Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Archived topics about LMDE 1 and LMDE 2

Are you interested in Gnome3/Gnome-Shell?

I'm interested in running/testing G-S...
242
55%
I'll run Gnome3, but not the Shell
58
13%
I'm staying with Gnome2 for now
108
24%
What's Gnome3??????
33
7%
 
Total votes: 441

autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

I've found that "normally" most extensions will work with a newer version by just editing the metadata.json ...the file states not to edit it, but I've not had many problems with that (once or twice I locked up shell, but logging in as another user & then going into my user as root to remove the offending file cleared the problem)....not sure why 3.6 is disappearing...

As far as the metadata.json change: "shell-version": [ "3.4", "3.6", "3.8" ], Will do the trick......
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

autocrosser wrote:I've found that "normally" most extensions will work with a newer version by just editing the metadata.json ...the file states not to edit it, but I've not had many problems with that (once or twice I locked up shell, but logging in as another user & then going into my user as root to remove the offending file cleared the problem)....not sure why 3.6 is disappearing...

As far as the metadata.json change: "shell-version": [ "3.4", "3.6", "3.8" ], Will do the trick......
All of us in this thread grab the newest version and run with it, never waiting for it through Update Manager. We have no problem with it and know what to expect and how to fix it. My concern is for the normal user who gets updates through normal channels and restarts to find chaos. Well, mostly it would work just with a list of greyed out extensions that no longer work, but with no explanation. Sometimes they will reboot to a locked system. Or possibly have a theme that actually blocks proper functioning. I see this as the Achilles' Heal of Gnome Shell. Most distros are now packaging a gnome-shell-extensions package that should update with the shell and that goes some way to alleviating the problem. Unlike the last twenty years of Linux now you have to remove extensions and themes prior to updating. Then there is a period of extension updating that takes a month or two to catch up. My 3.8 now has all my favourites working (as of this week). You often have to give up extensions when you update, then wait. Or, be patient and sit one version behind. Flexibility leads to complication.

I think extensions are a great advance in desktop technology, there just needs to be a mechanism for updating. Extensions are updated all the time with no indication of the availability of the new version. I was running an extension updater for a while but have lost track of it.
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

Agreed on the "there just needs to be a mechanism for updating" I have been thinking about that--pity that the updater you were talking about (I used it also until it broke) is not working..that is what is really needed right now.If I knew more code I would take it on......

I guess that I was stating the rather self-explanatory about the metadata files...no-one take offense please.....
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

autocrosser wrote:Agreed on the "there just needs to be a mechanism for updating" I have been thinking about that--pity that the updater you were talking about (I used it also until it broke) is not working..that is what is really needed right now.If I knew more code I would take it on......

I guess that I was stating the rather self-explanatory about the metadata files...no-one take offense please.....
Autocrosser, I was not having a go at you. Updating metadata.json is most definitely the answer to nearly all extension update issues. I was just jumping on the "make Gnome better" soapbox. I am sorry, I should have been more explicit in laying my criticism on the Gnome devs, without quoting your post.

cheers

Greg
GeneC

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GeneC »

Interesting discussion on the extensions upgrades. The large number of extensions, and the ease of their installation, upgrade and ability to switch on/off/upgrade directly from the Gnome shell Extensions web page https://extensions.gnome.org/ is quite impressive, and what makes the Shell more attractive to use for me than Cinnamon.
Currently using over a dozen extensions that really transform the desktop from its basic "clumsy" to very usable. I have in the past attempted to modify the metajohnson files to make older extension version work with the newer Gnome versions, to some success, some failures. Makes me wonder why the nice folks who wrote the extensions in the first place do not upgrade them?.. :?

An older shot of my Raring Gnome desktop

Image

When the extensions catch up with 3.8. (OR, I can get them to work) It will be a very nice desktop.. :wink:
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

Couple of thoughts...Greg, if you still have a copy of extension updater...could you send it to me?? debianmainuser at gmail.com I just might have have a go at getting it to work again....I do have some contacts with Gnome devs...

Hang in there Gene..... I only have 2 that currently don't work--Nothing to do (calendar removal) & the gpaste extension (missing it a lot!!!) I have a re-compiled stock weather extension (I like it better than the one on the Gnome Shell Extensions page) if anyone wants it...in any case my runable extension list looks like this:
Tweak Tool_002.png
Tweak Tool_003.png
So my desktop looks like:
Workspace 1_001.png
GeneC

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GeneC »

Looking good, Autocrosser.. Temps me to upgrade to 3.8 again, and try 'fixing' my broke extensions... :wink:

BUT... :arrow:
http://news.softpedia.com/news/First-De ... 0985.shtml

Looks like Gnome 3.10 is right around the corner... :roll:
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

Yes--that's the one that will be out late Aug..... https://live.gnome.org/Schedule & https://live.gnome.org/ThreePointNine

Plenty of time to play with 3.8 I'll be starting to work with 3.9/3.10 in about a month.....
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

Autocrosser, the updater is still in github, but not updated for a long time. It was for Gnome 3.2 and 3.4

https://github.com/eonpatapon/gnome-she ... on-updater
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

I had reason to reinstall a clean Wheezy system this week on my notebook. It is interesting to look at what the Debian devs have done. It is Gnome 3.4, with modifications. There is a gnome-shell-extensions package supplying a list of popular extensions, including the theme manager. Some of those extensions are active in the default install eg shutdown in the logout menu. It uses the standard theme with a grey desktop and the standard Debian swirl. Login manager is GDM. Also in the repository is a weather extension as a separate deb package. There is probably a good reason for the weather extension to be not packaged with the rest, even if it is not readily apparent (perhaps it is still in development). It all works reliably and if you do not step outside the supplied extensions it will all update through normal Debian updates. Tweak Tool is part of the default install. Obviously they have given a lot of thought into making the system stable, updatable and usable from the first install.

