I Use "Default" GNOME. Will You?

Summary

In this Linux-focused video, Trafotin explores the GNOME desktop environment, its design principles, and user experience. Highlighting GNOME's simplicity, accessibility, and unique workflow, the video emphasizes its distinction from Windows and macOS. Trafotin explains GNOME's interface, including Activities view and workspaces, and argues for its suitability as an introduction to Linux's distinct desktop paradigm.

Takeaways

• 🗣️ The speaker, Trafotin, discusses the GNOME desktop environment, emphasizing the importance of pronouncing it correctly for AI software.
• 📚 GNOME is the default desktop environment for many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and Fedora, but is often modified by these distributions.
• 🤔 The script questions how many people truly use GNOME as intended by its developers, suggesting that many Linux distributions alter the experience.
• 📘 The GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) are highlighted as the foundation of GNOME's design philosophy, focusing on accessibility and simplicity.
• 💡 GNOME aims to be accessible to a wide range of users and to keep the user interface and code simple, which aligns with the Unix philosophy of doing one thing well.
• 🖥️ The script compares GNOME to macOS, noting that GNOME allows more user input and is designed to be less rigid than some perceive macOS to be.
• 🌐 GNOME's design is intended to introduce new users to a Linux workflow that differs from Windows and macOS, promoting a unique Linux experience.
• 🔍 The GNOME Activities view is introduced as a powerful tool for accessing applications, files, and features, prioritizing applications in search results.
• 🛠️ GNOME's design accommodates various input methods, ensuring that the desktop environment is usable whether one is using a mouse, keyboard, or touch screen.
• 📁 The absence of a minimize and maximize button on GNOME windows is explained as a design choice favoring the use of dynamic virtual desktops over minimizing windows.
• 🏠 GNOME does not use desktop icons, instead integrating them into the Activities view, which also serves as a file search and application launcher.

Q & A

What is the correct pronunciation of GNOME according to the video?

The correct pronunciation is not explicitly mentioned in the script, but the speaker emphasizes the need to pronounce it as 'GNOME' for the AI subtitle software to recognize it correctly.

Why does the video creator emphasize the pronunciation of GNOME?

The video creator emphasizes the pronunciation of GNOME to ensure that the AI software used for generating subtitles does not get confused and formats it correctly.

What is the GNOME desktop environment?

The GNOME desktop environment is the default interface for many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and Fedora, and is designed to provide an optimal and interesting workflow.

What are GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)?

The GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) are the principles that define how GNOME functions, emphasizing accessibility, simplicity, and a clear purpose for each application within the environment.

Why does the video mention the Unix philosophy in relation to GNOME applications?

The Unix philosophy is mentioned to highlight GNOME's approach to application design, where each app does one thing and does it well, simplifying the user experience and reducing complexity.

How does GNOME aim to provide an accessible experience for users?

GNOME aims to be accessible by designing for people, ensuring the interface and code are simple, and providing a consistent experience across different devices and abilities.

What is the GNOME Activities view and how is it different from a traditional application launcher?

The GNOME Activities view is an integrated launcher that provides access to all applications, built-in features, and files on the computer, prioritizing applications in search results and offering quick actions like emoji insertion and on-the-fly calculations.

Why does GNOME not include a minimize or maximize button on the window bar?

GNOME omits the minimize and maximize buttons to streamline the user interface and to align with the philosophy of using dynamic virtual desktops for window management, which is considered more efficient than minimizing windows.

What is the significance of the black panel at the top of the GNOME desktop?

The black panel at the top of the GNOME desktop provides access to Workspaces (virtual desktops), an overview of open applications, the clock and notifications menu, and quick access to system settings like power, Bluetooth, volume, and wireless activity.

How does GNOME handle window switching compared to other desktop environments?

GNOME uses a combination of Alt + Tab for switching between applications and Alt + ~ for cycling through all windows of the currently selected application, providing a comprehensive way to manage and access open windows.

Why does the video suggest that GNOME is a good introduction to Linux for new users?

