(Filing under the PureOS category, because this will, no doubt, affect it.)
I haven’t looked in-depth yet, but…seems to portend, basically, everything I despise in an operating system a user interface. (Edited for clarity.)
Fortunately, I use MATE desktop (Linux Mint).
I’ve skimmed through the new Gnome HIG. Other than a few obvious blind spots, it seems to be a big improvement over the previous version of the HIG. Taken at face value, a lot of it is the exact opposite of the way Gnome has been designed for the last several years. So someone at Gnome HQ must have heard the users’ screams. However, it will take a lot more than an idealistic statement of good intentions to change a culture that’s hostile to basic considerations of usability.
It’s good that they specifically mention phones, and scaling and adaptability.
Here’s a direct link to the guidelines: https://developer.gnome.org/hig/index.html
Which are the biggest things you despise?
That was me being melodramatic, but I was just reacting to these comments and quotes from the article:
However, the GNOME 40 looks like the unproductive thing that gives you pain," said one user, while another called the HIG “Insanity specified… How else would you come up with a filechooser no one can use, or an OK-Button of a dialog in the window title bar.”
Bray also said: “No PM [Product Manager] in history has ever said ‘This seems to be working pretty well, let’s leave it the way it is.’ Because that’s not bold. That’s not visionary. That doesn’t get you promoted.”
…some actions take more clicks or keypresses to accomplish, leading to complaints that the UI is designed to “make everything take as many clicks as possible.”
The HIG for GNOME 3.38 said almost the same thing: “Use progressive disclosure to show controls when they are needed… showing every possible control all the time makes an application harder to use, since users have to navigate controls that are often not relevant. Instead, only show controls when they are needed.”
I have been using GNOME 40 for months now. I barely notice any difference with GNOME 3.38, except for the position of “Activities” icons (no more on the left side, but on the bottom side of the screen).
One of the things I love the most about GNOME is that you rarely need to use the mouse. Most actions are performed via keyboard and every time I need to go back to Microsoft Windows it is really a pain to have to use the mouse again for the basic things. Nothing substantial has changed in that respect with GNOME 40.
@amarok I would also be curious to know the answer to this question.