Pondering the future of metacity and gnome-panel

After reading Stinger's thread I posted a note here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=12336188&postcount=91

But in hindsight I decided that conversation more properly belongs here :)

Just read on the ubuntu-desktop mailing list:

Seb, I blame the remix idea on you. ;) Anyway, if the GNOME remix

becomes an official flavor, I was hoping to then ask for permission to include the GNOME3 PPA due to our unique overlap with the flagship Ubuntu release. It's still a bit of a handicap as I don't think we could gain that trust if we included things that regressed Unity.

If we don't fork ubuntu-control-center and ubuntu-settings-daemon off from gnome-control-center, then I don't believe it will be possible to ship GNOME Shell 3.7/3.8 next cycle. The last two cycles we've shipped the latest GNOME Shell but with bugs due to incomplete g-c-c/g-s-d support in Ubuntu (for 12.04 it was http://pad.lv/965921 with keyboard shortcuts not able to be configured from System Settings and for 12.10 it was 1045914 with a missing keyboard layout status menu). [B]It's a reasonable guess that for 3.8, the GNOME developers will move aggressively to kill fallback mode[/B] and make optimizations and GNOME Shell will depend on those newer optimizations.

A big reason for the GNOME remix is to show that you can contribute to GNOME from Ubuntu. I worry about what happens when most users are using a different distro than most developers. Shipping an outdated GNOME means that we have a much less compelling story to tell these developers.

So once the UDS dust settles I'll ask Jeremy if that means metacity and gnome-panel will be dropped altogether.

Edit: I found this after a bit of googling:

http://worldofgnome.org/gnome-3-8-fallback-mode-the-first-feature-under-discussion/

In one of the later comments Jeremy says:

He means if you don't have working 3D, then Totem won't work.

Now that we have llvmpipe, it doesn't seem like GNOME needs a "fallback mode" for when GNOME Shell won't work. [COLOR="Red"]I think gnome-panel should be allowed to continue as GNOME Classic instead of as GNOME Fallback.[/COLOR] In other words, getting rid of some of the patches that made it look like GNOME Shell even though most of its users would prefer it look like a polished GNOME 2 desktop.

It sounds like there is also a need for developers to continue updating the code to keep it on par with the latest GTK3 and GNOME 3 code. This is the project the Mate developers should have taken on.

I definitely agree with that sentiment.

I personally hope that plain old metacity survives because I find "classic (no effects)" to run just as efficiently as Lubuntu on lower-end hardware, but it's not a huge deal.

And I've come to really like the new gnome-panel, it "just works" :)

But running 12o4, so its got at least 5 year life span with me.

In future releases, if its done away with; we will just have to build it in :)

ibjsb4 said: But running 12o4, so its got at least 5 year life span with me.

In future releases, if its done away with; we will just have to build it in :)

In deed, that's why I wrote this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1966370

I just wish I could still properly edit it :(

kansasnoob said: In deed, that's why I wrote this:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1966370

I just wish I could still properly edit it :(

I thought you already turned that thread into a Wiki.

ibjsb4 said: I thought you already turned that thread into a Wiki.

Someone else did that ............ I can't wiki :(

The new forum rules make it much harder to share tweaks and such.

In fact, how hard is that to find in a google search?

How do you find the wiki for Ubuntu Precise Classic (no effects)?

Regardless that goes far off-topic from the intent of this thread .............. maybe we could ask that a discussion be allowed here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=48

But I suspect that would be a futile effort :(

kansasnoob said: The new forum rules make it much harder to share tweaks and such.

I am not aware of these rules.

Your thread has not been closed; it can still be edited. Unless the changes are just to massive and a fresh start is better.

ibjsb4 said: I am not aware of these rules.

Your thread has not been closed; it can still be edited. Unless the changes are just to massive and a fresh start is better.

You're wrong! Posts can no longer be edited after one week!

I'd have to ask a forum mod to edit it for me.

I'm going to ask one of the mods to remove all of these off-topic posts. This has nothing to do with 12.04, only 13.04 and onward :)

kansasnoob said: You're wrong! Posts can no longer be edited after one week!

[SIZE=3]OK![/SIZE][SIZE=3][SIZE=2] :) Must be one of those new rules your talking about.[/SIZE][/SIZE]

Ill leave you with this thought. If you come up with any brainy ideas how two old guys can change the world back to Classic, Im in. PM me :)

make that 3 old guys:P

Closed by request.