Shuttleworth: No GNOME Shell by default in 10.10

[Foster Grant]

[16:07] <sabdfl> i'm mark shuttleworth, and delighted to be here
[16:07] <sabdfl> fire away
[16:07] <jcastro> QUESTION: Will Gnome Shell be in default Maverick? If so, what will happen with Gnome Shell and Compiz? Will Compiz still work by default? If not, will there be an easy way to use Compiz?
[16:07] <sabdfl> the current release schedule puts Gnome Shell out of bounds for Maverick, but it will be packaged and available from universe
=== D is now known as Guest80988
[16:08] <sabdfl> we'd encourage people to try it, and it would be great if someone put together a daily build PPA so folks who are very interested could track development and help fix bugs
[16:08] <sabdfl> it's very interesting work, and there are important new technologies, and lots of things to consider
[16:08] <sabdfl> the more folks use it and think about it, the better our decisions will be for 11.04

I don't know if I like this or not. All the screen shots I've seen leave me thinking, "Meh." I definitely think Canonical shouldn't default to GNOME Shell just because it's supposed to be the latest, greatest thing.

<sabdfl> is, of course, Self-Appointed Benevolent Dictator For Life.

Read the rest of the Ask Mark chat from today: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MeetingLogs/...kLucid/AskMark

[sdowney717]

I like choices, so make it available to use if the user wants to use it.

[Luke has no name]

I wish the question could have been pushed out more long term to ask how the Application Indicator and the rest of the Ayatana project are going to be affected by GNOME 3. AFAIK, GNOME 3 can be used for a traditional applet/window layout; gnome-shell is just one form the window manager can take. Which is good, I don't like GNOME-shell.


P.S.:
Foster, change your signature. If I'm not allowed to debate you without getting moderated, I don't want to hear your quips. You can have your opinion, but until UF brings back OMGPP like they should >_>, no politics here. No offense.

[WinterRain]

I like choices, so make it available to use if the user wants to use it.

You can download it and install it yourself.

[gnomeuser]

The right decision, also a no brainer. GNOME-shell has a ton of issues and missing functionality. It also seems very poorly aligned with Ubuntu's current state and direction.

Give it time to mature, it's still easily available for fans

[Mr. Picklesworth]

The right decision, also a no brainer. GNOME-shell has a ton of issues and missing functionality. It also seems very poorly aligned with Ubuntu's current state and direction.

Give it time to mature, it's still easily available for fans

I definitely agree there. I love gnome-shell (integration is good!), I hate gnome-panel, and I want to see Bonobo die a cold, lonely death. (A desire which happens to align directly with gnome-shell, being that the panel is the last thing reliant upon it).

However, I simply cannot see Gnome Shell getting from where it is today to something seriously ready for shipping within six months. First it needs to be stable and feature-complete, then it needs a ton of usability testing, then all those usability bugs need to be actually fixed.

I just hope Ubuntu doesn't diverge so far from GNOME Shell's design that the two can never reconcile. It would be a real shame to have to throw out Canonical's UX work, it would suck to throw out Gnome Shell, and it would be a disaster if Canonical ended up maintaining the panel and Bonobo for all eternity.

[TheOrangePeanut]

The best solution would be to make KDE 4 the primary DE for Ubuntu

[murderslastcrow]

If they integrate it well, it helps usability, and people without compositing can run it/have a default option that prevents them from losing a ton of functionality, like default to Gnome2 style without compositing, that would be ideal.

Also, an easy way to switch to Compiz would be a good idea. Is Gnome-Shell an extension of Metacity, or is it separate from the WM? Either way, we could get a lot out of this approach, and experimenting with new ideas is always a good idea. Then again, compiz makes the desktop feel more open, and gives the illusion of more space- Gnome-Shell seems to do the opposite, visually. It makes you feel like all your little boxes are in one big box. But I guess it utilizes the space better than just drawing a skydome around it. XD

Compiz is going to be peoples' favorite for a long time, but I think this will all work well when it's out there. People are used to having to install Simple Compiz to get more effects out of Compiz, anyway, so I don't think including a composited environment by default is really a BAD idea.

I really hope Compiz doesn't get secondary treatment and become less convenient to use, though. It's already so good.

[Merk42]

The best solution would be to make KDE 4 the primary DE for Ubuntu

I really hope Compiz doesn't get secondary treatment and become less convenient to use, though. It's already so good.

Compiz is incompatible with GNOME Shell.
However people could rewrite the various Compiz effects for Mutter (GNOME Shell's WM)

[Linuxforall]

Considering all the bitching and moaning and I hate Lucid posts going around, its good he backed off Gnome Shell for a LTS release.