Elementary Os - Ubuntu Fork Only Less Annoying

[mahesh2k 0]

I am currently in search of some good distros based on debian. I tried linux mint but not much interesting in that. It is just ubuntu with cinamon shell. I know there are some who are finding it easy to use and would stick to it due to the HUD. But i was looking for some graphically rich and well supported community distro like ubuntu. I came across elementary OS this year after spending a lot of time with MATE desktop distros. You can check out the elementary OS here.

I don't know how many are picking up this new OS but it seems it offers all the fun in ubuntu plus it has some nice GUI. The current version is called jupiter which is based on gnome 2 and is much easy to navigate. I think gnome 3 based UI is going to make it yet antoher unity like distro. But it seems they are paying attention to the HIG which is human interface guidelines. There are some test projects which I checked where they are improving the ubuntu which canonical is leaving due to their interest in netbooks and tablets.

You can see the jupiter intro and the looks here. I think they are going to release the Luna version after ubuntu release. So that makes their release in april. So anyway I am waiting for their release and going to see how it looks and works compared to ubuntu. If they improve where canonical forgot about the ubuntu desktop then surely this distro is going to be more popular compared to ubuntu.

Do check out the screenshots and the videos some of the users have posted on youtube. I have seen the boot and the application loading video on youtube but there are even more better videos. So check it out in youtube too.

[manuleka 0]

trying it out now, from their site it looks like a very neat layout OS... i always find Linux to be a bit short in lay-out and theme elegance compared to Windows and Mac...Examples:Blank between window borders and window contents, I use Gimp and when i try and save my work there's always a big blank space on the menu of selecting file type and even other menu option selections on pop-up boxes...hopefully ElementaryOS will be the perfectly layout Linux OS

Edited February 18, 2012 by manuleka (see edit history)

[manuleka 0]

update: chucked ElementaryOS Jupiter os USB... layout is quite similar to Xubuntu with bottom bar holding App icon shortcuts... but it's really NEAT... first experience on live USB seems very slick and responsive... but i don't know if i'll choose it instead of Xubuntu...

[mahesh2k 0]

I spoke too soon about elementary. I just realized that they are trying to be iOS for linux. I have noticed that they're doing some major design changes on their desktop. I would love to see some good options from distros but minimizing the options only to make it more complicated is something I cant stand. This is where elementary is annoying. Like ubuntu HUD they're also making some annoying changes to their system. Some of the changes are so painful it is better to quit them than tolerate their design, methinks. Here are some of the changes where they are coming up in nexxt month.

No Minimize Button in Elementary Luna

One App at a time.

No icons on desktop.

No shortcuts on desktop, only dock shortcut is allowed.

No wallpaper transparency allowed, only bluring.

Saving state of app, like gnome, so quick launch is useless.

No taskbar for the minimized applications.

No menubars - "applications", spaces and "system in Luna version.

So now you can see that they are heading for the direction of ubuntu with HUD and some of their own added madness. I don't like this type of stuff because I am on old hardware and assuming multi-tasking is bad for new dual core or multi core setups is wrong. I don't know what is wrong with the linux developers.

 

That's not all. It seems only - cinnamon (or MATE) desktop along with XFCE is the only option for the people who like traditional desktop. So no more gnome and KDE with limited buttons for me. I am sticking with xubuntu, xfce and MATE from now on. I had some expectations from elementary but consiering the design obsession in that community, I am staying away from them from now on.

[manuleka 0]

i admit at first glance it seems like a very very elegant OS but it's very buggy... it seems quite similar to Xubuntu... if you like Elementary, i recommend you try Xubuntu 11.10... but hey 12.04 is just around the corner hehe

[mahesh2k 0]

Don't make an impression based on screenshot. They are planning to make that os as an mac os clone in terms of look and feel. The old version jupiter might looks like xubuntu but in reality they are not. They love ios display and making changes in gnome to do that.As for xfce i am not much comfortable with it for many reasons. Its not polished like gnome. I wanted something like gnome 2.8 file manager and metacity. I am literally searching for better gnome replacement. Anothe point on elementary is that- new release which is based on ubuntu 12.04 is likely to have more edit to make it look like ios. I know for sure this is not the os that i am looking for.

[manuleka 0]

Don't make an impression based on screenshot. They are planning to make that os as an mac os clone in terms of look and feel. The old version jupiter might looks like xubuntu but in reality they are not. They love ios display and making changes in gnome to do that.
As for xfce i am not much comfortable with it for many reasons. Its not polished like gnome. I wanted something like gnome 2.8 file manager and metacity. I am literally searching for better gnome replacement.

Anothe point on elementary is that- new release which is based on ubuntu 12.04 is likely to have more edit to make it look like ios. I know for sure this is not the os that i am looking for.

i have actually tried Elementary OS... my first impression was pretty much a WOW WOW... but then when i tried to do something on it, i was like - CRAP CRAP hehe...

it isn't as polished as Gnome or KDE because it is more focused on Lightness and speed... if you want polished desktop environment then stick with Gnome... if you want speed the i suggest Xfce or Lxde

hopefully its development gets good support because its has a very nice layout or theme to it.... at the moment in my opinion, that's the only good thing about it hehe...