The video suggests that GNOME is a good introduction to Linux because it offers a unique user experience that is different from Windows and macOS, encouraging new users to approach the operating system with an open mind and learn its distinct workflows.

Outlines

00:00

😀 Introduction to GNOME Desktop Environment

The video script introduces the GNOME desktop environment, a default for many Linux distributions like Ubuntu and Fedora. The speaker, Trafotin, humorously addresses the pronunciation of GNOME and its importance for AI subtitle software. The script aims to explore the default GNOME experience as intended by its developers, contrasting it with modified versions found in other distributions. It emphasizes the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) as the philosophical foundation of the environment, focusing on accessibility, simplicity, and optimal user and developer experience. The GNOME workflow is compared to macOS, with an argument that it offers a unique user experience that could be beneficial for new Linux users.

05:03

🖥️ Exploring GNOME's Interface and Features

This paragraph delves into the GNOME desktop's interface, highlighting its minimalist design, including the top black panel with workspaces, application overview, and system status area. The video script explains the functionality of virtual desktops, the application selection process, and the accessibility of the environment for various input methods. It discusses the GNOME Activities view, which integrates application launching, file searching, and system-wide features. The paragraph also touches on the design philosophy behind GNOME's apps, emphasizing adjustability and simplicity, and how these principles enhance the user experience.

10:07

🔍 GNOME's Search Functionality and Window Management

The script discusses the powerful search capabilities of GNOME, allowing users to quickly find applications, files, and perform calculations without opening additional programs. It explains the rationale behind the absence of minimize and maximize buttons on windows, aligning with the设计理念 of touch screen use and keyboard shortcuts. The paragraph also covers the dynamic nature of GNOME's virtual desktops, which eliminate the need for minimizing windows, and the lack of desktop icons, as all applications and windows are accessible through the GNOME Dash. The video script concludes this section by explaining the window switching features of GNOME, including the use of Alt + Tab and Alt + ~ for efficient multitasking.

15:11

🌟 Embracing GNOME as the Face of Linux Desktops

In the final paragraph, the speaker advocates for the use of the GNOME desktop environment as an authentic introduction to Linux for new users, emphasizing its distinct differences from Windows and macOS. The script suggests that GNOME's unique approach to desktop design can be a positive cultural shift for users accustomed to other operating systems. The video ends with a call to action for viewers to try GNOME and a playful acknowledgment of the speaker's bias as an Nvidia user. The script wraps up with an invitation for feedback and a promise to explore more of GNOME's ecosystem in future content.

Keywords

💡GNOME

GNOME is a free and open-source desktop environment for Unix-like operating systems, primarily used in Linux distributions. It is known for its clean, user-friendly interface and is the default environment for many Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and Fedora. In the video, GNOME is the central theme, with the creator discussing its design philosophy, user experience, and how it differs from other desktop environments like Windows and macOS.

💡Human Interface Guidelines (HIG)

The Human Interface Guidelines are a set of principles that inform the design and functionality of the GNOME desktop environment. They emphasize accessibility, simplicity, and ease of use, aiming to make the environment suitable for users of all abilities and backgrounds. The video script discusses these guidelines as the foundational philosophy behind GNOME's design and user experience.

💡Accessibility

Accessibility in the context of the video refers to the design approach that ensures GNOME is usable by the widest possible audience, including people with disabilities. The GNOME HIG prioritizes accessibility, striving to make the desktop environment accommodating to all users regardless of their device, background, or abilities. The script highlights this as a key principle of GNOME's design.

💡Unix Philosophy

The Unix philosophy, as mentioned in the script, is a design concept that emphasizes building small, modular tools that perform a single function well. GNOME adheres to this philosophy by keeping its applications simple and focused, which helps reduce complexity and makes the applications more approachable for new users. This concept is integral to GNOME's approach to application design.

💡Virtual Desktops

Virtual desktops, also known as Workspaces in GNOME, are a feature that allows users to create multiple separate spaces for different tasks or applications. The script explains how GNOME's virtual desktops enable users to organize their work and switch between different tasks efficiently, enhancing productivity and workflow management.

