Ubuntu 18.04 - GNOME - Desktop icon conflict

[Jim]

On 05/14/2018 12:20 PM, Liam Proven wrote:
> On Mon, 14 May 2018 at 18:40, Jim <jf_byrnes at comcast.net> wrote:
> 
>> That's certainly true. Since that time they seem to almost delight in
>> arbitrarily removing features and functionality.  Removing the ability
>> to have two panes open in Nautilus seemed like the most user unfriendly
>> thing you could do to a file manager. I can't remember ever seeing any
>> reason of why it was done, other than that's what the developers
>> decided. I used Nemo for awhile but for some reason never felt that
>> comfortable with it. I've been using Double Commander for quite awhile
>> now and don't miss Nautilus at all anymore.
> 
> That in itself wasn't a deal-breaker for me, but the desktop icons thing
> more or less is. I also dislike the desktop layout. GNOME 3 fans tell me
> "it keeps out of my way" but that huge top panel, almost totally unused, is
> an egregious waste of space. Along with desktop icons, notification icons
> in the top panel are now deprecated. The username/network/volume/brightness
> controls are all merged into 1, for no good reason I can see.

I guess it all comes down to what you are comfortable with. Myself, I 
don't care about desktop icons, as I never use them. I have always 
preferred using a taskbar, panel or launcher or whatever you call it to 
start apps.

Back in my OS/2 days I remember arranging icons and windows trying to 
keep from covering icons so I could get at them easily. When I, think it 
was Stardock, came out with that launcher that sat a the bottom of the 
screen, can't even remember it's name, I starting using it and never 
messed with desktop icons again.  Everyone just needs to use what works 
the best for them.

<smip>

> 
> Now, that stuff is moot, because of touchscreens.


> 
> But the GNOME devs, in the admirable pursuit of simplicity and a desktop
> that's as easy as a phone, are not doing the science. I suspect they don't
> even *know* the research existed.

Now here is a pet peeve of mine. Treating my large monitor desktop 
system like it was a smartphone. Switching from a window that maybe 
displayed a dozen items in a news feed or whatever to one that can only 
get 3 items on the screen because of a logo or a ton of wasted space 
around the item always irritates the hell out of me.

> They're just identifying features they don't use, and removing them. No
> consultation, no research, just "we can get rid of that".
> 
> But it is virtually an axiom: you cannot get to a simple design by starting
> with a complicated design and removing bits.
> 
> Simplicity has to be the goal from the start.
> 
> You can't write a haiku by starting with a novel and removing words.
> 
> But that's what they are trying to do.
> 

Regards,  Jim