Vocally seconding this. I wanted to not like Gnome (longtime wmi/wmii/i3 user) but its application launcher (and actually everything to do with the super/three-finger swipe/hot corner system) is superb. I'm amazed how equally highly usable it is via keyboard, mouse, and touch.
Yeah, I was a big DWM user for a long time. I finally bit the bullet and gave Gnome a chance on Fedora a few years ago and it has an amazing keyboard workflow out of the box. Plus the extra mouse gesture goodies. People complain a lot about Gnome but if you engage with Gnome on its own terms the workflow is actually fantastic.
Oh I see, you're arguing for a dock-style mouse-based app launcher. I see no reason there can't be both that and keyboard-based Spotlight-like launcher too. It's not like one impedes the functionality of the other.
> Super, type 2 or 3 letters of the program I want, enter. Works really well for me.
I don't use GNOME and can't speak for softirq, but what you're describing sounds to me like a command line interface. I can imagine two problems with it:
- Ergonomics. People who usually keep a hand on the mouse would have to move to the keyboard whenever they launch an app, and then move back again. Not a showstopper, but definitely a time waster. (And perhaps just as annoying to some people as it is to me when no keyboard shortcuts are available for common actions.)
- Discoverability. If someone knows what they want to do but doesn't know (or forgot) the names of the apps that can do it, they're left to type in guesses until they find something that works out. Also, if they just want to browse the apps that came preinstalled on their system, an application launcher provides, while a command line interface does not.
Super does the exact same thing as clicking (or just mousing quickly to) "Activities" in the upper-left, which is one of the few UI elements visible on the desktop.
Docked apps also show up in this view, along with a button to show all apps. (Similar workflow as Start -> Program Files.) Keyboard is unnecessary.
It's somehow faster than every hardcore keyboard-based WM I've used (I was a longtime wmi/wmii/i3 user... all of which needed two keystrokes to open the app launcher, e.g. Super+P) and also every mouse-based WM I've used, and also works fantastically from my touchscreen when I'm feeling particularly lazy.
For Mouse ergonomics, there is hot corner which is great. You can open activities overview by flicking the mouse into the top left corner. Then click the app you want. I do that when I'm primarily using the mouse. I find it faster than the start menu on windows. If you really want a persistent bar at the bottom, then almost every distro includes that extension by default.
As far as discoverability, they have Gnome Tour now which opens on first launch that explains all this stuff interactively.
> > Super, type 2 or 3 letters of the program I want, enter. Works really well for me.
> I don't use GNOME and can't speak for softirq, but what you're describing sounds to me like a command line interface. I can imagine two problems with it:
Don't imagine. Get in the lab, see how people are using it and how you are actually using it.
It's not a command-line. I run awesome and <super> r is a command line, as in "if i don't type the exact name of the application it won't work, if i don't type the exact first letters then tab won't work". Try out gnome and see how it doesn't behave the same.
> Don't imagine. Get in the lab, see how people are using it and how you are actually using it.
My point was simply that the actions described by the person to whom I replied fail to satisfy some common use cases, and do not refute the original complaint. It doesn't take a research project to see that. I wasn't commenting on whether there might be some other way to satisfy them.
In any case, I have tried GNOME recently, and found that it doesn't suit me. Opinionated UI isn't always bad, but this one is full of opinions that I find counterproductive.
> > Don't imagine. Get in the lab, see how people are using it and how you are actually using it.
> My point was simply that the actions described by the person to whom I replied fail to satisfy some common use cases, and do not refute the original complaint. It doesn't take a research project to see that. I wasn't commenting on whether there might be some other way to satisfy them.
No, your points are simply not grounded in real usage:
> - Discoverability. If someone knows what they want to do but doesn't know (or forgot) the names of the apps that can do it, they're left to type in guesses until they find something that works out.
Absolutely not. The default gnome launcher is still browsable with the mouse. You only have to scroll, which is way easier than clicking back and forth in kicker or tree based default menu where you have to guess which category the app you are looking for falls in. With Gnome, all the icons/apps are laid out.
They are not left to type in guesses.
Guesses ? "Jeez, I wonder which word I should type in to start libreoffice of firefox, let me try Internet navigator and word muncher". What weird imaginary use case is that.
> Also, if they just want to browse the apps that came preinstalled on their system, an application launcher provides, while a command line interface does not.
Also... what ? Op wrote "Super, type 2 or 3 letters of the program I want, enter. Works really well for me."
"Program I want". Why are you bringing up discoverability as a counter-argument when it's not what OP is doing ? It's like complaining a terminal is problematic to start an app because there isn't a list of icons to select. This is just moving the goal post from "starting an app" to discoverability.
> I wasn't commenting on whether there might be some other way to satisfy them.
> In any case, I have tried GNOME recently, and found that it doesn't suit me. Opinionated UI isn't always bad, but this one is full of opinions that I find counterproductive.
Okay, I see, this is just pissing on gnome for the sake of pissing on it then.
> Super, type 2 or 3 letters of the program I want, enter. Works really well for me.
You've just described basically every modern desktop user interface. Windows Start Menu ("Windows Key"), Cinnamon menu, KDE defaults, XFCE (w/ Whisker Menu), etc. all support the [Super]→[Start typing]→[Enter] launch workflow.
Same. Every OS I use always make sure it has this kind of simple app launcher. Super key -> search field -> autocomplete -> enter -> app starts. What more do you need? Most OS's have a version built-in nowadays. Seems like a solved problem.
Personal opinion but to me this is the best way of moving around a computer - to be point where it’s all I do in macOS as well. Can’t remember the last time I saw a dock there.
Click on "Activities" in the upper-left corner. (One of the few desktop UI elements.) It is exactly the same thing as pushing the Super key. A search bar pops up, start typing to search (EDIT: no 2nd click needed).
They recently (late 2022 maybe) released Gnome Tour which explains this stuff to new users. Admittedly it's too late for people already on Ubuntu or something, but discoverability of these features is getting better.
Even in this article they mention adding a widget that displays shortcuts.
Which is terrible UI. Let's force the user to turn a flow they could do at any time by clicking a single button at the bottom of their desktop into a context switch into another window, followed by the same button click. Or know about the Magic Keyboard short cut, then type in multiple characters, then press enter. So in any case we're turning a single input into multiple inputs just to open a commonly used app.
What are you comparing to? Windows has worked that way for 30 years (Start menu) and most users seem to figure it out fine. So do smartphones (home button). macOS is the only prominent example I can think of which shows icons of closed apps on the screen at all times by default.