GNOME 2-like DE for OpenSUSE -- like I had on LMDE?

[Own]

Hi,

For my study I've used Debian Mint with Gnome during last 5 years but this time I had to switch to the Open SUSE with the same desktop. On the first look OpenSUSE interface is seems not very familiar for me especially in the desktop itself and start menu although I use GNOME as before. I'll very thankful to everyone who had experience with both Linux distributive how it would be possible to tune SUSE desktop to the Debian-like classical view. In particular I'm interesting in the usage of the desktop itself as the work-space (it's inactivated in SUSE), Debian-like start menu, switching between several workspace etc.


TFH,



Gleb

[DrHu]

Some user posts, about customizing OpenSuse
http://www.howtoforge.com/the-perfect-d ... me-desktop
http://en.opensuse.org/GNOME
http://en.opensuse.org/Derivatives

• Build your own live CD
  Those interested in trying to build their own live CD can take a look at SUSE Studio, or download an existing custom Studio image from SUSE Gallery

https://susestudio.com/browse
http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:SUSE_Studio

Lots of choices about creating a version of openSuse
http://www.techotopia.com/index.php/Con ... Workspaces

• OpenSUSE is a little unusual in that by default it has only one workspace configured. Fortunately, adding as many workspaces as you like and then switching between them is extremely easy.

[xenopeek]

5 years ago we had GNOME 2. Today we have GNOME 3. That's a new desktop environment, with a modern design, and indeed GNOME 3 looks and behaves differently than GNOME 2. Personally, having used GNOME 2 for a long while, these days I couldn't be happier with GNOME 3 and I ain't going back in time

But, perhaps GNOME 3 isn't for you. Various options:

• At your login screen you can choose to run GNOME Classic session, that makes GNOME 3 look like the two-panel layout of GNOME 2.
• There are a ton of extensions that you can install right from your browser, to tailor how GNOME 3 looks and behaves: https://extensions.gnome.org/.
• If still doesn't do it for you, GNOME 2 was forked back in 2011 and is since being developed under the name "MATE" by the MATE developers. If you want something as close as possible to GNOME 2 in looks and behavior (though under the hood a lot is being modernized by the MATE developers), then install MATE and use that. It is available on OpenSUSE also (http://en.opensuse.org/Portal:MATE).

But Linux Mint ships with Cinnamon, KDE, MATE, and Xfce, and all of these can be made to look like GNOME 2. There is plenty of choice.

From the things you mention I think you just haven't found your way around GNOME 3 yet. Took me a week to get settled, but everything I need is there or can be found in an extension.

• You mention workspaces, which are in GNOME 3: ctrl+alt+up/down arrow key to switch workspaces, or press (and let go) the Windows key on your keyboard and the activities overview pops up (if you click on Activities in top left, or put your mouse cursor in top left screen corner, same happens). On the activities overview on the right side of the screen you have your list of current workspaces and you can click to switch. From the overview you can drag windows from one workspace to another. On the left side of the screen you have your list of favorite applications and open applications. You can drag an icon from there to a workspace on the right to open it in a specific workspace.
• For more options, explore the extensions! There are various extensions to put a workspace indicator/switcher on your panel for example.
• You mention a Debian-like start menu, it's here: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/ ... ions-menu/. Just move the slider on top left of that page from "off" to "on" to install and activate it You can also add one for places: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/ ... indicator/.

For more options tailoring GNOME 3 install GNOME Tweak Tool -- which is available on OpenSUSE also (http://software.opensuse.org/package/gnome-tweak-tool).

[Own]

many thanks for such detailed explanation!
Indeed I've just realized that in fact I've always use MATE with Linux Mint so I need to find some tutorial with the guide of how it could be installed on SUSE. From wiki I've realized that mate could not be easily installed like GNOME-3 which as I remember have been installed from KDE just using YAST,
BTW what are the principal difference between Debian and SUSE?


TFH,

Gleb

[xenopeek]

MATE desktop website says you can install MATE through YaST2: http://wiki.mate-desktop.org/download#opensuse

[Neil Edmond]

BTW what are the principal difference between Debian and SUSE?

Their respective repositories and package management systems.

[Own]

Hi,


thanks! I've tried install MATE from YaST but obtained some dependency warnings

There are some conflicts on the transaction that must be solved manually. (then I can choice between do not install package or break the package- sorry I don’t know how to copy full report from some log)


James

[xenopeek]

For this you'll probably get better help using the OpenSUSE forums At least I don't have enough experience with OpenSUSE to help you.

[Own]

For this you'll probably get better help using the OpenSUSE forums At least I don't have enough experience with OpenSUSE to help you.

Thanks!

Regarding grome-tweak-tool- I had some problems with it (see below). Does it be possible to customize fully my gnome-3 desktop with this utility ? BTW what are the easterlies possibility to "unlock" gnome-3 desktop to make possibility to create shortcuts on its.