💡Activities Overview

The Activities Overview in GNOME is a central feature that provides a unified view of all open applications, files, and system functions. It is likened to a 'launcher on steroids' in the script, highlighting its comprehensive integration with GNOME's suite of applications. The Activities Overview is a key component of GNOME's workflow, allowing for quick access and management of open tasks.

💡Maximize

In the context of the video, 'maximize' refers to the action of expanding a window to fill the entire screen. The script discusses how GNOME handles window maximization differently from other desktop environments, using keyboard shortcuts or screen edge interactions rather than traditional maximize buttons, reflecting GNOME's streamlined approach to window management.

💡Minimize

The script addresses the absence of a minimize function in GNOME, which is a departure from the norm in other desktop environments. It suggests that minimizing windows is not necessary due to the availability of dynamic virtual desktops, allowing users to switch between tasks without minimizing windows. This is part of GNOME's philosophy to streamline the user interface and workflow.

💡Tiling Window Manager

A tiling window manager is a type of window manager that automatically arranges windows in non-overlapping frames, often used in more advanced or minimalistic desktop environments. The script compares GNOME to a tiling window manager, indicating that GNOME shares some of its principles, such as efficient use of screen space and a focus on workflow over aesthetics.

💡GNOME Dash

The GNOME Dash is a central hub for accessing applications, files, and system functions within the GNOME desktop environment. The script explains that the GNOME Dash replaces the need for desktop icons and provides a quick way to search for and access applications, files, and other system features, emphasizing GNOME's focus on efficiency and ease of use.

💡Alt + Tab

Alt + Tab is a common keyboard shortcut used in many operating systems to switch between open applications. The script discusses how GNOME's implementation of this shortcut differs from macOS, providing a more flexible and powerful way to navigate between windows of the same application using Alt + ~, showcasing GNOME's attention to detail in enhancing user workflow.

Highlights

Introduction to the GNOME desktop environment, its pronunciation, and its importance for AI software subtitle generation.

GNOME as the default desktop environment for Ubuntu, Fedora, and other Linux distributions.

Discussion on the modifications made by various Linux distributions to the GNOME desktop environment.

Advocacy for experiencing the default GNOME setup as intended by its developers.

Explanation of GNOME Human Interface Guidelines (HIG) and their impact on the design and functionality of GNOME.

GNOME's design philosophy focusing on accessibility and simplicity.

The Unix philosophy's influence on GNOME, emphasizing doing one thing well.

GNOME's approach to keeping the application interface and code simple for user and developer ease.

Comparison of GNOME to macOS in terms of user input and flexibility.

The benefits of GNOME for new Linux users, especially those coming from Windows or macOS backgrounds.

GNOME's unique position as a hybrid between a traditional desktop environment and a tiling window manager.

Overview of the GNOME top panel, including Workspaces, clock, notifications, and quick settings.

GNOME's app design philosophy ensuring adjustability across various screen sizes and input methods.

Introduction to the GNOME Activities view, its integration with the application suite, and search capabilities.

Explanation of GNOME's approach to window management, including the lack of minimize and maximize buttons.

The rationale behind GNOME's dynamic virtual desktops as an alternative to minimizing windows.

Critique of GNOME's lack of desktop icons and the use of the GNOME Dash as a central hub for apps and windows.

GNOME's window switching mechanism, including the use of Alt + Tab and Alt + ~ for application window cycling.

Final thoughts on GNOME as a distinctive Linux desktop environment and its potential as an introduction to Linux for new users.

Transcripts

Hey guys, it's Trafotin.

It's time for another Linux video.

Have you ever heard of the Gnome [sic] desktop environment?

Oh, I'm sorry! It's actually the GNOME desktop environment.

Where did they say you pronounce this? I don't know.

Have I actually bothered to look into that? No, I haven't.

