Classic and GNOME FlashBack will not help much, because 
> it does not change the look and functionality of standard GNOME 
> applications.
> 
> Therefore, I seriously suggest to consider the possibility of using 
> the MATE DE by default in the version of Ubuntu 18.04 LTS Desktop. 
> You can even include its dock by default using the Mutiny template.
> 
> I recommend to conduct a survey of users indicating their roles (home 
> user or professional user) to select the default desktop environment.
> 
> Please think about it.


Survey is good. Mate is nice too. But I doubt it will happen. We should 
all contribute to fix those small annoyances (which are fixable) and 
make our life easier for 18.04.
100 papercuts projects would be good for next cycle and I want the 
Ubuntu to revive the project. It helped during 12.04. It will help for 
18.04.


Thanks.
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