[Wylug-discuss] Gnome 3 Review

[Simon Brown]

Hi Tim,

At Fri, 23 Mar 2012 08:06:21 +0300,
Tim Schofield wrote:
> Thank you for this, it illustrates my point wonderfully :-)
:-)

> You seem to be saying that the Linux desktop should abandon the office
> user in favour of facebook users. I think we must agree to disagree on
> that point.

I don't think the Linux desktop should abandon the office user. As you
say they are not going away any time soon. My point was that they *have*
to embrace the mobile computer user if they want to stay relevant.

As mobile computing is still new, GNOME, Ubuntu and Windows are all
still working out how to do it. In the short term I think all of them
will alienate to some extent their existing user base whilst they work
out how to best serve these new users. I think the criticism levelled
at all three at this point is premature.

> Gnome/Unity seems caught in the mindset that all computing devices can
> only have one interface, and they have chosen to go with the one for
> interacting with the latest fashion of social networking. 

The question is are they able to develop one that works well for both?
Or do they have the resources to develop two? Mobile computing is not
a temporary fashion. They've chosen to align their product with where
the users are. Economies of scale are a massive driver in consumer
electronics. 

> The number of office desktop computers is not declining, the notion
> of a pc on every desk holds true today as it always did. 
Yes. However tablets and phones are now replacing a large amount of
tasks previously done with laptop/desktop. For example email, web
browsing calendars, media consumption and document review. University
lecture theatres have gone from a sea of notepads, to a sea of
laptops, to a sea of tablets in a very short period.

> A touch screen interface for these people is inefficient.
Absolutely, for some people. I fix SW for a living and I wouldn't want
to use emacs on an on-screen keyboard. At the same time though
on-screen keyboards are getting better and may become usable for more
tasks.

> I am not convinced that all devices need the same interface. Do I
> really want my washing machine to have the same interface as my TV
> for instance.

TVs may well have gesture (XBox kinect) based interfaces soon which
will be a form of touch. I can't see the need for this at all with a
washing machine. I'd like to try it with a telly though.

A big part of this is technology advancement. The processing power to
do lots of interesting new things is now there. The windows UI hasn't
changed a great deal in two decades. Fundamental design decisions
should be periodically revisited.

Whether Windows, GNOME and Ubuntu get it right we shall see. Yes
computer users like you and I will be neglected in the short term. We
have to be patient, they need time to adapt to this change.

I'm hopeful for the future,

Simon