Re: We want task bar back. Pretty please.

[Adam Tauno Williams <awilliam whitemice org>]

On Sun, 2011-05-22 at 12:27 +0100, Tim Murphy wrote:
> On 22 May 2011 04:25, Ryan Peters <sloshy45 sbcglobal net> wrote:
> >On 05/21/2011 12:42 PM, Tim Murphy wrote:
> >The *only* potentially good reason I've heard for, say, wanting a
> >window list, is that some users like using the mouse and don't want
> >to have to use the keyboard. In some (not all) cases this is the
> >fault of the user for not trying to use both of their hands, but in
> >other cases, such as if the user has only one hand or rarely has two
> >hands available, it can be worked around with an extension. There are
> >many, many extensions that enable a GNOME 2-like experience
> >(application menu, icons on the top panel, moving the clock, etc.)
> >and if GNOME 3 *cannot possibly fit into a user's workflow*, some
> >extensions can help remedy that.
> It's a visual user interface and some people may find it easier to
> stay in visual thinking mode and like to be able to see all their
> options so that they can save their brain space for what they're
> actually doing.  Perhaps people don't work the way you do.  How are
> you going to trash this argument? 

Trashing that argument is simple - you can do that in GNOME3.  *NOTHING*
in GNOME3 prevents you from doing that.

Really - all this harping seems to be primarily about one issue:
launching applications.  If anyone *really* sits at their computer and
launches applications all day... they don't.  Or actually some do.  As
an admin with 200+ users I watch them do it.  Open an application, open
a file, do something, close the application, <repeat/>....  Can a DE
really help these people?  NO.  The problem is the user, full-stop.
That use will do exactly that in any environment you place them in.

>  I am sure you'll find some way which is why it doesn't seem worth the
> effort to try and argue about these specific things.  

Because it isn't.  If you watched GNOME3 development these things *were*
[past-tense] discussed at length.  That was the time to discuss them.
Using your approach nothing could ever be developed since the
request-for-comment period never closes.

I think the decisions made were sound and the reasons for those
decisions are available online.
<https://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell/Design/>

> They *are* matters of preference and it's rare to be able to convince
> anyone to give up what they like and you certainly have not appeared
> to want to do so.

Yep.

> Finally, saying things can be fixed with extensions is basically
> "program it yourself if you don't like it,"

Which was *exactly* the same model used with GNOME2, and every other DE.
That is why a significant percentage of GNOME2 users, and GNOME2
distributions, installed GNOME-Do [to make GNOME2 more like what GNOME3
is].  There were/are a myriad number of extensions to GNOME2.