Thanks for help,

James

Code: Select all

gleb@gpu2:~/Simulations/loops/OR2W1/gb8> gnome-tweak-tool
WARNING : Error getting shell mode via Eval JS
INFO    : Schema missing summary org.gnome.shell.gschema.xml (key saved-im-presence)
INFO    : Schema missing summary org.gnome.shell.gschema.xml (key saved-session-presence)
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/usr/bin/gnome-tweak-tool", line 84, in <module>
    from gtweak.app import GnomeTweakTool
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gtweak/app.py", line 25, in <module>
    from gtweak.tweakview import Window
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gtweak/tweakview.py", line 26, in <module>
    from gtweak.widgets import Title
  File "/usr/lib/python2.7/site-packages/gtweak/widgets.py", line 207, in <module>
    class ListBoxTweakGroup(Gtk.ListBox, TweakGroup):
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/gi/module.py", line 243, in __getattr__
    return getattr(self._introspection_module, name)
  File "/usr/lib64/python2.7/site-packages/gi/module.py", line 105, in __getattr__
    self.__name__, name))
AttributeError: 'gi.repository.Gtk' object has no attribute 'ListBox'

[xenopeek]

Well, it must be possible to use that on OpenSUSE also. Again, I'd recommend to ask for assistance on the OpenSUSE forums. And yes, with Tweak Tool you can allow to place icons on the desktop.

[Own]

Well, it must be possible to use that on OpenSUSE also. Again, I'd recommend to ask for assistance on the OpenSUSE forums. And yes, with Tweak Tool you can allow to place icons on the desktop.

Thanks! I'll try to ask them too!

[Fixer1234]

5 years ago we had GNOME 2. Today we have GNOME 3. That's a new desktop environment, with a modern design, and indeed GNOME 3 looks and behaves differently than GNOME 2. Personally, having used GNOME 2 for a long while, these days I couldn't be happier with GNOME 3 and I ain't going back in time

I'm hoping you can answer generic a question for me on my experience with Gnome 3. While Distro hopping, I tried OpenSUSE with Gnome 3, my first exposure to either. In general, the icons were very abstract and cryptic; there were very few that were immediately obvious to me what they were. When I opened the application "menu", there were three successive screens covered with icons (I forget how many; maybe on the order of 2-3 dozen icons per screen, at least I remember it that way. And this was just for the applications included on the LiveDVD; with use there would be more). There was no grouping or nesting or organization, just basically screen after screen of icons for everything loaded on the disk. A few were recognizable but the majority were abstract or cryptic. The icons were labelled. The labels were the cute names many Linux authors give their programs that carry no clue as to what the program does, or acronyms or the like, and the icons were in alphabetical order by these labels. So if you wanted to launch, say, the file manager, and didn't know it was called "Caja" (or whatever the one in Gnome is called), you could page through screen after screen of abstract icons sorted in alphabetical order according to gibberish labels and never find it. It was all very pretty, but I can't figure how anyone could do anything useful with it, or how they would accomplish the tasks the desktop tools normally handle. I must be missing something; there must be customization required or something. Is that really how Gnome 3 works?

[xenopeek]

Your example is Caja? That's the MATE file manager. I've not used OpenSUSE in a while, but on my Gnome Shell installation on Arch Linux most of the icons make sense. OpenSUSE may have a lot of programs installed by default, those you aren't familiar with. OpenSUSE is perhaps a little bit more focused on developers than average users, in selection of its default installed applications?

I'll name a few applications in my list that are obvious:

• Activity Log Manager
• Archive Manager
• Calculator
• Character Map
• Clocks
• Contacts
• Desktop Search
• Dictionary
• Disks
• Disk Usage Analyzer
• Document Viewer
• Files
• Font Viewer
• Help
• Image Viewer
• Maps
• Music
• Network Connections
• Notes
• Passwords and Keys
• Screenshot
• Settings
• System Log
• System Monitor
• Terminal
• Videos
• Weather
• Web

All pretty self explanatory what these will do. Then there are those you'll know by name, like Chromium, gedit, Firefox, LibreOffice, Pidgin, Transmission, VLC, and so on. You might have a few Avahi and Qt applications that you can't place, true.

In any case, how I usually launch applications (this is my workflow, you can find your own—optionally using extensions to give you new ways to launch applications as described below):

1. Toggle the activities overview and launch the application from my favorites on the dash;
2. Press the super key (aka Windows key) and start typing either part of the name or part of the function of the application I'm looking for. Press enter to launch the first match, or use right arrow key to navigate to next matches and press enter to launch them. For example, gedit can be found by searching for "gedit" or by searching for "text editor". Same for others.
3. Toggle the activities overview and browse the list of installed applications. I hardly ever do that, mostly to see if I installed something in the past that perhaps I don't use anymore and can remove.

With Gnome Shell 3.12 you can also sort applications into folders if you like, for example putting all the LibreOffice applications into one folder.

Have you looked at extensions at all? You can install (or remove) those with one click from https://extensions.gnome.org/. There are extensions for giving you a classic menu, with applications sorted into categories.

[Fixer1234]

Thanks for the reply. It sounds like some people just find it intuitive or become familiar with it. For others, there are ways to make it work, but it involves either inefficient work-arounds or replacing what makes Gnome Gnome, which sort of defeats the purpose (might as well just start with a desktop that works the way you want). Guess that's why there are both vanilla and chocolate ice cream.

[xenopeek]

I started using Gnome Shell just before 3.12 release IIRC. My early experience with it was similar as others I've seen; first week is a bit frustrated finding your way around the new workflow. Lots of experimenting with extensions to add back elements familiar from other desktops. After a week of day to day use I was at home, and week or so later I started removing those extensions and have but a few small extensions.

It works fast and distraction free, it's elegant, and out of the box has full support for people with special needs (I don't need that, but I appreciate developers spending time to make it inclusive and work for everybody). They are doing awesome stuff, like integration with OwnCloud in online accounts. It's a pleasure to use But, different things for different people. Still, the "one week Gnome Shell challenge" was worth it for me and changed my perspective on things.