The release last month of Elementary OS Freya version 0.3.2 showed little has changed in this new-style Linux distro that wraps its own lightweight desktop design around the Ubuntu core. Elementary OS first appeared in 2011. I last looked at its Freya beta release in 2014. I liked its fresh, new look and simplified approach to desktop management. However, my hopes for more features and a faster-evolving desktop environment in the latest release went unfulfilled.
I disagree with the "complement" that dumbing it down is a good thing as some of the above users have said. Their dumbing down is often regression not true simplicity.
EG. In Luna, the Multitasking Overview gave window previews which allowed you to have the same app open on diff desktops and easily - SIMPLY be able to multitask. Since 0.3 The devs have used icons which is near useless and takes eOS's multitasking ability from being the best to the worst. Windows 10 is even a bit better and can drag windows properly...Regression.
Additionally lets look at the silly network indicator in 0.4. It shows too much technical info yet not the ones it should? Like what? Simply it shows the data transferred but not the connection speed / link. Odd and annoying. Regresssion - NOT simplicity.
Luna (0.2) had GREAT multi monitor support. Since 0.2 It's been the worst distro despite the "tweak tool".
No, sadly elementary went from making hard things easier to making easy things hard...it is truly a dumbed down OS under the guise of simplicity. Not to mention the devs not being very pro suggestions.
Hi there.
In addition to the correction for switching desktops (already mentioned) I'd like to point out a correction on the file browser.
You can open multiple windows by either right clicking on the dock icon and selecting New Window, Pressing CTRL+N when browsing files or right clicking on any folder or item along the left side and selecting "Open in New Window".
You can even drag the individual windows to the edges of the screen and they will snap there (ala Windows) and drag and drop between them until your hearts content.
Seems as though two of the issues that were most problematic for you are not actually issues, you may want to give it another look. :)
Thanks for your comment. Your tutorial on using the file manager highlights the point I made in my review. The file manager does not have a dual pane function. It does not have any navigational commands to copy/move a file to another location within that single file manager window. It does not let you see more than one location view at a time. Of course, a user can open a second file manager by the methods you noted. But why should you have to use a workaround?
The purpose of the review is not intended as a detailed user guide for every aspect of the software. The items you focus on about my critical comments for this distro are not problematic for me. They are functional anomalies when compared to expected behavior. The review notes the good and the bad. I am very familiar with the product so I do not need to give it another look. :-)
Thanks for your reply.
Don't mean to offend, my comments were related to this statement - ' It does let you open a new view in another tab, but you can only see one tab at a time. You must use a copy file/paste file process to move or change a file's location.'
This give the impression that the only way to move files to, and from, locations is with the copy and paste.
My comment was simply pointing out an alternative way to do this and that Copy and Paste are not required.
I realize the article isn't a few review and just your opinion of the distribution, but if readers are unfamiliar with Elementary and are reading your article, it would be easy for them to get the wrong impression, hence my comments to help rectify that.
I really do appreciate your impression of the distribution though, not in any way trying to discount your opinion.
I've used AmigaOS, BeOS, MacOS, every version of Windows since 95 and Elementary. I've even used Corel's Linux distro back in the day.
Elementary attempts to make Linux, MacOS friendly. I appreciate that. It wouldn't be on my hard drive otherwise. I'd just have a Windows 10 box for gaming and image editing.
Right now, Elementary is where i do all of that except play Rocket League.
Dumbed down is how I want my computing experience.
Dumbed down? The cleanliness and the simplicity of ElementaryOS has taken my creativity to new levels. I do not need glossy buttons, transparency, nor do I need a slew of menus that pop up providing me every option with which to do the basic function that I intended to do in the first place. I want to work, and I want to get to the point. Being "dumbed down" is like handing a child a blue ice cream cone and asking him if he wants blueberry, blue raspberry, blue arctic ice, or blue iceberg lemonade. The child- simply sees the blue- and wants what he wants. As adults- reaching the point to maintain that simplicity is not dumbing down, but reaching a higher goal of simplicity.
I have used and tried all flavors of Windows, Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Mandriva, Puppy, Mac OS9, Mac OSX- nearly everything except for beOS. It is with pride and joy I have settled down with MacOS as my desktop favorite. I tend not to dwell and spend so much time tweaking and experimenting with every endless menu that will pop along the way with every other operating system. As a matter of fact, when I did buy a new Mac four years ago- I thought I was dumb. I couldn't find those hidden windows and settings- I did not know what to do- but after the realization that it was so simple and straightforward that it DID NOT NEED all of the extra options it was a refreshing change. I was finally able to go on again by simply pressing one button. And guess what?
