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Ideas on modernizing the open-source desktop

407 points · 545 comments · signa11

  1. pythonRon · · focus · HN ↗
    The Linux desktop does need work, but it's not 100% up to speed yet, either. The ultimate UX can be found when the user has 100% control over the experience and we aren't there yet. Wayland won't allow window size/position to be remembered between sessions and too many UX designers think the desktop is just a big phone. Yes, we need work on UX and the first step should be to get Wayland to allow the user the same flexibility we enjoyed with X11. Using Linux with multiple screens means reverting to X11 just to keep from going nuts.
    1. gf000 · · focus · HN ↗
      > Wayland won't allow window size/position to be remembered between sessions

      It's not on the program itself to restore its position, but on the compositor, who has every right and control to do just that. AFAIK it does work in plasma Wayland.

      1. silon42 · · focus · HN ↗
        That sounds great, but I don't fully agree... IMO a compositor should be able to provide a data structure (unchangeable, mostly or fully opaque) that the app can save/restore across sessions.
        1. gf000 · · focus · HN ↗
          I don't get how that would work.
          1. someonebaggy · · focus · HN ↗
            You'd ask for your window positioning data on close and restore it on open.
            1. gf000 · · focus · HN ↗
              But then what's the point, what do you do with it that the compositor can't?

              Then instead have stable window IDs so the compositor can do its job properly - there is absolutely no need to self-position and outside of certain privileged apps I absolutely don't want random programs to move their windows around.

              1. someonebaggy · · focus · HN ↗
                Stable window IDs? Are you gonna use the document path and the panel number or something?
                1. gf000 · · focus · HN ↗
                  I wasn&#x27;t aware of this proposal, but I pretty much nailed it and though of the same thing: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49836487">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49836487
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