Came across this article on the decline of usability which, among other things, puts GNOME 3 in the same category as the notorious Windows 8. https://datagubbe.se/usab2/
I know that classic Mac/Windows conventions like menu bars and title bars aren't sacred forever. But this article does make a convincing case that the industry at large, including GNOME, has gone backward. And, at least for me, that's uncomfortable to contemplate.
Sounds like the author want things to be designed for them, come to think of it, a lot of criticism towards GNOME boils down to that.
I also question whether they spent time assisting everyday users, notably children or elderly. I don't mean this to discredit them but rather it's the only way I can understand the logic behind it.
Anyway; as always the first question is who do you design for?
GNOME designs - with limited resources - for everyone. That's the goal and the culture.
@sonny Thanks for sharing the GNOME perspective. I do want to understand it. I see how it would be possible to over-value the opinions of middle-aged power users of classic desktop environments like me and, presumably, the author.
I would appreciate any pointers to the history and rationale of the GNOME Shell redesign that began in GNOME 3, particularly the reasons for moving away from basically copying Windows.
@matt @sonny I really miss the ubuntu unity feature of 'press alt to search program menu options'. Useful in Audacity (a complex program). Select audio segment, press alt, type 'fade out' press enter. (much easier than remembering keyboard shortcuts)
Is there any effort being done anywhere to bring back this 'server-side menu' functionality? (I've heard that gnome is against 'server-side decorations')
