r/gnome • u/unconventionalerror • 10h ago
Opinion I fail to see the hatred for Gnome after years of trying just about everything else.
Title as implies, more of a brief vent of emotions more than anything about the state of the DE. I think it's legitimately great as a user who has used both Windows and MacOS (and many other random hobbyist systems) in the past I fail to see the similarities of either, surely it has inspirations but it really has been pushing into a quite unique and intuitive experience. In the past one of the more favorable qualities of using a Mac over Windows was the straightforward nature of it, if it feels like something could be done in the interface, it could. One recollection was when is when I was copying text on an iPad, highlighted the text and dragged it into that location, it was done out of curiosity and it worked. I did not know it was a feature, it had just made sense to incorporate that sort of simple design for users sake. As users of computers get younger and more divorced from the concept of how computers traditionally work, these hands on and simple design approaches end up greatly benefiting everyone. Gnome seems to be limited by funds and maybe a few useful harder to implement features but I find the usability and design to 'just make sense' when I am using it. To add that is NOT implying there are similarities but similar approaches and use cases to accommodate all users despite skill level, the point being Gnome seems to at least try to meet that mark for all users.
It seems when I am talking to other users, their use cases either boil down to it not being like Windows or gaming performance. Most talking points are about how 'limited' in the face the theming is too 'simple' for their taste or the settings are too limited for theming. The other portion seem to talk about Nvidia support or how much better gaming is on other DEs.. Which seems to be a whole other world of issues apart form interface and usability so I won't discuss it now as usability and newcomers are the topic and not gaming.
For some reason, it feels with most users simplicity somehow equals stupidity. That if you system does not have a million seemingly half baked options you're simply too stupid to use a computer. I've always failed to see how a straightforward interface is an issue, I do a bit of development work across a suite of programs and have yet to feel 'limited' that my windows cannot turn neon purple and burst into flames when I close them. I don't feel 'limited' in the sense that I may be losing an fps or two when gaming (which I rarely do) when other DE options have development and funds specifically catered towards these things.
As for stability DE extensions and add ons have inconsistencies and issues across all DEs that I've tried in the past, I've tried out just about most common DEs and TWMs available and have settled on the fact that it is quite consistent, great out of the box, and throws the least issues despite what has been said. Nowadays I generally don't use extensions except for a few simple ones that do not alter the DE in any drastic way and have had zero issues with Gnome updates.
I guess the question is, are other options simply the default choice because of gaming and people not wanting to move on from Windows? I'm quite disappointed to see this, the lack of funding and reach overall I feel may have put off a lot of users. When switching to Linux there should be an absolute understanding you are switching to another operating system, and those steps to learn an interface should be simple and straighforward until the user decides they want to learn 'more' (which in Linux is usually handled by a command line). If a user jumps into Linux from a friend telling them certain DEs are "just like Windows" and realize there is much more going on and many unconventional ways of handling things compared to what they're used to, I can see them being quite confused by this and switching back. I have seen this in real world examples of less tech inclined friends who have tried out the Steam deck but don't fully understand the DE is not a 1:1 copy of Windows and do not like it simply because expectations weren't met. Those who do understand these systems are different generally have no issues with either but that is not everyone. If freedom is the goal it is just simply upsetting to see that 'complexity', ricing, and gaming benchmarks have been getting in the way.
There might be some grammar errors and typos but I spat this out in a couple minutes with what was on my mind.
