Some suggestions to 12.1

English Open Chat
#1

Hi all. I’m a openSUSE user since 11.2. One of my preferred distros.
Most because of this I created a account to post this. Hope can be relevant and good suggestions.

Since Unity and Gnome-shell come out, opnions about them proliferated about internet, and for what I see, a significant number of negative ones. After reading that Unity will be ported to openSUSE and the pool for the gnome 2 availability on 12.1, one thing come to my mind:

My suggestion for openSUSE: Make a Gnome 3 interface (based on the gnome fallback mode) with the same functionality of gnome 2 on 11.4 (Maybe take one thing or other from the Linux Mint Menu) as the default gnome desktop.

Just think about: Some users want avoid gnome-shell and unity, just want the “old” gnome skin/functionality. Well, here we are. With the new interface based in Gnome 3, switch to gnome-shell can be easy ( I imagine) and with some more clicks, you can have Unity. The 3 are based in the same core not is? So make the 3 compatible and can switch between them at gdm can be possible right?

Another thing that come to my mind, is put all the “One-Click Installers” Solutions (Graphic drivers, multimedia and others) incorporated on the first configuration wizard run (with a option to disable it at installation).
Situation: After installation, the wizard run: I configure my printers, network and others options and make updates. After this, come as a option, configure the multimedia, switch to the proprietary graphic drivers and in case of gnome desktop, ask if the user wanna the customized openSUSE gnome mode (default) or if not, choose between gnome-shell or Unity (or choose the 2) and install it. For the gnome interface, the work on ayatana icons is marvelous!!! Can use that icons as base for the customized interface.

Hope this can help in some way.

#2

Hi, the devs don’t monitor this forum, we are just users, so you probably want to put this in openfate.

#3

Thank you for the guidance and sorry for post in the wrong place.

But for post it in openfate, better wait and look for the opnions from the users here about the idea. If people here like…

I’m suggesting this because with users of other distros looking for alternatives, this can be a nice moment to openSUSE shine and go to the top.

#4

In that case you should probably have posted to Looking For Something Other Than Support, or perhaps Soapbox or Chit-Chat, because this forum is for help with the prereleases and betas, as the title says. You may be too late to influence 12.1 but 12.2 might be possible.

#5

Please, The mods can move this thread to the right place? a pool can be a good idea?

@ken_yap: What you think about the suggestions? good, bad, neutral?

#6

I don’t have much interest in GNOME so I have no comment.

#7

On 06/03/2011 01:06 PM, s23 wrote:
>
> Please, The mods can move this thread to the right place? a pool can be
> a good idea?

PM one and ask them to…(none may ever look into this thread and
read your request herein)

> @ken_yap: What you think about the suggestions? good, bad, neutral?

personally, i’ve not run gnome since about 2001, so i have no input on
any of your suggestions…

as for 1-Click installers: i personally think they should all be
removed, for a lot of reasons: the first being that they are more like
10 clicks, at least!! (YaST requires FAR FAR less), and another that
most folks leave every repo added enabled, and eventually that leads to
problems, often leads to BIG problems; and third, who needs 10+Clicks
when both YaST and Zypper are faster?? [the only thing better about
“1-Click” is the name, which is a lie]

and for more automatic multimedia: i don’t expect anything to be done to
make multi-media more automatic than it is…i think the legal folks let
us be as close to automatic as they dare already…dead horse.

note: the developers tend to listen more closely to openSUSE
contributors than to users with no history of contributions to the
community…

–
dd CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP via openSUSE 11.4 [2.6.37.6-0.5] + KDE 4.6.0 + Thunderbird 3.1.10]
Dual booting with Sluggish Loser7 on Acer Aspire One D255

#8

Moving this to chit chat

#9

Hi DenverD,

Thank you for your input. When I was referring to the 1-click installers, is just about the “spirit”, not the currently implementation (Not that it’s bad). My idea was to offer the:

zypper ar -f http://opensuse-guide.org/repo/11.4/ libdvdcss
zypper ref
zypper in libdvdcss
…

Already at the first run wizard, in a automated way, through ticking a single option in a menu, as occur for example, with the setup for the HP printer drivers.

Regarding:

“the developers tend to listen more closely to openSUSE
contributors than to users with no history of contributions to the
community…”

Google Tradutor

Sometimes can happen that who more know what is best for the users, is the users.

#10

This multimedia business you talk about in the installer will not happen.

#11

Why? Patent/license issues? Or just not a good idea?

What you think about the other suggestions?

Thank you.

#12

Read this
[opensuse-factory] Codecs](http://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse-factory/2010-11/msg00400.html)
follow it on with the Next >

Yes, it about Patent/license issues

I have worked hard to get the Multimedia Oneclicks working well and they do, even I use them.

I like Mint, but I’m not sure we’ll see SUSE go all Minty. But it was good to see Mint 11 not default to Unity.

#13

Thank you for pointing the issue. I already suggested this wizard after the installation to have sure that the codecs/graphic drivers will not be shipped in the DVD/CD and be user dependent to avoid this type of issue… but the problem is bigger than I imagined.

Now that I know you did the work with the OneClicks, let me give you a great THANK YOU!!! Great work.

I just mentioned the Mint-menu because some of the behaviors will be a good addition to the openSUSE menu. But not all of them. I not want openSUSE go Mint. The multimedia thing is just bring a already existent structure appear in a different location, in a different way.

Well, looks like there is nothing much to do regarding this proprietary stuff, but about the custom gnome interface, will be great if possible.

EDIT: In the link you posted, is mentioned the foundation. What happened to all that chat about create a foundation, the target audience and all that stuff?

#14

That was a Mailing list I pointed you to and a discussion between some of the devs. I think Martin puts the point across quite succinctly in this: Re: [opensuse-factory] Codecs

Too, I’m pretty sure there are a good number here that would object to Multimedia being shoved down their throat.

#15

On 06/04/2011 06:06 AM, caf4926 wrote:
>
> Too, I’m pretty sure there are a good number here that would object to
> Multimedia being shoved down their throat.

absolutely.

there is no good reason to require folks to potentially violate the
laws of their land just to load a fully operational openSUSE…

i say: let them install a copyright/patent free (aka: open) openSUSE,
and then add whatever they wish…and deal with the long arm of the
law, on their own…or purchase codecs from available sources…

–
dd CAVEAT: http://is.gd/bpoMD
[NNTP via openSUSE 11.4 [2.6.37.6-0.5] + KDE 4.6.0 + Thunderbird 3.1.10]
Dual booting with Sluggish Loser7 on Acer Aspire One D255

#16

@DenverD & caf4926

After reading the link to the developers talk, I can understand what you guys are talking about. Not imagined that things is too complicated.

Thank you for pointing.

#17

I agree with you zypper and YaST2 are far more flexible and reliable than 1-clicks. 1-click installing single packages.

I’m jealous of Knoppix 6.2.x. It automatically installed. correctly configured and shared my printer and fax without any input from me except to turn the printer on. With openSUSE 11.4, I still had to go through CUPS menus to configure the printer and Xsane for the scanner.