Hey guys, I’m just an ordinary dev looking for something to work on. While messing around with my hobby projects, I couldn’t help but notice that under the surface, there are a lot of places that the libre desktop can be improved. I’d like to take on your suggestions on what I should seriously consider working on and helping out with.

Thanks for any comments and suggestions.

(For those wondering, I’m still working on my other stuff.)

  • Maestro@kbin.social
    12·
    11 months ago

    Multiple workspaces per monitor, like OSX has. Currently it’s multiple monitors per workspace. So, switching workspaces switches all monitors instead of just the active one. Both Gnome and KDE get this wrong. Only esoteric WMs like i3 and awesome get it right, but they are not suitable for most people.

    • rekabis@lemmy.caEnglish
      4·
      11 months ago

      Sorry, but what is the use case for workspaces?

      Maybe I’m just a crusty old user (working with computers since 1982), but I prefer everything immediately visible and accessible all the time. I just don’t understand what the difference is between minimizing a program and shoving it onto a completely different workspace.

      If anything, IMO it just generates needless confusion as I thrash trying to figure out why I cannot find a certain program that’s supposed to be up and running.

      • Maestro@kbin.social
        4·
        11 months ago

        I have far too many windows open to display everything at once, even with my 3 widescreen monitors (the curse of being a developer). I usually need about 4-5 workspaces to organise everything. Sometimes more. Often there are also multiple windows arranged on a single screen (I use tiling, so windows never overlap). I know by heart which application is on what workspace and screen (because it’s always the same). Because each workspace has a hotkey (Win + a numbered key) I can instantly pull up any window that I need, without searching for it.

    • nayminlwin@lemmy.mlEnglish
      1·
      11 months ago

      I also wish for a complete desktop environment with workspace semantics of tiling wms. Someone’s actually building one out of sway, I remember. Don’t remember the name though.

      • Maestro@kbin.social
        1·
        11 months ago

        I also have high hopes for Pop! OS, but it looks like they are trying to be a full DE instead of just a set of Gnome extensions now.

        • nayminlwin@lemmy.mlEnglish
          1·
          11 months ago

          I just checked the name. It’s nwg-shell. Last time I tried was around 8-10 months ago, I think and it was still rough around the edges. Seems to have matured quite a bit.