I really wish ...
Sean Cooper <[email protected]> Wed, 6 Dec 2017 11:27:27 -0700
| Newsgroups | gmane.comp.gnome.usability |
|---|---|
| Message-ID | <CANUt7J9wuPnKBmxfoWBDQ7JjiGuhxHjwQHua+-boiHSViFbZhg@mail.gmail.com> |
--===============7925144669204642548== Content-Type: multipart/alternative; boundary="001a1137ac148f2302055fb01a1b" --001a1137ac148f2302055fb01a1b Content-Type: text/plain; charset="UTF-8" Normally, I would never say this, but after years of silence and a couple weeks of fooling myself more -- I finally have to speak up. *Why is GNOME so BROKEN?* I'm not just referring to a *single* feature; I mean GNOME Version 3.24.2 (I know there is an update, but why should I risk that when I know the same issues are STILL there) in general is a really bad user experience now. I've been working for DAYS to get past what amounts to bugs in GNOME configuration and when I come across documentation that APPEARS to provide an answer and it doesn't work, it makes me believe that the either the doc is old or the software is just broken. You can't blame the underlying distro or the kernel for this, these issues are squarely in your court. For instance, when resuming from suspend, the background would sometimes be displayed as an image akin to TV static (if you can remember analog TV, you know what I mean). I finally FIXED this long standing bug (it's been OPEN for *~7 years*, I googled for a solutions and it's still NOT solved). I fixed it, but it's a hack that didn't involve any scripting or fancy stuff -- just an observation about how things are put together in GNOME. This is how I learned how to use 'gsettings' to control behavior. Most people can't do that. Another issue; I've been working for the last 3 hours to change a setting in GNOME that has a 'slider' in the "All Settings" dialog. I have yet to get it to work correctly. I was trying to turn off the annoying "Notifications" every time I open a folder. For example, I spent an hour trying to to adjust the cursor "blink rate". I finally found it in "Accessibility", but the really SHOCKING thing is that you BROKE the UI convention of MORE being on the RIGHT. LESS blinking is on the LEFT everywhere in the world! But you changed this to be .... ?! DON"T BE DIFFERENT, IT CONFUSES YOUR USERS! Oh there is *another *way to do this: gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-blink-time TIME_IN_MS gsettings is a mess; it's beyond difficult to find things and then they work inconsistently (vis a vis "shell notifications" which I currently can't turn off). Even worse, the settings aren't honored consistently across GNOME apps. All that started when I noticed opening folders in GNOME opened them in 'dolphin' not 'nautilus'; I had to completely REMOVE dolphin to get it NOT to launch. I recall there being a setting for this in some UI element, but I can't find it -- it's buried in a jumbled mess of non-related features "somewhere". I spent an hour grepping gsettings output only to find a key that did NOTHING. org.gnome.desktop.notifications application-children ['abrt-applet', 'org-gnome-software', 'rhythmbox', 'gnome-tweak-tool', 'org-gnome-terminal', 'org-gnome-nautilus', 'gnome-network-panel', 'gnome-control-center', 'org-gnome-clocks', 'quodlibet', 'vino-server', 'filezilla', 'brasero'] I read over this in what appears to be the latest documentation, so I'm really thinking it's just another feature that GNOME developers broke trying to support so many ways of doing the same thing IMPLEMENTED differently. *Draw the line somewhere sensible about how settings are managed and offer NO backward compatibility. Start with GNOME 4 if needed. * *Doing better usability TESTING before you release. * There is no excuse for a windowing environment to have all these bugs. It makes me want to RUN back to old incompatible things like "Enlightenment" or even "WINDOWS". I HATE WINDOWS and have been using LINUX as my desktop exclusively for over 10 years. This email has been a LONG TIME COMING This is a horrifying UX that's killing the platform; it only seems to get worse with every new release and I know I'm not the only one who's seeing this. This article is from 2012: http://www.zdnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-finds-gnome-3- 4-to-be-a-total-user-experience-design-failure/ If this seems scattered, it's because I've been up for 16 hours trying to do REAL work and spent 8 of those hours trying desperately and to no avail to fix GNOME bugs. I'm angry that GNOME is single-handedly killing the usability of what is otherwise a great product, simply because it's the GUI windowing environment. *Please fix GNOME.* Thank You --001a1137ac148f2302055fb01a1b Content-Type: text/html; charset="UTF-8" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable <div dir=3D"ltr"><div><div><div><div><div><div><div>Normally, I would never= say this, but after years of silence and a couple weeks of fooling myself = more -- I finally have to speak up.<br></div><div><br></div><div><b>Why is = GNOME so BROKEN?</b></div><div><br></div>I'm not just referring to a <i= >single</i> feature; I mean GNOME Version 3.24.2 (I know there is an update= , but why should I risk that when I know the same issues are STILL there) i= n general is a really bad user experience now. I've been working for DA= YS to get past what amounts to bugs in GNOME configuration and when I come = across documentation that APPEARS to provide an answer and it doesn't w= ork, it makes me believe that the either the doc is old or the software is = just broken.