[mahesh2k 0]

Yes. They wanted to mimic the Mac OS and failed miserably in it. I know why that happened. I think they assumed a lot about the OS and made changes unnecesarily. Just because gnome is removing the close and minimize button they are also taking things seriously and trying to force one app at a time rule on entire OS. I guess that is very bad decision from the elementary team.Another thing about the XFCE, yeah I tried that and I do agree that in terms of performance they are good. I know mint is also keeping LXDE version for the same reason. They are much faster compared to the gnome and the untiy version of the gnome. But I guess both high speed and low speed type of desktops should be there. So i don't have much against unity anymore, there will be some people using that.It's just elementary that is bugging me. I wanted to install it for some friends and considering the amount of pain that is causing, i am taking my actions back. I have no plans on installing that OS anymore on friends desktop, let alone ever on my own desktop. But i do look forward to xfce being better in terms of looks.

[yordan 10]

gnome is removing the close and minimize button

Ouch! And how will you minimize/close your window? Ctrl-W? Shift-Alt-Left?

[mahesh2k 0]

No. They are trying to make use of "save state" concept. For example when it comes to mobile devices we use one app or one task at a time. That way multi-tasking is removed from the focus of arm processor. Other than audio in the background and some random diagnostic apps, we don't run important apps as per their assumption. That is how bizzare this concept is, it's like going back in medieval ages in computers.The save state concept makes use of launcher for launching (maximizing) apps one at a time. Closing to the launcher (close for us) and saving state. That is how they are trying to work on it. Already the minimize button is removed in many of the Gnome GTK apps. I think more are likely to follow in next update. I don't know why everyone is so obsessed with apple type of one button and one app thingy, but this is what is coming our way.You can read about this change in elementary as they're hacking gnome for their own usage. There are many changes to the new version, also known as Luna. I am not going to revert back to them. I know for one, I like customization and this type of restriction, one app at a time is surely not for me. So I am going to skip this one but still keeping tab on their site to see what they're upto. Linux world is interesting, sometimes odd changes but interesting in any case.

[yordan 10]

Ouch!So, currently, the way I am working :In window 1 I am watching the TVIn window 2 I am compressing my pocket recorder to mp3 in order to be able to mail my interviews and workshops.In window 3 I am installing my new system.In window 4 I am writing the current topic. All these tasks have to be running at the same time, and I have to carefull each of them : if I miss the "1 SMS" prompt I will loose my miss on DVD step and I will loose 15 minutes, if I don't see the compression finishing I will have several seconds silence at the end of my record, and if I can't see the window 1 I will never know what Ugly Betty answered to the important question. Till now knew that Linux was the only really multi-task OS allowing four really simultaneous tasks in four windows (ideally four 54 inch displays and currently on a single one ), so if the future is going towads forbidding that in order to work like on an i-phone, I will loose my faith in the Open world and the Open software community.

[mahesh2k 0]

I don't think this is direction of entire open source or linux. It's just bunch of window managers like gnome and OS forks like elementary that are interested into this. You will some weird productivity related argument on elementaries website. I don't know how come these people are even building OS with one thing at a time. I just found out that it is totally weird.I don't see XFCE, lxde and other window managers in that directions. Other people are aware of this thing but they are optimistic towards the future of tablets or touch screen based displays. I don't know how touch screen are going to be more productive. I see them being more slow and low life span device. I mean with current keyboard and mouse have more lifespan but that is not the case with touchscreen.Elementary is assuming that "save state" and touch based displays are the future and they are beating down the productivity stuff on users. I don't know how many users are really going to stick with them after these changes. Those with functional computers and lot of time are less likely to stay with them. I just hope gnome gets back to 2.32 and OS like elementary becomes better in design.

[yordan 10]

Just have a look at the way a guy is currently working on a desktop computer. A guy who moves the mouse using two fingers and types on the keyboard with a single finger will fill himself more productive with a tablet : he will not need to move the mouse, he will touch the thing he wants to see.And of course his finger will be larger than the area he wants to choose, that's why he will be able to do only very simple things in a single window.That's already what he is doing on his desktop computer and on his telephone, so he will want everybody to be exactly as productive as himself.

[mahesh2k 0]

If we look at the ipad and the samsung tablet and compare our current working then you'll get the idea. Try typing my first post in this thread on ipad or other tablet and see your fingers and also look at the tablet. If you do that for 4 months, tablet will then stop responding because of it's lifespan will be over. You know we have to look at it as consuming device. The thing is that many people are assuming that soon it will replace keyboard and mouse. That is not true.Consuming devices like tablets are good with power but they have some limitations due to their low lifespan. We are yet to reach the age where the tablet screens are cheap and also effective enough to replace keyboard and mouse. I don't think this is going to be the case in next 2 years. That is the reason i don't subscribe to tablet as future theory.In case of elementary they're assuming one task at a time is being more productive. That is also not true. You have given some good multitasking jobs examples in earlier post. So looking at all those things surely tablets as a future is horrible theory atleast for the power computer users and those who do the work on computer all day. Elementary developers have made many assumptions in this case.

[yordan 10]

Not quite sure. I have seen some tablets which have a real keyboard. For intensive work you put the tablet vertically on the keyboard, and you type like a PC.And when finished, you take the tablet alone, you go the meeting room, and you only have to press "next" while displaying your work on the Barco.So, you had a real pc-like keyboard while writing your text, and you have a very ligtweight device to carry along to the conference room, plug it to the giant display if needed (ideally not because you are permanently connected to each giant display) and then you have a single click to give, this is productivity-like.