I need to say it that way because if I don't say it that way,

the AI software I use to generate my subtitles is going to get confused

and not format it correctly or not know what I'm talking about,

so I'm just going to say GNOME because if I don't say GNOME,

it's not going to know what it is,

so that way I can use GNOME to gnome on all of you. All right, great!

Have you ever tried using the GNOME desktop environment?

It's the default desktop environment of Ubuntu and Fedora and many other Linux distributions.

But how many people really use GNOME?

And I mean really use GNOME.

Lots of Linux distributions actually don't include GNOME the way its developers intended.

More on that later.

They make all sorts of little modifications.

Sometimes they add some plug-ins,

sometimes they make it look a lot like Windows.

Sometimes they add a lot of extra applications on top of it.

Instead, I want to take a deep dive into examining the default GNOME experience,

the way GNOME's developers intended it, and why the default GNOME experience provides one of the

most optimal and interesting workflows of all Linux desktop environments and why I believe

some new users could actually benefit from using the default GNOME experience.

So to unpack the GNOME experience, the first thing that we all need to collectively understand

is the GNOME Human Interface Guidelines. The Human Interface Guidelines (or HIG) provide a basis as

to how GNOME functions and the why of GNOME. Why GNOME is the way that it is and what makes it as

a desktop environment. And it's based upon the following principles. It's designed for people.

Where possible, GNOME tries to be accessible to the most number of people possible, no matter what

device they use, what their background is, or how able that person is. And that's actually really

The other thing GNOME tries to do is keep everything simple.

The best apps do one thing and do it well, which in essence is the Unix philosophy. And this often

requires having very concise or detailed goals onto why an app is the way that it is.

By keeping an app simple, what that does is it removes a lot of the complexity so that a new user or someone who

doesn't know the application very well can always dive in and understand the application. But it

isn't just keeping this application's interface simple. It's all about keeping the code in a

simplistic state so that developers don't have as much burden when they're maintaining something

that has a ton of features that might not always get equal attention. It's to make sure that the

out of a box experience, whether the person is a user or a developer, has the best experience.

But what does this actually look like in practice? And I

actually want to use this with real examples of why the GNOME workflow is the way that it is,

or at very least the way GNOME tries to subtly push people to use their workflow.

Now, a common comparison that I hear is a lot of people say that the GNOME desktop environment is a lot

like macOS. It's often very rigid, doesn't allow for a lot of user input...

I don't think that actually captures a lot of it because there is actually a lot of bit of user input and

sometimes more tangible user input than what you'd experience in other mainstream desktop

environments, for example. But the primary thing that I want to focus on is one of the things

Bbut the primary thing that I want to focus on is one of the things

that's critical to understanding the GNOME workflow and why I believe that it can benefit

new users compared to other desktop environments. In certain scenarios, I understand that most

people are acclimated to using Windows or macOS and when they come to something like Linux for

the first time, it's a big stretch or they want something to be the same.

But in some ways, using something that's incredibly different might be better for people. And I have actually

experienced this with people I know in real life because when they experience something like Linux

for the first time, a good way to at least introduce a little bit of difference or culture

shock into them is to use something that's unique to Linux and not like Windows and not like macOS

so they don't treat it the same.

And this is why I believe that we should always promote something like the GNOME desktop environment. The GNOME

desktop environment is not only the default on most Linux distributions or accessible on most Linux distributions,

but one of the things that I want to focus on is the

GNOME desktop environment provides freedom from the conventional workflows that you will see in

Windows-like desktops, Mac-like desktops, or even tiling window managers. GNOME is somewhere in

between a tiling window manager that wants to be a desktop environment. It's something that wants to

stay out of the user's way, but allow them to get the work they need done, done, but still bears a

lot of the familiar things that make up things we know like Windows, macOS, heck, even KDE.

But enough blabbing about what GNOME is supposed to be and why we should convince people to use it.

Let's actually dive into using GNOME itself.

On the top, we have a black panel.

And the black panel is pretty minimal. It's really small and it shows lots of things here.