</div><div><br></div><div>You can't blame the underlying di= stro or the kernel for this, these issues are squarely in your court.<br></= div><div><br></div><div>For instance, when resuming from suspend, the backg= round would sometimes be displayed as an image akin to TV static (if you ca= n remember analog TV, you know what I mean). I finally FIXED this long stan= ding bug (it's been OPEN for <b>~7 years</b>, I googled for a solutions= and it's still NOT solved). I fixed it, but it's a hack that didn&= #39;t involve any scripting or fancy stuff -- just an observation about how= things are put together in GNOME. This is how I learned how to use 'gs= ettings' to control behavior. Most people can't do that. <br></div>= <div><br></div><div>Another issue; I've been working for the last 3 hou= rs to change a setting in GNOME that has a 'slider' in the "All Settings" dialog. I have= yet to get it=20 to work correctly. I was trying to turn off the annoying "Notification= s" every time I open a folder.<br></div><div><br></div></div><div><div>For ex= ample, I spent an hour trying to to adjust the cursor "blink=20 rate". I finally found it in "Accessibility", but the really= SHOCKING=20 thing is that you BROKE the UI convention of MORE being on the RIGHT.=20 LESS blinking is on the LEFT everywhere in the world! But you changed this = to be .... ?! <br></div><div><div><br></div><div>DON"T BE DIFFERENT, I= T CONFUSES YOUR USERS!</div><div><br></div></div><div>Oh there is <i>anothe= r </i>way to do this:</div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:m= onospace,monospace"><span style=3D"color:rgb(34,34,34);font-size:12.8px;fon= t-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-= weight:normal;letter-spacing:normal;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-t= ransform:none;white-space:normal;word-spacing:0px;background-color:rgb(255,= 255,255);text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;displa= y:inline;float:none">gsettings set org.gnome.desktop.interface cursor-blink= -time TIME_IN_MS</span></span> </div><div><br></div><div>gsettings is a mess; it's beyond difficult to find things and then they work=20 inconsistently (vis a vis "shell notifications" which I currently= can't=20 turn off).<br></div><div><br></div><div>Even worse, the settings aren't= honored consistently across GNOME apps.</div><div><br></div><div>All that started when I noticed opening folders in GNOME opened them in=20 'dolphin' not 'nautilus'; I had to completely REMOVE dolphi= n to get it=20 NOT to launch.</div><div><br></div><div>I recall there being a setting=20 for this in some UI element, but I can't find it -- it's buried in = a=20 jumbled mess of non-related features "somewhere". I spent an hour grepping gsettings output only to find a key that did NOTHING.=C2=A0 <br><= /div><div><br></div><div><span style=3D"font-family:monospace,monospace">or= g.gnome.desktop.<wbr>notifications application-children ['abrt-applet', 'org-gnome-software',= 'rhythmbox', 'gnome-tweak-tool', 'org-gnome-terminal', 'org-gnome-n= autilus',=20 'gnome-network-panel', 'gnome-control-center', 'org-gno= me-clocks',=20 'quodlibet', 'vino-server', 'filezilla', 'brase= ro']</span><br></div><div><br></div>I read over this in what appears to= be the latest documentation, so I'm really thinking it's just anot= her feature that GNOME developers broke trying to support so many ways of d= oing the same thing IMPLEMENTED differently.<br></div><div><br></div><div><= b>Draw the line somewhere sensible about how settings are managed and offer= NO backward compatibility. Start with GNOME 4 if needed. <br></b></div><di= v><b><br></b></div><div><b>Doing <i>better</i> usability TESTING before you= release. =C2=A0 </b><br></div></div><div><br></div>There is no excuse for = a windowing environment to have all these bugs. It makes me want to RUN bac= k to old incompatible things like "Enlightenment" or even "W= INDOWS". I HATE WINDOWS and have been using LINUX as my desktop exclus= ively for over 10 years. This email has been a LONG TIME COMING<br><br></di= v>This is a horrifying UX that's killing the platform; it only seems to= get worse with every new release and I know I'm not the only one who&#= 39;s seeing this. This article is from 2012:<br><br><a href=3D"http://www.z= dnet.com/article/linus-torvalds-finds-gnome-3-4-to-be-a-total-user-experien= ce-design-failure/" target=3D"_blank">http://www.zdnet.com/article/<wbr>lin= us-torvalds-finds-gnome-3-<wbr>4-to-be-a-total-user-<wbr>experience-design-= failure/</a></div><div><br></div><div>If this seems scattered, it's bec= ause I've been up for 16 hours trying to do REAL work and spent 8 of th= ose hours trying desperately and to no avail to fix GNOME bugs. I'm ang= ry that GNOME is single-handedly killing the usability of what is otherwise= a great product, simply because it's the GUI windowing environment.<br= ></div><div><br></div><b>Please fix GNOME.</b><br><br></div>Thank You<br></= div> --001a1137ac148f2302055fb01a1b-- --===============7925144669204642548== Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Disposition: inline _______________________________________________ usability mailing list [email protected] https://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/usability --===============7925144669204642548==--