It worked! It didn't ever crash. I never turned the computer off. I never had to reboot. My life was no longer involved with maintaining the computer I worked for, the computer worked for me. If creating simplicity, coherence, and a tinker-free desktop environment is dumbing down, then you need to look again.
ElementaryOS is the ONLY Linux distro that I would even consider- and if you called that 'dumbed down' then take your flashy lights and bells and whistles and go get a headache somewhere else.
The description of how Freya handles workspaces is inaccurate:
"Even better is the ability to map keyboard shortcuts to make moving among work screens a two-fingered affair.
Freya does not do this."
In fact, you can move between workspaces using keyboard shortcut. The default one uses "Super" (aka Windows) key plus arrows to move right/left, but you can set your own shortcut.
The settings for this are exactly where you would expect it to be: System settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard shortcuts -> Workspaces
Thanks for the heads up on this feature. On my test installation that setting option you indicated appeared grayed out so I could not see possible options. I reinstalled it and found that it remained disabled. I then installed the OS to another computer and found that it did work properly. So yes, the keyboard mapping did function fiunally. Maybe this is hardware dependent?
But my comment about not having a right-click option to move an open application window to another workspace is still accurate. The GNOME 3 architecture only allows a window navigation by clicking the workspace switcher on the dock to open the side window view and then dragging the displayed icon to the side panel. I prefer a more direct approach.
Perhaps there is a setting I missed. But so far, no other approach is evident to me.
Well I guess it goes beyond what Chrome OS is, but not by much. I agree that Linux in general is overly complicated but that is not what doomed it on the desktop. Although Chromebook's appear to have staying power, they don't appear to truly satisfy. Maybe Freya dumb's down Linux just enough but not too much? I still don't see much hope for Linux on the desktop in any form. Being a Apple OS X fan I do agree, their are times I think OS X is trying to hard and its getting bloated.
Elementary os luna is my favourite distro even today. The shift to gtk 3 in freya did more damage to my workflow rather than good. the most direct impact was that i lost all the titlebar actions and had to retrain my muscle memory(which failed). But it is not elementary that is entirely at fault. gtk3 should allow greater customization.
The previous version of ElementaryOS allowed you to control-arrow key through virtual desktops. I found this to be good enough for my (advanced linux user) needs. The design of this desktop is the best that I've seen so far in terms of usability across the spectrum of desktop users. I agree that the file manager needs to be better; but again, the previous version did provide panes -- have they released one with less functionality than the one they had before?
I agree with you: Elementary OS does simplify Linux, but unlike you, I think that's a good thing. There are plenty of distributions which claim to be easy-to-use. Almost all of them are targeted toward day-to-day Linux users like myself and that's OK. Elementary OS just isn't one of them.
Just as there are distributions (Arch, Gentoo) geared toward tinkerers, it's a great thing that eOS truly makes things simple -- oversimplified for you and me, but not for everybody. My current employer is a retail PC service shop in rural Ohio, and 75%-90% of our residential client base thinks they don't know anything about computers. I have literally heard some of them come into the shop and call themselves "computer stupid." Were it not for the walled-garden issues, I would quickly recommend an iPhone for these people. Elementary OS is *perfect* for this crowd.
You and I might not agree with all of their design decisions, either, but their choices are well-reasoned and the attention to detail and UX is on par with Apple, something Linux culture needs a LOT more of. Having seen the differences between Luna and Freya firsthand, I'm sure we'll see future development add features and tweaks that will make it more palatable for advanced users without sacrificing UX for basic ones.
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Elementary OS' Freya Dumbs Down Linux
Posted by: Jack M. Germain January 6, 2016 01:45 PMThe release last month of Elementary OS Freya version 0.3.2 showed little has changed in this new-style Linux distro that wraps its own lightweight desktop design around the Ubuntu core. Elementary OS first appeared in 2011. I last looked at its Freya beta release in 2014. I liked its fresh, new look and simplified approach to desktop management. However, my hopes for more features and a faster-evolving desktop environment in the latest release went unfulfilled.
EG. In Luna, the Multitasking Overview gave window previews which allowed you to have the same app open on diff desktops and easily - SIMPLY be able to multitask. Since 0.3 The devs have used icons which is near useless and takes eOS's multitasking ability from being the best to the worst. Windows 10 is even a bit better and can drag windows properly...Regression.
Additionally lets look at the silly network indicator in 0.4. It shows too much technical info yet not the ones it should? Like what? Simply it shows the data transferred but not the connection speed / link. Odd and annoying. Regresssion - NOT simplicity.