On the top left, we have the virtual desktops, or as GNOME calls them, Workspaces.

Your Workspaces are like virtual desktops on Mac or on other Linux distributions.

With virtual desktops, you can use them to place other windows

and keep them away and separate from the display that you're currently on.

That way you can have multiple things open and cycle through

displays using something like Super + PgDn or Win + PgDn.

You can also see which application you have open.

So for example, you can see an application that you have currently

selected and that always lets you know which application is being focused on.

So you always know which application you've clicked on, so you don't have to rummage around or click around

with your mouse to figure out which window your mouse is actually in.

You will always know because of the little text right next to the Activities dots.

And in the middle, we have the clock and notifications menu combined.

And if you also have them installed, you can also have things like

clocks for other regions of the world, especially if you're communicating with people in other

regions of the world or the weather of the area that you live in. And then lastly, on the right,

we simply have the power button, Bluetooth, volume, and wireless activity all packed into like one little thing.

Now this is all well and fine, but how does GNOME's guidelines actually translate to

using a desktop environment? Well, for one thing, you'll notice that with all GNOME desktop apps,

each app is designed to be completely adjustable no matter how big or small or thin your screen is.

And that's actually really important. If you're someone who likes to have lots of windows open

on 1 display or workspace, you can size these windows and they will always have everything

available because keep in mind there are applications that may not necessarily follow this rule,

and this is why GNOME doesn't use something like a taskbar at the top of the window. Instead, they

have little hamburger menus or other settings icons that you can click on. If you have only one

input method, let's say you're using a touch screen or you're using a keyboard or you're using a mouse

or if you're only able to use one of those things. Let's say I'm on the internet browsing my favorite hen—

videos and you're watching your videos

and you can only you only have one hand available.

They can always use the entire feature set of the GNOME desktop environment with varying degrees of

success obviously, but it's still accessible and usable. And that's one of the things that's actually

one of the most special parts about the GNOME desktop. Whether you are someone who focuses on

using a mouse-based workflow or you're someone who likes to use a purely keyboard driven workflow,

both people can have a similar enough user experience where they can be happy. And that's

Speaking of opening applications, let's get into that.

Most people open their applications by clicking on something like a start menu, for example.

Or if you're a tiling window manager user, you open something like a run launcher, like say dmenu or rofi.

GNOME has all of those things, except they're

just baked into one thing and it's called the GNOME Activities view. The GNOME Activities view

is kind of like one of those launchers, but on steroids. It has integration into all of

GNOME's application suite and you can use it to access any application or any built-in feature

or file on your computer. And that's one of the coolest parts about it. With the GNOME Activities

menu, you'll notice that when you start typing in your search, applications are always given top

priority compared to something like say your files. Let's say you want to type an emoji. On

something like Windows or KDE, you'd have to have a separate hotkey which opens an emoji menu, which

is totally divorced from any other UI out there. Or if you're using something like macOS, you're

forced to have a key dedicated for it on your keyboard. But with GNOME and you have GNOME

Characters installed, all you have to do is start typing in which emoji you want in the Dash.

But it's not just limited to something like your emojis. Let's say you want to get some quick maths done. All you have to do is

have GNOME Calculator installed. Type in the equation you want solved and GNOME Calculator

will do it on the fly right there. You have a file on your computer and you don't quite know where it

is and you don't want to use a really heavy search function? Try GNOME's Dash. If you start typing in

a file and even if you roughly know the name of the file, never mind the first couple letters of

the file, you will always be able to find your file because GNOME indexes all the files on your computer.

And if you don't want to have your files indexed, you can actually opt out of this so that

these extraneous files aren't included in GNOME's search.

Now a common thing that you'll hear from people or see online

is that people often try to do things with GNOME that work a little differently

or the GNOME's developers expect a different kind of behavior out of whoever is using their desktop

environment. For example, you'll notice on the window bar when you have a window open that there's

no minimize or maximize button. But why is that? Why is there no minimize and maximize button?

