[CentOS] Design changes are done in Fedora

Thu Jan 8 17:48:08 UTC 2015
Valeri Galtsev <galtsev at kicp.uchicago.edu>

On Thu, January 8, 2015 11:27 am, Jonathan Billings wrote:
> On Thu, Jan 08, 2015 at 11:11:10AM -0600, Valeri Galtsev wrote:
>> Just on a side note: I question intelligence of an attitude that
>> something
>> (that works for some people) has to be destroyed to make room for
>> something else one thinks to be more appropriate.
>
> Let me start by saying I'm also not a fan of Gnome3, and prefer MATE.
> However, I believe the new interface provided by Gnome3 is both well
> thought out and based on the results of research on Human-Computer
> interactions.

My only point there was: do not destroy what works in the name of building
 something better. On the other hand, if it is open source software on can
not request from developers to continue to maintain what they do not want
to maintain. Luckily (for some on us), mate forked off Gnome at that
fundamental decision moment. My only disagreement was with "one need to
destroy something to build new fancy...". This doesn't sound to me as
sound way to do things. (Building new building in downtown of Chicago is
rare exemption;-)

>  Gnome has published their GNOME Human Interface
> Guidelines here:
>
> https://developer.gnome.org/hig-book/3.2/
>
> https://developer.gnome.org/hig/stable/
>
> The idea is to have a uniform and consistent interface that is
> intuitive to all potential users.  You'll probably agree with me that
> UNIX/Linux interfaces tend to be extremely inconsistent between
> programs, and even between elements of a display interface.  Most of
> us who have been using UNIX for decades are familiar with many of the
> quirks and have long since adapted.  I don't fault Gnome for trying to
> actually provide some guidelines for design.  Apple has been praised
> for many years over its easy-to-use interface,

Yes, and no. On the "no" part: have you ever heard someone saying
"sometimes you need to trick macintosh into doing what you actually want
to do". That is: when you are using that nice GUI interface, not on the
level of command line, of course.

Valeri

> largely because they
> have very strict control over their interfaces and a walled garden
> approach to apps.  It would be very difficult to duplicate the ease of
> use from Apple while maintaining the free/open spirit in FOSS, so
> Gnome has a difficult path to tread.
>

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Valeri Galtsev
Sr System Administrator
Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics
Kavli Institute for Cosmological Physics
University of Chicago
Phone: 773-702-4247
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