Ideas for the Xubuntu desktop (Was: [TEAM] Gathering "testimonials" for marketing purposes)

[Sean Davis]

Much of what has been discussed so far is regarding panel layouts. We
introduced a new tool to Xubuntu a few releases back that allows you to
import, export, and apply various panel layouts.  This is installed by
default and available from 1) the panel preferences > backup and restore,
or 2) Settings > Xfce Panel Switch.  You can learn about it here:
https://smdavis.us/2015/10/12/xfce-panel-switch-introduction/

We ship a few layouts by default, and can of course include more.  Feel
free to suggest additional layouts at https://launchpad.net/xfpanel-switch

Mint (or any other distribution) may be popular for various reasons.  A
strong one that I see repeated on various blogs is predictability.  Mint's
configuration does not change across releases, and they ship numerous
codecs and a wide variety of software (works "out of the box").  Recently
they have also taken to developing their own applications to ensure that
the layout (of both the desktop and the applications) does not change over
time.  That's more or less described on their site:
https://linuxmint.com/about.php

Instead of shipping many specialized defaults, Xubuntu presents a minimal
desktop (and much the way it's been for years) and introduce our users to
Xfce's (and by extension, Xubuntu) customization options through our
installer, documentation (
http://docs.xubuntu.org/1604/user/C/settings-preferences.html), and
numerous blog posts (https://xubuntu.org/news/tag/the-small-details/).  Of
course, we welcome discussion and ideas to further improve our defaults.

I hope this helps a bit, thanks!

Sean (bluesabre)
Xubuntu Technical Lead

On Mon, Aug 22, 2016 at 8:22 PM Mark F <azdays15 at gmail.com> wrote:

> """ This means if enough people want change (and are there to do the
> tasks needed), then it's likely to happen as well. """
>
> I guess what I'm trying to imply is that there are (apparently) enough
> people when you count all those using different Xfce implementations.
>
> It seems like a chicken/egg thing. People went to Mint because it "looks
> better." That creates a limited group here for "testimonials." You're
> trying to reach what I would describe (from your description) as a larger
> limited audience. Whereas, if there was more outreach to those who don't
> choose Xubuntu the way it is, then there would be a larger community who
> support the sorts of things they support elsewhere.
>
> I think we're saying the same thing. It's just "which comes first." You
> want to be more relevant, reaching more people who find your design
> decisions to be appealing. One way to do that is to describe how it is
> appealing, to find more people who share those tastes. Another way would be
> to make it more *easily* like distros (more?) people find appealing. If
> it's just a matter of configuration, it seems like it could be something
> like a button-press to get a different desktop (like Zorin does).
>
> I'm just coming up with ideas off the top of my head.
>
> I get the impression (distrowatch) MintX has more users, but perhaps not
> as sophisticated, knowledgeable. So, that's why there isn't the support
> community like Ubuntu (generally) has. You're looking to evangelize the
> like-minded. I'm just saying, if the goal is more people, why should that
> be limited to a particular aesthetic. A "big tent" approach could bring
> more people in, give them better support, etc.
>
> I had already been thinking about this. The topic about soliciting user
> feedback ("testimonials," almost a religious experience) for the purpose of
> advocacy ("marketing") seemed to invite these thoughts. Does Xubuntu really
> have to be "pure?" Couldn't it be more things to more people (especially if
> a majority are heading to Mint?). Soliciting "testimonials" and having a
> goal to grow the userbase is an act of pragmatics (outreach). I'm just
> asking why not start from the beginning and ask how those non-Xubuntu users
> were lost. Accomodate them (especially if it's just about democracy and
> catering to the largest common denominator).
>
> I appreciate having the opportunity to air my thoughts about it. I get the
> impression that it's not welcome (much, subject-line changes so it's not
> related to the original point I was replying to, etc.). That's ok. I
> respect the group's wishes and will let it go. Sometimes it's good to think
> about things from a fresh perspective. It's easy to get locked into an us
> vs. them mentality, "no need to try to attract those people... we need more
> people like us." Hopefully my contribution might cause some of that to be
> re-thought.
> --
> xubuntu-devel mailing list
> xubuntu-devel at lists.ubuntu.com
> https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/xubuntu-devel
>
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