[TEAM] Gathering "testimonials" for marketing purposes

[Mark F]

I'm a new Xubuntu user. I've been using Lubuntu for over a year. I saw this
topic in the mailing-list archives and thought this post (questions,
observations) might be welcome here. I think it ties into marketing?

I looked at Mint Xfce and, to be honest, I like it *much* more. The only
reason I went with Xubuntu is the larger community of support (Ubuntu's
forums). I'd rather try to make Xubuntu better than to contribute to a fork.

What I'm wondering is whether you guys ever evaluate Mint Xfce and consider
evolving the desktop in that direction? Is it ever even discussed? (Is
there a way to find a past discussion like that in the mailing-list
archive?).

For example:

- Wisker menu progresses right to left (categories are on right open to
reveal contents on the left). Using MintX, right-to-left stood out to me
immediately as more intuitive.

- Right/left clicking on taskbar entries seems unintuitive to me. It seems
like left clicks are passed through the applet and into the underlying
taskbar. (Right clicks access the applet's options?). MintX seems to have
addressed this. It works differently.

- Wisker menu's categories automatically reveal content by mousing over
each one. (No click required).

- How is inclusion into Wisker's "Settings" and "System" chosen? It's like
everything is in Settings. I'm not sure I could differentiate between those
two categories. But, it seems like no differentiation is occuring. (But, it
is because two items are in "System.").

- A lot of things seem unintuitive to me. What's called "[Distro] Software
Center" in other distros is just "Software" in Xubuntu. It's in the
"Favorites" category, not in "System" nor "Settings."

- The "Software" tool seems very slow and uninformative compared to
Lubuntu's "Software Center" (And MintX's). I tried to install Keepass2,
which was available in Lubutu's software center. It's not in Xubuntu's.

- I found a Keepass package, but it made me authenticate with my Ubuntu
single-signon. It wouldn't authenticate me, giving a repeated error (even
though I can login to the Ubuntu One site). I like the goal behind this.
But, it's a free package. I shouldn't have to go through these hurdles.
It's a *big* problem if I can't access my passwords in a new install.


- Menu bar on top. Not easy to figure out how to put it on the bottom. Not
"mainstream" if you're trying to appeal to new users (familiar with
Windows)?

So, I'm just wondering (in terms of marketing, appealing to more users),
has this topic ever come up before? Evaluating what draws people to other
Xfce environments? What the others are doing right? Why they chose to fork
(and duplicate efforts)? Would it make sense to solicit surveys (instead of
testimonials)?

I hope this doesn't sound like I'm complaining. I understand no desktop
will meet everyone's needs. But, this thread implies outreach, seeking to
gain popularity. MintX seems more popular (according to distrowatch?). I'm
just wondering if this discussion has ever occurred? (I.e., should Xubuntu
try to incorporate any of MintX's features?).

Is it possible to install MintX's desktop in Xubuntu? Would it make sense
to offer that desktop more clearly (or a desktop made specifically to be
more like MintX, so people who might choose that distro could more easily
choose Xubuntu?).

Again, I hope I'm not causing a problem. This topic seemed to be about
advocacy, increasing relevancy. Since I've just been comparing Xfce
desktops, the topic of "why is Xubuntu's desktop the way it is?" seemed
like a natural question. It makes me wonder if anyone has gone back to
"square one" and questioned everything. (When I see everything lumped into
"Settings," I get the impression that discussion hasn't occured. The
desktop is just an evolution and hasn't been re-thought from the ground
up?).

I look forward to reading responses. I just feel like something is missing.
Ubuntu has the support and immediacy of security patches. But, Mint has the
appeal to new users (IMO). I just wonder if anyone has tried to bridge that
gap.

Thanks!
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