Well, it's actually done for the people who are either using touch screens

or for people who are acclimated to using something like a mobile device

or for people who are using the Windows hotkeys.

So let's get into this. The maximize is accomplished by either using a key binding like say

Win + ↑ or you can drag the window up to the top part of the screen and the window will

maximize and take up the full portion of your screen. But how come minimizing isn't there either?

If you can still maximize your windows, but how come you can't minimize your windows? Well,

minimizing windows is considered to be something that's not necessary in the GNOME desktop environment.

Now I know people are going to be busting out the pitchforks on that one,

but there's actually some truth to this, especially if people who use tiling window managers,

they understand this full well. And this is why I say GNOME is kind of like a tiling window manager.

And if you approach it with the same mentality, you'll understand why they made this decision.

The reason why you shouldn't have to minimize windows is because you have access to dynamic

virtual desktops. What does that mean?

GNOME can generate infinite numbers of dynamic workspaces and you can store a single application

for each specific task. And that's one of the coolest parts about GNOME because no other desktop

environment on Linux, heck even Windows and macOS don't have access to such an easy to use dynamic

workspace feature. Another criticism that GNOME gets is how come there's no desktop icons? The

reason there's no desktop icons is because your desktop icons are actually all in the GNOME Dash.

Using the GNOME's Dash, you will always have access to any application that you want open

or any windows of any open application that you need. And you'll be spending a lot of time in

here to either select applications or click on windows, but using this feature, you won't need

to have something like desktop icons. But where will I store my files? You might ask, just store

them in a different folder. You just won't be storing them on your desktop because of something

like a desktop, especially because windows are going to be covering it. Imagine how many windows

are going to have to minimize or sift through just to get to your desktop. Whereas when you just store

in, let's say a file manager window, all you have to do is just put them in a folder that you know

where they're going to be. Or you can always pull up your files by typing into the search bar.

And this is why people who are die hard GNOME users say this. If you don't need something open, just close it.

And that's why there's only a closed feature. If you're just going to save something for later,

you just don't want to see it, dump it in another virtual desktop. You have an infinite

number of virtual desktops at your disposal, but let's also get into window switching.

number of virtual desktops at your disposal, but let's also get into window switching.

GNOME has access to an alt tab and it's really similar to macOS's Alt + Tab, but a lot of people

really don't like macOS's Alt + Tab. They say, "Why is it limited to applications? How come some of

the applications have an arrow underneath them?" Well, the reason why this way is because while

you can Alt + Tab in a traditional way to cycle through your windows, one of the other things

you can do is you can Alt + ~ and the Alt + ~ lets you cycle between all the windows of the

application you have currently selected. If you have an application, like say a terminal with

multiple terminal windows open, or if you're using something like Firefox with multiple windows open,

what you can do is first you need to Alt + Tab over to focus your on Firefox and then to cycle through

your Firefox windows, you do Alt + ~. This means at any time you have full access to any

window of any application you want and any application's windows once you focus on that

application. And once you've selected that application, GNOME will immediately move to

that workspace or to wherever you stored that window. This way you will always have access to

any window that you have open and you don't have to think about what number desktop that I store

that on. No, you will always have it available. And that's one of the coolest parts about GNOME.

time. So go out there and use the GNOME desktop environment. The reason why I shill the GNOME

desktop environment so hard is one, because I'm an Nvidia user and I'm forced to use it.

But the other reason that I use it is because it's a good way of introducing people to Linux

by not making it something that's not like Windows, not like macOS. By showing people that it's

something completely different and they can't approach it the same way. That's why the GNOME

desktop environment is the way that it is. It's designed to be the face of the Linux desktop,

because it's something so different from the standard Windows and macOS looks and feels.

So why don't you go leave a like on this video?

Leave a like on this video if you want to see me

break my promise again of reviewing all of GNOME's ecosystem suite of applications.

All right, guys, thank you for watching. I will see you guys next time.

Have a great rest of your week and why don't you go give GNOME a good ol' whirl.

[Khaim - Neon Lamp]