[OT] A couple of links about Gnome and usability

[Warren Samples]

On 03/25/2012 12:38 PM, Richmond wrote:
> As a Mac-o-philiac I have spent some time playing around with PearOS,
> and can honestly say "it sucks";
>
> it being neither one thing nor the other.
>
> Also, for Mac types; the initial set up does NOT have desktop icons,
> and it is a right cough-cough-cough finding one's Home folder and so on.
>
> The eye-candy is Mac-like; the functionality is not. And by fudging
> around with GNOME 3 to produce a supposedly Mac-like interface
> they have just obscured some of the useful features of GNOME 3.
>
> This reminds me of attempts in the past to build Linux distros with
> interfaces that are clones of Windows XP; similarly silly.
>
> When one moves to another operating system there is a learning curve
> involved, and it is disingenuous to pretend there is not.
>
> PearOS is rather like Water-wings or those funny little wheels on the sides
> of bikes; you will become dependent on them, and never learn to
> swim/ride a bike
> properly.
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------
>
> My vote for ease of use for a new Linux user who is coming from Mac,
> right now,
> is Xubuntu:
>
> http://xubuntu.org/
>
> or Mint with XFCE:
>
> http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1818
>
> You are more than welcome to e-mail me directly (i.e. off-list) if you
> have any further questions.
>
> Richmond Mathewson.
>
>
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:D as I said "heaping spoonfuls of salt". Mint is wonderful and XFCE is 
a very straightforward and traditional DE. Both are fine 
recommendations, although I am leery of Mint rolling Debian which is the 
only "official" XFCE version I could find on the Mint download page. Is 
it perhaps an alternative install within the Gnome DVD?

One thing that maybe could be said that for someone who wants mainly to 
have a Linux install available to test Livecode apps and perhaps run 
Livecode to tidy up applications being built for Linux, it may not 
matter at all which distro or DE you run, the only caveat to that being 
that you're better off installing a 32-bit version saving you the step 
of installing 32-bit compatibility libs. So long as you can get easy 
access to your stacks and apps from your Mac, and create an easy access 
to Livecode on your your Linux install, you might not find any reason to 
prefer one distro or DE over any other.

That said, I think, Richmond, while it absolutely true that each OS 
requires adjustment and learning, this is a much more involved topic in 
approaching Linux due to the extreme variety of choice regarding distro 
and DE. People seek a certain comfort level and familiarity can be a 
major factor. The disruption of familiarity is one of the roots of the 
current DE rumblings. I don't see anything wrong at all with customizing 
the DE experience to mimic either OS X or Windows, if that makes the 
user happy. The comment about water wings and training wheels is silly 
on two levels. It ignores the real value of them - enabling the 
inexperienced to participate in and enjoy an activity in comfort and 
safety as they gain familiarity and confidence - and overstates the 
"danger". It's ludicrous to say that anyone who rides a bike with 
training wheels will never ride without them, or who floats with water 
wings will never learn swim. Surely you don't believe that! As an 
extension of that argument, why not promote Gentoo, Arch, and Slackware? 
Higher learning curve = more genuine experience?! I suspect you don't 
actually believe that, at least not when put so directly. It is an old 
attitude in the Linux community that is thankfully becoming less 
prominent. Please be cautious not to promote it!!!

I have never used any version of Pear OS and only presented it as an 
available alternative with a rationale for why Pete may find it 
attractive. Have you tried the most recent version? Some people seem to 
like it, http://sourceforge.net/projects/pearoslinux/reviews/ . Here's a 
review of a pre-release version which may be interesting: 
http://www.linuxbsdos.com/2012/02/15/pear-linux-comice-os-4-beta-1-review/ 
. Just for fun, I'm about to install it in a VM to have a look. (slow 
download)

My DE is KDE 4.8 and I like it very much. I don't use all its features 
but it does some things that a really love. It works for me and makes me 
happy. While  it's very popular (despite Richmond's feelings about it), 
it doesn't suit everyone (see Richmond's feelings about it - feelings 
he's perfectly entitled to, of course). I feel comfortable recommending 
it as a good option. Kubuntu has a very poor reputation among KDE users, 
but it sounds like Mint is improving its KDE version.
http://youtu.be/ou9HIdlSQq0
http://youtu.be/Em3KOFvQSTY


I do agree with Richmond that Mint or Ubuntu may be the most foolproof 
way to approach Linux. (Saying that does not in any way imply they're 
really a "stepping stone" to something "more" Linux. They are "real" 
Linux and fine and respectable choices, as will be whatever you finally 
go with.)

Best,

Warren