Cinnamon - New Alternative to Gnome Shell

[neu5eeCh]

Looks like Clem, the founder of Linux (meant to write Mint), has given up (sort of) on tweaking Gnome3. He's creating a fork (or a new shell) called Cinnamon (http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/). Can't say anything about it, but looks interesting.

[BigSilly]

Looks like Clem, the founder of Linux, has given up (sort of) on tweaking Gnome3. He's creating a fork (or a new shell) called Cinnamon (http://cinnamon.linuxmint.com/). Can't say anything about it, but looks interesting.

Looks like everyone feels the same way about Gnome 3 then. :D

I like it, but I will admit after using it for some time on openSUSE before returning to Ubuntu, I can see why big desktop-focused distros would want more control over their own desktop environments. That isn't a slight on Gnome shell, which is absolutely brilliant, but I do feel that at the moment the extensions idea isn't offering the stability you would want and expect, hence Unity and Cinnamon.

[neu5eeCh]

I'm going to erase my Pardus partition (KDE was always too slow on this laptop) and give it a spin.

[Linuxratty]

Not a fan quite honestly...It is interesting to watch this playing out.
I do wonder what the developers say about all this forking behind closed doors...Wonder if there is any chair throwing? :)

[keithpeter]

I'm going to erase my Pardus partition (KDE was always too slow on this laptop) and give it a spin.

Let us know how you get on. I'm assuming from Ubuntu 11.10 its...


Install gnome 3 packages including shell and fallback
install the cinnamon debs
log out/log in to a cinnamon desktop session


...then I can have a different GUI for each day of the week (when you add in Windows 7 and Mac OS :twisted: )


Not a fan quite honestly...It is interesting to watch this playing out.
I do wonder what the developers say about all this forking behind closed doors...Wonder if there is any chair throwing? :)

In a few years, say by 14.04, I think we'll have GUIs for small devices (phones, bookreader sized tablets) for laptops (sort of 13 and 15 inchers) and workstations (24 inch and up) naturally plugging into the same underlying framework, indicators, status daemons &c.

I'm guessing the workstations will be minority interest then, so its best if a 'desktop metaphor' option for that size of screen is community supported (if you see what I mean) rather than taking resources out of Canonical and Gnome.

[kaldor]

This is the type of thing I was hoping for. This makes much more sense than trying to maintain GNOME 2.x through MATE.

[madjr]

clem is the founder of linux?

why isnt it called clemux then ?

[kaldor]

clem is the founder of linux?

why isnt it called clemux then ?

He named it after some Finnish guy.

[northwestuntu]

i was hoping this would happen. im NEVER going to use unity or gnome 3 on my desktop, maybe tablet. hopefully this takes off and we can once again have a DESKTOP to build around again.

[northwestuntu]

clem is the founder of linux?

why isnt it called clemux then ?

prob meant to say linux mint :D

[Linuxratty]

i was hoping this would happen. im NEVER going to use unity or gnome 3 on my desktop, maybe tablet. hopefully this takes off and we can once again have a DESKTOP to build around again.

Same here...And then they can just 'cell phone look alike' themselves to the moon and back for all I care.

[mamamia88]

Installed it but don't see it under sessions can anyone help me out

[Woopa]

Installed it but don't see it under sessions can anyone help me out

Same problem here.

[qamelian]

Looks like everyone feels the same way about Gnome 3 then. :D
Nope...I still think Gnome-shell is the best DE I've used since I started with Linux in 1997. :)

[keithpeter]

Same problem here.

Installed both of the debs on my i386 Ubuntu install,


cinnamon_1.1.2_i386.deb
cinnamon-session_1.0.0_all.deb

having previously installed gnome-shell.

When I logged out and logged in again, I had the following choices

Cinnamon
Gnome
Gnome Classic (can't remember the right title of this one)
Gnome Classic (no effects)
Unity
Unity 2d

Works ok, little customisation yet. The Geforce 6150 graphics on this PC are blacklisted so I've had to use work arounds to see Gnome Shell or Cinnamon and I get artifacts in Firefox &c so I tend to stick to the 2d shells (Unity 2d and Classic/fallback)


Looks like everyone feels the same way about Gnome 3 then. :D

Not really, I tend to use about 4 or 5 apps and two workspaces with no fancy ssh type stuff so I'm hardly a power user, and I've used most interfaces from paper tape and punched cards onwards. I can live with Unity 2d but will probably uninstall the global menu (24" screen).

[Docaltmed]

Looks pretty, but I find those nested-menu DEs to be hopelessly inefficient. In a work environment, Gnome Shell or Unity provide the most productive user interface, particularly for the way most people work, which I somewhat tongue-in-cheek describe as "monomaniacal multi-tasking;" that is, true multitasking is impossible, and interfaces like Gnome Shell and Unity more accurately reflect how we actually process information (and, yes, I am quite up-to-date in my functional neurology, thankyouverymuch).

It may also be possible, though this is far from certain, that the more modern desktop environments decrease users' risk of carpal tunnel syndrome and similar overuse injuries, in comparison to the antiquated interface techniques employed by Gnome 2 and similar environments. Hypothetical on my part, I agree, but the differences reported by my own staff are enough to make me think that this would be an area worthy of investigation.

At any rate, I think DEs like Cinnamon are nice, but are going to be limited to a niche in fairly short order. For example, I am using Bodhi Linux on the netbook that travels around the clinic with me. It's a terrific DE for that purpose, which is limited to interfacing with the EMR and communicating with my staff via IM.

But when it comes to writing reports, preparing presentations, doing research and all of the other tasks I have, I really don't have the time to waste wandering aimlessly about a half-dozen nested menus, and then realizing I don't remember the exact name of the program. When using Unity or GS, I just type in "music" and I get all of the applications that deal with that task. Much, much more efficient.

With the modern desktop environments, I can have all of those tasks up, running, and not creating a cluttered, messy space where I'm trying to do my work.

[neu5eeCh]

Wow. You people are fast. I just got home from work and ya'll have already installed it. Dang.

Docaltmed writes: //When using Unity or GS, I just type in "music" and I get all of the applications that deal with that task. Much, much more efficient.//

I'm currently using Xubuntu and have installed Synapse. Synapse gives me everything you just described. I even use Synapse, rather than Unity's ALT+F2, when on my Unity Laptop. Anyway... I'm off to try out Cinnamon.

[45acp]

Where did you find the debs? Don't feel like compiling it.
Thanks

[neu5eeCh]

Where did you find the debs? Don't feel like compiling it.
Thanks

https://github.com/linuxmint/Cinnamon/downloads

[hackb0y294]

Looks pretty nice... think I'll give it a spin! :D

[cariboo]

This is the wrong place for this, if you want to test Mint software, and need help, use the Mint forums, that's what they are for. I'd suggest starting a thread in Other OS/Talk if you want to discuss this development. Thread closed.