ubuntu-gnome team mailing list archive

[chris hermansen <clhermansen@xxxxxxxxx>]

Julien and list;

On Tue, Dec 4, 2012 at 1:00 AM, Julien Olivier <julo42@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> (snip)
>
>> 2. Our relationship with GNOME
>>       * What gnome packages to be included (What defines gnome
>>         experience), just core (shell, gcc) or core plus applications
>>         (files, web, video, photo, documents...) or core plus
>>         applications and platform (systemd, packagekit....)?
>> Please note here that gnome is moving towards a highly coherent and
>> integrated desktop and more and more applications are redesigned to
>> the gnome HIG.
>>       * What to do when some specific applications are not popular or
>>         not up to the standards
>> Replace, replace temporarily, Keep them and help testing/find bugs
>> etc., keep it installed side by side along with other temporary
>> defaults.
>>
>
> If we are aiming at being a GNOME distribution based on the power of
> Ubuntu (which I hope we are), then we should provide the nearest
> experience to upstream GNOME as can be (core, applications, platform ans
> respect default configuration / look and feel). The only exceptions
> could be for applications that don't exist in the GNOME world, or where
> the GNOME version lacks very important features, or is not mature
> enough. For example, Ubuntu Software Center, LibreOffice and Firefox (or
> Chrome) could be installed by default instead of gnome-software-manager,
> Abiword/Gnumeric and Epiphany. BUT, for each new release of GNOME, those
> choices should be re-evaluated, and, if the GNOME app finally gets the
> features it lacked, it should replace the "foreign" app in the default
> install. For example, once Epiphany supports Flash natively, it should
> replace Firefox / Chrome, and once (if ever?) Abiword / Gnumeric are
> able to import / export MS file formats perfectly, they should replace
> LibreOffice...
>
>> 3. What is our intended userbase (and any constraints that puts on
>> us)?
>>
>
> I think we should aim at the same user base as GNOME aims at. Else, we
> wouldn't be Ubuntu *GNOME* remix (or whatever the name actually is :)).

First, a disclaimer - reading Julien's response, I am on the same page as he.

Having said that, I believe there are two distinct sets of goals at work here:

1. those (like Julien and I) who would like to have "the Ubuntu
experience" in a Gnome desktop environment, as an alternative to Unity

2. those who would like a pure Gnome experience

It seems to me it would be difficult to reconcile both of those in one
Ubuntu GNOME Remix.

Would the following be a reasonable alternative?

Ubuntu GNOME Remix - a pure Gnome experience.  But also provide a
tested package that installs the Gnome environment on top of the Unity
environment, providing users the option to move from one to the other
at login time?

I realize that there are some technical hurdles to the use of Gnome
and Unity at the same time, for example the Unity scroll bars.  But
maybe these can be resolved dynamically by some configuration lines in
a .XXXXrc file that is executed when the session starts?

Personally, having just acquired a nice System76 laptop with Ubuntu
installed, and not having completely made up my mind to switch to
Gnome, I would like to be able to run both to come to my decision; and
maybe my decision would be I want both, variety being the spice of
life and all!

Anyway; this may be an overly utopian view of the situation, but I
thought I should offer the suggestion nevertheless.

Finally, for what it's worth, when I install a fresh Ubuntu desktop on
a machine (right now, I have 10 machines running Ubuntu, one of which
is a server), I don't need to do much configuration.  I set font and
icon sizes smaller; I change the background from that ugly purple
schmear; I hook up to Ubuntu One; I install French and Spanish
language packs, restricted extras and printers; and I add a few tools
(gimp, planner, guaydeque, gmpc).  Sometimes I install Netbeans and
gnucash.  Occasionally I uninstall all the applications I don't want
because they clutter up the list of apps I do want.

My experience in trying other *ubuntu flavours has been that it is
more work than this; generally I need to install LibreOffice because I
need better compatibility than either Google Docs or abiword can give
me; I'm not crazy about Chromium nor Epiphany; nor Dropbox.  Ubuntu
gets me working a whole lot faster, for reasons unrelated to Unity,
plus my kids are all comfortable with the Ubuntu experience as seen
through Unity.

I would love to be able to try Gnome (and maybe others) with a simple
install process on an already well-configured system and without
whacking my Unity configuration.

Are there others in this position?
--
Chris Hermansen · clhermansen at gmail dot com

C'est ma façon de parler.