Given such a system then an extension updater just for the locally installed extensions from extensions.gnome.org would seem a good addition. Although I think we would all like the option of system installed individual updates as well. The final item in the wish list would be a theme installer, one that can identify the shell version and only install themes that work. If we have extensions.gnome.org then themes.gnome.org on a web page with a similar mechanism. Or, alternatively themes packaged as debs and uploaded to contrib. I remember there was some work on installable themes , but I have lost track of that one.

The Wheezy install lasted a few minutes before it was dist-upgraded to Sid and then Experimental added. For the moment it is still on Gnome 3.4 in Sid. I will make it 3.8 when a more complete 3.8 is available - or just let it update when it filters down to Sid.

:)
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

Sounds good--I've got the .zip---will take a look at it later tonight.... Interesting about Wheezy--I have been sending a fair amount of bug reports & suggestions--would be nice to think that it has all gone to the right ears :)


Good to know you've already "Sidified" your system..I had a go at it about a month or so ago & it was not as nice, but I was in a bit of a hurry to bring it up to Experimental... (I thought that I'd finally lost my main testing Experimental install---but happily I was able to bring it back to live again---have been running it for over 2 years now--survived several near melt-downs & a move to the SSD drive :) )..... Yes--I keep all the taps open still..taking whatever is "thrown" at me. Really waiting for the next major push to happen.....
sigshane
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:30 am

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by sigshane »

OP, I gotta know...

What is that fantastic wallpaper in your first screenie?

I love it!
Shane
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

sigshane wrote:OP, I gotta know...

What is that fantastic wallpaper in your first screenie?

I love it!
LOL---It's from a Nvidia contest a couple of years ago...send me a e at: debianmainuser at gmail.com & I'll shoot it to you....
sigshane
Level 1
Level 1
Posts: 29
Joined: Sat Oct 20, 2012 11:30 am

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by sigshane »

Sent, and thanks!
Shane
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

If you are sick of the constant battles to keep Alacarte running (and mine is broken again) then try this

https://launchpad.net/menulibre

It is written for Ubuntu but there is nothing Ubuntu specific about it. It installs in opt, and I had to use itself to fix up the menu item for it, but now it is all good.

Menu editing that works.
zerozero

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by zerozero »

might be interesting
Emilio Pozuelo Monfort [...]

10:07 (1 hour ago)

to Johannes, debian-gtk-gno.
On 17/05/13 08:13, Johannes Rohr wrote:

Dear maintainers,

sorry for my impatience! I noticed that GNOME 3.8 is still in experimental, even
though the Wheezy release process is over. Are there any indications as to when
it is going to make it into unstable? Is it waiting for some transition to
complete first?

Yes, we're basically waiting for unstable to cool down (too many transitions atm).

Emilio
autocrosser

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by autocrosser »

GregE wrote:If you are sick of the constant battles to keep Alacarte running (and mine is broken again) then try this

https://launchpad.net/menulibre

It is written for Ubuntu but there is nothing Ubuntu specific about it. It installs in opt, and I had to use itself to fix up the menu item for it, but now it is all good.

Menu editing that works.
Looks interesting--I'll give it a whirl...
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

The updates to Shell 3.8 are hitting Sid. The first package gnome-themes-standard breaks. The solution is to create a folder called "default" in usr/share/icons and then do the update again.

I have 3.8 from experimental running cleanly with no dependency issues.

Edit: Two days later and another update to gnome-themes-standard and gnome-themes-standard-data, no doubt to fix the issue.
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

I have a need for the euro symbol even though my country uses dollars. The latest Gnome Shell 3.8 settings take away the ability to edit the keyboard layout.

It took me a while to solve this issue so I thought I would post it for my fellow Gnomes.

Firstly the functionality for altering the keyboard is now in Tweak Tool under "Typing". In that menu you can select adding the Euro symbol to a key, but then perversely there is no way (that I can find) to set the third level key so you can actually use it. I eventually found the solution on the Gentoo forums. Open a term and as your normal user run this command to activate right alt as the 3rd level key.

setxkbmap -option lv3:ralt_switch

So now right-alt 5 inputs the € symbol as it should. But it does not survive reboots so you need to add that command to your startup items.

:)
GregE

Re: Gnome3 for the experienced (FUN Stuff!!!)

Post by GregE »

Update on 5-6 July has made Gnome Shell unstable. My version is 3.8.3. I have closed experimental off, but might have to go back in or do some downgrades. Thank goodness for Xfce as a backup.

:(

Edit: July 9th and I have descended into dependency hell. I have had to remove all of Gnome and I am now running Xfce 4.10. I will just have to wait until Gnome 3.8 is fully in Sid. I have removed experimental from my sources and cleaned up as much as possible.

All part of the fun.
Locked

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