Luna (0.2) had GREAT multi monitor support. Since 0.2 It's been the worst distro despite the "tweak tool".
No, sadly elementary went from making hard things easier to making easy things hard...it is truly a dumbed down OS under the guise of simplicity. Not to mention the devs not being very pro suggestions.
In addition to the correction for switching desktops (already mentioned) I'd like to point out a correction on the file browser.
You can open multiple windows by either right clicking on the dock icon and selecting New Window, Pressing CTRL+N when browsing files or right clicking on any folder or item along the left side and selecting "Open in New Window".
You can even drag the individual windows to the edges of the screen and they will snap there (ala Windows) and drag and drop between them until your hearts content.
Seems as though two of the issues that were most problematic for you are not actually issues, you may want to give it another look. :)
The purpose of the review is not intended as a detailed user guide for every aspect of the software. The items you focus on about my critical comments for this distro are not problematic for me. They are functional anomalies when compared to expected behavior. The review notes the good and the bad. I am very familiar with the product so I do not need to give it another look. :-)
Don't mean to offend, my comments were related to this statement - ' It does let you open a new view in another tab, but you can only see one tab at a time. You must use a copy file/paste file process to move or change a file's location.'
This give the impression that the only way to move files to, and from, locations is with the copy and paste.
My comment was simply pointing out an alternative way to do this and that Copy and Paste are not required.
I realize the article isn't a few review and just your opinion of the distribution, but if readers are unfamiliar with Elementary and are reading your article, it would be easy for them to get the wrong impression, hence my comments to help rectify that.
I really do appreciate your impression of the distribution though, not in any way trying to discount your opinion.
I've used AmigaOS, BeOS, MacOS, every version of Windows since 95 and Elementary. I've even used Corel's Linux distro back in the day.
Elementary attempts to make Linux, MacOS friendly. I appreciate that. It wouldn't be on my hard drive otherwise. I'd just have a Windows 10 box for gaming and image editing.
Right now, Elementary is where i do all of that except play Rocket League.
Dumbed down is how I want my computing experience.
I have used and tried all flavors of Windows, Ubuntu, Mint, Debian, Mandriva, Puppy, Mac OS9, Mac OSX- nearly everything except for beOS. It is with pride and joy I have settled down with MacOS as my desktop favorite. I tend not to dwell and spend so much time tweaking and experimenting with every endless menu that will pop along the way with every other operating system. As a matter of fact, when I did buy a new Mac four years ago- I thought I was dumb. I couldn't find those hidden windows and settings- I did not know what to do- but after the realization that it was so simple and straightforward that it DID NOT NEED all of the extra options it was a refreshing change. I was finally able to go on again by simply pressing one button. And guess what?
It worked! It didn't ever crash. I never turned the computer off. I never had to reboot. My life was no longer involved with maintaining the computer I worked for, the computer worked for me. If creating simplicity, coherence, and a tinker-free desktop environment is dumbing down, then you need to look again.
ElementaryOS is the ONLY Linux distro that I would even consider- and if you called that 'dumbed down' then take your flashy lights and bells and whistles and go get a headache somewhere else.
"Even better is the ability to map keyboard shortcuts to make moving among work screens a two-fingered affair.
Freya does not do this."
In fact, you can move between workspaces using keyboard shortcut. The default one uses "Super" (aka Windows) key plus arrows to move right/left, but you can set your own shortcut.
The settings for this are exactly where you would expect it to be: System settings -> Keyboard -> Keyboard shortcuts -> Workspaces
Please correct this in the article.
But my comment about not having a right-click option to move an open application window to another workspace is still accurate. The GNOME 3 architecture only allows a window navigation by clicking the workspace switcher on the dock to open the side window view and then dragging the displayed icon to the side panel. I prefer a more direct approach.
Perhaps there is a setting I missed. But so far, no other approach is evident to me.
Just as there are distributions (Arch, Gentoo) geared toward tinkerers, it's a great thing that eOS truly makes things simple -- oversimplified for you and me, but not for everybody. My current employer is a retail PC service shop in rural Ohio, and 75%-90% of our residential client base thinks they don't know anything about computers. I have literally heard some of them come into the shop and call themselves "computer stupid." Were it not for the walled-garden issues, I would quickly recommend an iPhone for these people. Elementary OS is *perfect* for this crowd.
You and I might not agree with all of their design decisions, either, but their choices are well-reasoned and the attention to detail and UX is on par with Apple, something Linux culture needs a LOT more of. Having seen the differences between Luna and Freya firsthand, I'm sure we'll see future development add features and tweaks that will make it more palatable for advanced users without sacrificing UX for basic ones.