Why do people hate Gnome?

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nrjperera

Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by nrjperera »

Why do people hate Gnome?
And what Desktop Environment would you recommend for a newbie?

I see a lot of people saying Gnome sucks and they hate Ubuntu.
I'm new to Linux. So I have no idea what they are talking about.
I've used Cinnamon and Gnome. I liked them both. I really don't have the time to try out all the others.
So, it'll be great help if you guys could help me with picking out the better Desktop Environment.
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Pierre
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Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by Pierre »

I don't - prefer it over Kde, - but have used both.

now prefer Mate over Cinnamon, - but again have used both.

& still prefer Mate over Kde over Cinnamon .. ..
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xenopeek
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Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by xenopeek »

Cinnamon is an excellent choice for those users that don't like Gnome Shell (which is what is meant when people say Gnome) or Unity. Ubuntu is getting some flack because it incorporates things like searching Amazon directly from your menu. Both Gnome Shell and Unity are gearing towards touch screen based interfaces and are favoring having a unified "brand". With older versions of both, but in my opinion especially Gnome Shell, that meant some functionality was removed and it was less easy to configure the desktop to look and behave as you wanted it to. Though that is improved with newer versions of both, and there are plenty of happy users on Linux Mint using Gnome Shell or Unity, a common remark from users is that they don't like how Gnome Shell and Unity work on a desktop or laptop without a touch screen. Those users prefer having a desktop with a "start menu" and a "task bar", like Cinnamon, MATE, Xfce and KDE all do on Linux Mint.

There are no wrong choices. There is what you and and works for you, and what you don't like and doesn't work for you :wink: If you like Cinnamon and it clicks with how you use your computer, no need to change. If you want something simpler, MATE or Xfce might be a good choice. If you want to be able to configure more, KDE may be a good choice. There are plenty of videos/reviews to give a first impression of these if downloading the ISOs to try them is a not an easy option for you.
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MALsPa

Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by MALsPa »

Back when I started out with Linux, I was using only KDE, and I kept reading things about how awful GNOME (the old GNOME 2) was. Finally got around to spending some time with it, and I found out that GNOME 2 wasn't so bad. Then KDE4 came out, and it wasn't so great at first, but now it's quite good even though some people still don't like it and would rather have the old KDE. Now there's GNOME Shell and Unity; some people can't stand those, and would rather have the old GNOME 2 back. But I think GNOME Shell and Unity are great.

You kinda have to take what you read with a grain of salt and take the time to see what works for you. I tend to end up liking any environment I spend time using (including Cinnamon).
overthetop

Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by overthetop »

A lot of people don't like Gnome because they liked the classic Gnome 2 more. Gnome Shell has more modern look and caters to touch screens, and as xenopeek said, it also removed many customization features. Cinnamon tries to build a more classic desktop on top of Gnome Shell and its technologies.

I personally use Cinnamon the most and find it gets much better with each new release. It is a good choice for those who want a modern yet classic desktop. Gnome Shell also gets better with each release and is starting to win over some users. I found it easy to get used to, and I even enjoy using it. I would recommend it for users who want something modern or different.

If you already tried both, just choose the one that works for you. See which one you enjoy most. You don't have to try any other desktops if you like what you are using.
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turboscrew
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Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by turboscrew »

I think Gnome (or Mate) is the most commonly used.
DrHu

Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by DrHu »

nrjperera wrote:I see a lot of people saying Gnome sucks and they hate Ubuntu.
That is a bad forum habit, you will find the same problem on twitter or other social networking sites for example
  • Usually it is an opinion with little facts to back it up, and since all opinions are personal, it is your own choice only..
    --you can imagine it as just blowing off steam or hot air, depending on whether you agree/disagree or have no opinion on the matter
I did get used to it, after coming from a KDE desktop, which I liked because of the easy customization (all from menu): so I did initially find Gnome too basic and lacking setups..
--that is, kde 3x which was also a simple menu structure

I did try kde4x from fedora, which was one of the first kde desktop distributions available, and they jumped on kde4x immediately: there were some glitches, and it was a little rough with plasma widgets and so on
--but it has improved immensely since then, and it still has the more complete menu based customization option
  • Gnome has gconf-editor for precision /custom changes, but that isn't as convenient
Now, I have converted to xfce and did also use lxde, which I find as simple as Gnome, but with less menu help, get used to text editing of files again: not too bad, and does keep a clean/succinct menu hierarchy

When it is a matter of looking, either some (usually biased) reviews are available or the desktop web sites..
http://kde.org/
https://www.gnome.org/
http://www.xfce.org/
http://www.lxde.org/

Mint has tended to offer the two main desktop environments: Kde or Gnome (with their own forks, of Gnome2x or gnome3x)
--they haven't used Ubuntu's unity desktop for example.
Adelante

Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by Adelante »

I very much prefer Linux Mint Cinnamon DE, but I've been warming up to Gnome3 over time and I like the newest Ubuntu 13.04 under development quite a lot. Hating an operating system isn't something I waste time with. I have preferences and other people have different ones. Some systems work better on my particular computer than others. Linux Mint Cinnamon, for example, is faster and less of a drag on resources than Gnome3 and Unity, on my computer. You should take time to explore and see what you like, what works best for you, if you can, because you're the only one who will know.
nrjperera wrote:Why do people hate Gnome?
And what Desktop Environment would you recommend for a newbie?

I see a lot of people saying Gnome sucks and they hate Ubuntu.
I'm new to Linux. So I have no idea what they are talking about.
I've used Cinnamon and Gnome. I liked them both. I really don't have the time to try out all the others.
So, it'll be great help if you guys could help me with picking out the better Desktop Environment.
nrjperera

Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by nrjperera »

Thanks guys.
After counting the votes I see that most of you liked Cinnamon the most, along with other desktops.
So, I'm gonna go with Cinnamon.
Although, I'm not sure if I should wait until Linux Mint 15 because it looks so good. Specially with that HTML 5 login screen.
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turboscrew
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Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by turboscrew »

It's just that cinnamon is heavier and probably less stable (yet) than MATE.
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xenopeek
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Re: Why do people hate Gnome?

Post by xenopeek »

turboscrew wrote:It's just that cinnamon is heavier and probably less stable (yet) than MATE.
Quite the other way around in my experience :wink:
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