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Roamin' with the GNOMEies


raymac46

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Funny how after 10 years with Linux you can come full circle...well almost, sorta. :yes:

When I got started with Ubuntu Dapper Drake I was using GNOME 2 and as far as I was concerned that was the Linux desktop. It was different than Windows XP but not so different that I couldn't adapt.

The hardware I was running back then was one of the final Pentium III powered desktops with a maxed out 512 MB of RAM. Wireless was a manually configured luxury - you needed to have the right chipset and know about wext and madwifi and wpa-supplicant to get it going. it broke every time you reinstalled a new version of Ubuntu.

I just got everything figured out and was happy when along came GNOME Shell - I thought that was the worst DE anyone could dream up until I saw Windows 8 - but I digress.

I quickly switched to Xfce (still love that desktop) and on more powerful hardware I used Cinnamon.

But now - on one machine at least - I'm back Roamin' with the GNOMEies.

Maybe I've gotten smarter over the years (doubtful) or maybe the GNOME Shell developers have improved matters a lot - but I don't find GNOME 3 as big of a turn-off as I did back in 2011. Certainly learning about Shell extensions has been a big plus. I have a nice dock at the bottom of the screen which hides away when I don't need it, the old familiar Applications and Places menus are back on the Panel. It's like Xfce on steroids now - even got some 3D effects. :w00tx100:

Xfce is still my choice for older hardware and I use Cinnamon for machines that Windows users may need, but for personal use on a fast laptop I am back with GNOME.

Edited by raymac46
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V.T. Eric Layton

That sounds so familiar to me. When I first came to Linux (Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake), I too used Gnome 2. I thought it was pretty spiffy. My Gnome daze ended, though, when I became a Slacker full-time in the latter part of 2006 (after much distro farming). Bruno had said that I "would make a good Slacker" way back when. He cursed/blessed me that day, for Slacker I am... and will remain for the foreseeable future. ;)

 

Anyway, Slackware doesn't "do" Gnome. I tried a version of Gnome that was ported for Slackware, but didn't really like it. My KDE daze started with Slackware and ended abruptly when 4.x came with all that instability and BLOAT, not too mention that silly acorn or pecan or whatever the heck that thing in the upper right corner of the desktop was called then. I just couldn't deal with KDE from then on. Their devs broke my heart. I really loved KDE 3.5.

 

Xfce became my desktop from that time on. I've never looked back. I've learned to customize and manipulate it to my liking over the years. I have no complaints. It does what I need it to do with a minimum of muss and fuss. :)

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Hedon James

That sounds so familiar to me. When I first came to Linux (Ubuntu 6.06 Dapper Drake), I too used Gnome 2. I thought it was pretty spiffy. My Gnome daze ended, though, when I became a Slacker full-time in the latter part of 2006 (after much distro farming). Bruno had said that I "would make a good Slacker" way back when. He cursed/blessed me that day, for Slacker I am... and will remain for the foreseeable future. ;)

 

Anyway, Slackware doesn't "do" Gnome. I tried a version of Gnome that was ported for Slackware, but didn't really like it. My KDE daze started with Slackware and ended abruptly when 4.x came with all that instability and BLOAT, not too mention that silly acorn or pecan or whatever the heck that thing in the upper right corner of the desktop was called then. I just couldn't deal with KDE from then on. Their devs broke my heart. I really loved KDE 3.5.

 

Xfce became my desktop from that time on. I've never looked back. I've learned to customize and manipulate it to my liking over the years. I have no complaints. It does what I need it to do with a minimum of muss and fuss. :)

 

response #1..."cashew"...but I knew what you meant.

 

response #2...you'd probably like the Trinity desktop, which was purportedly developed by KDE user/fans who didn't like the new KDE and wanted to go back to their preferred 3.5 environment. I've never used it, and not sure if it's an option in Slack (didn't know Gnome was an issue with Slac), but Trinity is to KDE as Mate is to Gnome.

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I must confess that I do like Plasma 5 (latest KDE version) and could probably use it except I have always liked the GTK apps like Abiword Gnumeric and Rhythmbox better than their Qt equivalents.

I know you can mix and match but it seems kinda kludgy to do that. Xfce uses the GTK stuff mostly.

I was introduced to Xfce with Vector Linux which as you know is a Slackware derivative. The VL developers always did a fine job making Xfce look great. If you get the xfce4-goodies metapackage you have all sorts of cool stuff including the Whisker Menu.

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V.T. Eric Layton

Yeah, Slackware was never very friendly to Gnome for some reason or another. Maybe our BDFL just didn't like Tolkien stories as a child. ;)

 

Ah! Cashew. That's it. Who in the world thought of that?

 

Trinity? Hmm... Actually, I don't really need that because I install all the KDE libs and apps right along with my Xfce when I install Slackware, so I'm getting all the bennies of KDE's awesome apps (K3b, Konqueror, KWrite, AmaroK, etc.) without having to use the KDE desktop. :w00t:

 

Initially, KDE was the GO-TO desktop for Slackware, but I believe that after the transition to 4.0, many Slackers chose the available Xfce option in Slackware. There are still some die-hard KDE-ers out there, though. I tried KDE for a bit a couple years ago. It's smoothed most of its rough edges since 4.x came about. It's still too much desktop for me, though. I like things simple, easy, stable, etc.

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securitybreach

Yeah, Slackware was never very friendly to Gnome for some reason or another. Maybe our BDFL just didn't like Tolkien stories as a child. ;)

 

Actually it was for many years until 2005 anyway, Gnome Removed From Slackware

 

I remember because I was still using Slackware then.

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V.T. Eric Layton

You know, now that you mention that, I remember hearing references to Gnome in Slack many years ago. I'm old. I forget stuff. ;)

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