gnome GNOME 3.4 released

[+Frank B. Subscriber²]

GNOME 3.4 Released

The GNOME Release Team has announced the availability of GNOME 3.4. This latest version comes six months after the last GNOME release and includes major new features, significant updates to a host of GNOME applications, and a huge number smaller fixes and refinements. Matthias Clasen, who oversaw the completion of the release, described it as ?a great leap forward for GNOME 3?, adding ?we hope that our users enjoy it.?

GNOME 3.4 introduces a range of new features. A new document search facility allows quick access to content stored both on your device and online. Smooth scrolling means that moving through content is slick and graceful. New application menus, which are located on the top bar, provide a useful way to access application options and actions.

The new release includes big enhancements to GNOME?s applications. The GNOME web browser, now known as Web, has been given a beautiful new interface for 3.4, as well as significant performance improvements. Documents and Contacts also sport updated interfaces and new features. These application enhancements are the result of a major development drive which is in the process of creating a new suite of modern and stylish GNOME 3 applications.

Polishing and refining GNOME 3 has been a big focus for this release. This effort has resulted in a multitude of bug fixes and many other minor improvements. There are updated interface components, a much more polished visual theme, better hardware support, and much more. These changes add up to a major step forward in the quality of the GNOME 3 user experience.

Full details of the changes found in GNOME 3.4 can be seen in the release notes.

The new release continues GNOME?s tradition of regular and predictable releases, and incorporates an amazing 41,000 contributions made by 1275 people. Planning has already begun for the next GNOME release. If you want to be a part of our community, you can join us. You can also support us by becoming a Friend of GNOME.

Those wanting to try GNOME 3.4 are advised to wait until it is made available through distributions. More information about how to get GNOME 3 can be found on our website.

Source: GNOME.org

View: Release Notes

Download information: Getting GNOME

[tiagosilva29]

The return of Wanda the Fish! Yes Wanda, our trusty friend from GNOME 2, has returned. She's an easter egg, so we won't tell you exactly where to find her. Search and you'll receive.

They don't have time to fix severe quirks but when it comes to (unfunny) jokes they always manage to squeeze a couple of hours for that. *******s.

[Farstrider]

Have my Arch updated already, looking good!

[n_K]

So I'm assuming that for users in fallback mode, absolutely nothing has changed or been fixed.

Including the inability/bug to run gnome-tweak-tool without gnome-session.

And the gnome-settings-daemon bug I reported half a ****ing year ago which still hasn't even been acknowledged by gnome.

[Farstrider]

They don't have time to fix severe quirks but when it comes to (unfunny) jokes they always manage to squeeze a couple of hours for that. *******s.

A little harsh or what?

Since the last version, 3.2, approximately 1275 people made about 41000 changes to GNOME.

[tiagosilva29]

Have my Arch updated already, looking good!

Can you check if they bothered to finally provide documentation for Contacts?

A little harsh or what?

No, not really. You'd have to read the IRC logs/emails to fully understand what I'm talking about.

[Growled Member]

Does this still need mutter to run?

[Farstrider]

In Arch I have mutter 3.2.2-2 (compositing window manager) (gnome) installed as well as clutter, a toolkit to provide visual effects and hardware acceleration, so I would venture a guess that it (Gnome) would need it to run.

[ViperAFK]

Does this still need mutter to run?

Gnome-shell is completely integrated with mutter, its not going away.

[cybertimber2008]

So I'm assuming that for users in fallback mode, absolutely nothing has changed or been fixed.

Most machines that once ran in fallback mode should now have the full gnome 3.x experience thanks to a breakthrough in software rendering. It's one of the major features of 3.4. Even works in KVM.

[+Majesticmerc MVC]

Gnome 3 was the best thing that ever happened to my Linux experience. I discovered XFCE as a result :p

[~Johnny]

Funnily enough, Gnome 3 is what actually got me to keep my Linux partition on my hard drive. I actually really liked it :p

[ShMaunder]

Funnily enough, Gnome 3 is what actually got me to keep my Linux partition on my hard drive. I actually really liked it :p

:shifty: j/k

Gnome 3.x is slowly getting there. It just reminds me of Windows 3.x with the addition of multiple desktops. Imho, that is a step backwards.

I'm loving Unity at the moment which is a cross between Gnome 2, Gnome 3, Mac OS X and Windows 7. I suppose the Unity name sums up the united desktops.

[remixedcat]

mutter and clutter

[~Johnny]

[image]

:shifty: j/k

You know, realistically I think I like it because I was never much taken with what I viewed as rather so-so efforts to try and replicate / spin OSX & Windows style interfaces, yet never look as good or a polished. But with 3.0 they really tried something that tried to make a break from that, and it was something a bit more unique and attention catching. (And easy to use from what I've experienced)

Also probably helps that I don't depend on Linux or Gnome to be my daily driver or care about it much at all, I just use it as a toy :p

[ShMaunder]

You know, realistically I think I like it because I was never much taken with what I viewed as rather so-so efforts to try and replicate / spin OSX & Windows style interfaces, yet never look as good or a polished. But with 3.0 they really tried something that tried to make a break from that, and it was something a bit more unique and attention catching. (And easy to use from what I've experienced)

Also probably helps that I don't depend on Linux or Gnome to be my daily driver or care about it much at all, I just use it as a toy :p

Yea, I would call Gnome 3 a toy (for now). I've tried programming with it (namely swapping between eclipse, a terminal and documentation) and although Unity can sometimes be bad, Gnome 3.2 was a nightmare. There is just too much mouse movement required to swap between windows and I hate using ALT+TAB all the time.

Though looking at some of the latest 3.4 features, it looks like its taken a few things from Unity such as some windows no longer show the window control border when maximised. I love that feature in Unity when I'm using my laptop's small resolution screen.

[PsYcHoKiLLa]

No thanks, I'll stick with Unity. Gnome 3 is fugly!

[Growled Member]

No thanks, I'll stick with Unity. Gnome 3 is fugly!

Unity won't win any prizes for beauty either. :D

[.Neo]

You know, realistically I think I like it because I was never much taken with what I viewed as rather so-so efforts to try and replicate / spin OSX & Windows style interfaces, yet never look as good or a polished. But with 3.0 they really tried something that tried to make a break from that, and it was something a bit more unique and attention catching. (And easy to use from what I've experienced)

Are you kidding me? They even copied OS X attached dialogue windows. The whole thing is pretty much one big Aqua/iOS mash up.

[AJerman]

I gotta say, you need to try it before you make a decision. I wasn't a big fan of the look of Gnome 3.x when I saw it, and I even used it a little when it was in development, and possibly the first version of it, but I stuck to Unity for the most part. When 3.4 came out, I used the PPAs to install it on Ubuntu 11.10 and I must say I really do enjoy it. It works far better than I thought it would, and I don't have the most capable machine either. It's certainly NOTHING like OS X, unlike what .Neo said. But if it was, that wouldn't be a bad thing either. It does give a completely unique feel compared to other GUIs, but it doesn't really take too much getting used to. I find it changing the way I do things in good ways. For example, half the time I prefer to change windows using the activities view rather than alt-tab, especially for windows across multiple desktops. It's quick and smooth. It's still to this day the only Linux GUI that makes me feel like I'm not using a computer from 1990. I know that will rile some people up, and I know it's all personal opinion, but KDE, XFCE, etc all seem like crap to me.

[andy_rose]

ok when searching software center in ubuntu, do i install the whole gnome package or is it enough to install just the gnome shell package?