Using Gnome needs that you try a different workflow. Use the Windows way if you’re afraid (by adding a panel and a menu), but once you’ve settled, try to understand why it was designed that way and how to use it properly. For the first months, I was using a dock / panel, but since years I use only caffeine (to keep the screen awake when I need) and workspace indicator (because Debian is still at Gnome 43 and quick workspace switch was introduced in Gnome 45).
Gnome is by FAR the desktop where I’m the most productive and I’ve tried them all over the years.
I can appreciate following the creators intent and gave this a legit crack around when Gnome 40 first released. I fell back to using a DtP because I found it frustrating to not be able to see the main panel clock on my secondary displays when I have something open in full screen on the primary. My Mac and windows systems will have this shown on all displays, I guess I just became accustomed to it.
I genuinely enjoy using gnome but there are situations like this which are massively disappointing to behold. I don’t feel bad making my own tweaks in light of their attitude towards assuming user behaviour without any sort of data to inform those decisions.
I don’t currently see how going into a dockmode and then the app drawer is more productive than to have a small menu popping up with all I need at the push of a button. I also need to move between active windows quite a lot, which is why I also need my open apps in the top bar (which, luckily, is way less problematic to setup, there is an extension for that exactly)
I guess it might be a matter of personal preference, but this is the key issue I have with Gnome, the rest is indeed good. The top bar, while inconvenient at first, does have clear benefits and I see how it might be helpful; the design language of the apps is something I adore, everything is tailored to be minimalistic, but powerful.
But this exact part is not in my taste at all, and I do not appreciate being forced into a design choice that only causes me headaches.
I’d like for the Super key to open apps menu, and then something like Shift+Super opening the dock/app drawer, and I’ll be golden.
I had the same issues as you at first. The answer is that you don’t use the dock mode when working. Only at startup to organize what you want to do. Even when launching apps, Firefox is docked at first place so WIN + 1 launch it.
Then, it’s mostly Alt + Tab / Alt + ² and spread your work on workspaces (use Ctrl + Alt + Left / Right, Alt + Shift + L/R, Win + Shift + L/R). Your brain will be used to it in no time :)
And when you’re tired and just want to use the mouse and relax, you can still do! Also, I disable animations and set night light the whole day to reduce the eye strain!
Unfortunately, I cannot always predict what I will need, nor do I like having everything opened in advance. Guess on this part my philosophy differs with GNOME’s.
But otherwise I love it, and I hope I’ll figure my way of doing things here!
I don’t open everything at startup neither, and to be honest, I almost never use the dock neither. WIN + write the first letters is more efficient. That’s why I love Gnome, you can use shortcuts for everything. It is clean, still extremely powerful. I used i3/sway for long, and then realized I could do everything the same in a much better polished desktop environment :)
There’s also extensions like “search light” if you don’t want to have the menu full screen when searching (I used to use that, but I don’t need it anymore).
Using Gnome needs that you try a different workflow. Use the Windows way if you’re afraid (by adding a panel and a menu), but once you’ve settled, try to understand why it was designed that way and how to use it properly. For the first months, I was using a dock / panel, but since years I use only caffeine (to keep the screen awake when I need) and workspace indicator (because Debian is still at Gnome 43 and quick workspace switch was introduced in Gnome 45). Gnome is by FAR the desktop where I’m the most productive and I’ve tried them all over the years.
I can appreciate following the creators intent and gave this a legit crack around when Gnome 40 first released. I fell back to using a DtP because I found it frustrating to not be able to see the main panel clock on my secondary displays when I have something open in full screen on the primary. My Mac and windows systems will have this shown on all displays, I guess I just became accustomed to it.
I genuinely enjoy using gnome but there are situations like this which are massively disappointing to behold. I don’t feel bad making my own tweaks in light of their attitude towards assuming user behaviour without any sort of data to inform those decisions.
I don’t currently see how going into a dockmode and then the app drawer is more productive than to have a small menu popping up with all I need at the push of a button. I also need to move between active windows quite a lot, which is why I also need my open apps in the top bar (which, luckily, is way less problematic to setup, there is an extension for that exactly)
I guess it might be a matter of personal preference, but this is the key issue I have with Gnome, the rest is indeed good. The top bar, while inconvenient at first, does have clear benefits and I see how it might be helpful; the design language of the apps is something I adore, everything is tailored to be minimalistic, but powerful.
But this exact part is not in my taste at all, and I do not appreciate being forced into a design choice that only causes me headaches.
I’d like for the Super key to open apps menu, and then something like Shift+Super opening the dock/app drawer, and I’ll be golden.
I had the same issues as you at first. The answer is that you don’t use the dock mode when working. Only at startup to organize what you want to do. Even when launching apps, Firefox is docked at first place so WIN + 1 launch it.
Then, it’s mostly Alt + Tab / Alt + ² and spread your work on workspaces (use Ctrl + Alt + Left / Right, Alt + Shift + L/R, Win + Shift + L/R). Your brain will be used to it in no time :) And when you’re tired and just want to use the mouse and relax, you can still do! Also, I disable animations and set night light the whole day to reduce the eye strain!
I see!
Unfortunately, I cannot always predict what I will need, nor do I like having everything opened in advance. Guess on this part my philosophy differs with GNOME’s.
But otherwise I love it, and I hope I’ll figure my way of doing things here!
Night light is a must btw, always used it.
I don’t open everything at startup neither, and to be honest, I almost never use the dock neither. WIN + write the first letters is more efficient. That’s why I love Gnome, you can use shortcuts for everything. It is clean, still extremely powerful. I used i3/sway for long, and then realized I could do everything the same in a much better polished desktop environment :) There’s also extensions like “search light” if you don’t want to have the menu full screen when searching (I used to use that, but I don’t need it anymore).
Aha, I see!
So, GNOME is more keyboard-intensive and is meant to be in many ways similar to a window manager, but with the perks of a full-fledged DE
Exactly! You can use it as a WM or as click-click env!
Thanks, this does provide some insight and also explains why managing many windows in one workspace is a pain in stock Gnome lol
although even then the app menu with a search option would be superior over whatever they have invented, but that’s me grumbling