[Nottingham] the demise of gnome-3

[david at gbenet.com]

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On 02/05/12 22:08, Barry Drake wrote:
> On 02/05/12 21:54, Martin Garton wrote:
>> On a slightly related note, for any Ubuntu users who haven't upgraded to 12.04 and who are
>> gnome 3 users, expect some issues if you upgrade. I'm still battling to get basic keyboard
>> shortcuts working and it appears the ubuntu folks "WONTFIX" them. Unsurprisingly, Ubuntu
>> seems to be fast becoming a Unity-only distro. Good luck to them.
> 
> Ubuntu is basically for non-geeks - Windows users are taking to it amazingly well when some
> of us hold their hand.  There are a lot of helpful keyboard shortcuts built in to Unity. 
> Press and hold the Super (formerly known as windows) key to see them if you haven't found
> that yet.  The Ubuntu folk are really overwhelmed  just now following the new release.  Folk
> like me who have been using it for months are trying our best to talk others through the
> differences.  The answer is DONTHAVETIMETOFIX yet ....  Patience.  12.04 is the best thing
> since sliced bread?  No, best thing since mousetraps.  It is not 'Unity only'.  Unity is the
> default.  Other desktops can easily be installed, and other releases of *buntu offer
> different desktops ....
> 
> Regards,        Barry.
> 
Hi Barry,

The target market is Windows users - who are used to a branded non-configurable product.
Ubuntu all flavours have this target market in mind. But there was a time when Ubuntu was
configurable - change the start up graphic and change the log on screen and change the log
off screen - add items to your desktop and install whatever programmes you wished.

Now with "hard coding" what took a few minutes to change can take more than a few days to
do. And package instalment has become more "selective." It is a good marketing ploy to say
"Ubuntu gives you freedom to configure Ubuntu as you choose" where in fact in reality that
is clearly not true.

I have been a Linux user for over 15 years and what I have seen is the hard coding and the
lack of real choice in what end users of Linux can do. Gnome-3 may be pretty but tell me how
do you place important txt documents on your desktop? Or how can you add programmes to the
menu? How can you edit the menu? Not all programmes you install get added to the menu - why
is that?

I can  appreciate that Ubuntu has taken many many steps backwards for the sake of wooing
people from Microsoft - and giving those Microsoft users a "look and feel" of Windows with a
very pretty gnome-3 -  but Ubuntu  is still bollocks and Gnome-3 is still bollocks unless of
course you have been using Windows then Ubuntu must  seem like a breath of fresh air. Oh and
when I press my windows key my menu pops up - opensuse 12.1 - LXDE. Is that so great? The
real answer is no. Ubuntu has gone ten steps backward - Microsoft already sell Linux support
- - who knows what corporate finance Ubuntu gets from Microsoft?

The past week, U.S computer manufacturer Dell announced that it will make available to end
customers machines preloaded with the Ubuntu 7.04 distribution of Linux. In this context,
Dell will offer desktops with Windows Vista, Windows XP and Ubuntu 7.04 side by side. Dell
has chosen to respect customer responsibilities trading off relationships with long time
partner Microsoft.

In 2008 Microsoft sold 1000 SUSE licenses for Renault's data centres. These licenses will
replace the existing Linux distributions (Debian and Red Hat). By choosing SUSE as a
solution, Renault will be spared by Microsoft. Remember, Microsoft has accused Linux for
violation of more than a hundred patents last year. And the editor of Redmond said that the
companies which have signed an agreement like Novell and Linspire will be protected. The car
manufacturer will also benefit from the interoperability of Virtualization Tools to run
Windows virtual machines on SUSE servers.

This is not the first time for Microsoft, customers such as Wall-Mart (who bought SUSE),
HSBC, Siemens and BMW have already acquired Linux licenses sold by Microsoft. The gate is
open and the situation is likely to change quickly. After the investment in the Open-source
by IBM and Sun, it's Microsoft's turn. The pessimists may regret the "stain" of Linux by the
evil Microsoft, and the risk of a second monopoly on Linux. Source: 01net.

Microsoft is a "hard-coded branded product" which offers no freedom of choice. I could say
the same for Ubuntu and SUSE. Fedora et al. We are fast moving to closed hard-coded Linux
not open source. But for Mr and Mrs Average - what do they care?

David


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