Ubuntu GTK and Qt in the future

[roudy1989]

Hello,

is there any official statement about how the transition of Ubuntu to use Qt/QML affect the use of GTK at the desktop? Currently, almost everything (of the Unity pre-installed standard applications) uses GTK. So there will be a lot of work to do, to achieve a consistent look and feel all over the desktop. I know there are plans for a Ubuntu SDK. But Quickly is getting reworked, too.
Imagine all the "core apps" that have to be re-written (i.e., their front-ends).

Having said that, let's look at the current desktop. 12.04, 12.10 and 13.04 ship with empathy as default messenger and it was getting worse and worse with every new release of Ubuntu (same with nautilus). If the Gnome Applications do not fit anymore in the look and feel of the system, Ubuntu should think about to bring their own application (front-ends) that fit into the desktop. For me personally the look and feel is very important. Even when I am programmer.

I am getting a bit angry when I watch at http://design.ubuntu.com/ and everything is just about Ubuntu phone. They should invest the same for the desktop.

How do you feel about that?

[grahammechanical]

First of all, Canonical has already been heavily critized for going its own way in certain areas. And now you want them to re-brand other people's code?

Second, Canonical has already invested heavily in the desktop. Some people think that Ubuntu 10.10 was the perfect Ubuntu but Canonical then started development of Unity.

Third, everything is not just about the phone. The work done recently to reduce memory usage on the Ubuntu phone platform has already filtered into Ubuntu desktop. System Monitor on my 12.04 install shows memory usage of just under 70% of 1GB RAM but for 13.04 and 13.10 development branch memory usage is now just under 50% for just the desktop running System Monitor and nothing else. This is fantastic.

Fourth, you are ignoring the convergence strategy that begins with Ubuntu phone and tablet and by the release of 14.04 will also be converged into the desktop. Imagine clicking the left mouse button and dragging the pointer from the left side of the screen and the Ubuntu phone interface slides out a few inches and now you have access to a phone right on the desktop.

Applications for the Ubuntu phone/tablet are already available for installation on the desktop. For testing purposes only. They are not finished products by any means but they are getting there. And faster than critics predicted. Phone, tablet and PC are not separate development projects. They are one Ubuntu platform.

[MadmanRB]

personally i have my fears for 14.04 as that is when we will see this mobile stuff finally come into play on the desktop and I am really curious to see how it will play out on a desktop.
I hope the development team is taking a really hard look at windows 8 on what not to do, as some people still dont have touchscreens.

[deadflowr]

personally i have my fears for 14.04 as that is when we will see this mobile stuff finally come into play on the desktop and I am really curious to see how it will play out on a desktop.
I hope the development team is taking a really hard look at windows 8 on what not to do, as some people still dont have touchscreens.

That would be most people still don't have touchscreens.

[craig10x]

I don't think it will be a problem...unity's dock is nothing like windows 8 metro...and i don't forsee them changing unity on the desktop...

[roudy1989]

Second, Canonical has already invested heavily in the desktop. Some people think that Ubuntu 10.10 was the perfect Ubuntu but Canonical then started development of Unity.
Well, for my part, I am really fine with Unity and I like it very much.

Third, everything is not just about the phone. The work done recently to reduce memory usage on the Ubuntu phone platform has already filtered into Ubuntu desktop. System Monitor on my 12.04 install shows memory usage of just under 70% of 1GB RAM but for 13.04 and 13.10 development branch memory usage is now just under 50% for just the desktop running System Monitor and nothing else. This is fantastic.
Nice to know. Did not care about this before.

Fourth, you are ignoring the convergence strategy that begins with Ubuntu phone and tablet and by the release of 14.04 will also be converged into the desktop. Imagine clicking the left mouse button and dragging the pointer from the left side of the screen and the Ubuntu phone interface slides out a few inches and now you have access to a phone right on the desktop.
Well, from my point of view there is currently only the strategy for the phablet part. This is why I included design.ubuntu.com. Everything is about 'apps' and phablet.
And what I meant, they should also develop those design guidelines for desktop applications. Speeking only for myself; the look and feel is important to me. I do not like the high spacing and marging everywhere (e.g., MS Windows has less spacing and margin and looks more compact). I do not like those standard GTK icons used (e.g., the 'go-back' icon in firefox). I do not want to know how many designers work at Apple. Maybe if Ubuntu will become even more popular they will cover also this part more actively (since they already begun with some icons and those dialogs).


Phone, tablet and PC are not separate development projects. They are one Ubuntu platform.
I really look forward to that. Hope they can make it well. MS tried and made it worse with Win8. Apple has OS X and iOS; different platforms. The phone paradigm on the desktop could be annoying. Let's see *fingers crossed*