Cinnamon is Mint's gnome-shell fork

[Gareth Jones]

It looks like Mint have forked gnome-shell: https://github.com/linuxmint/Cinnamon#readme.

I don't know why they can't keep MGSE as extensions to the vanilla shell. Maybe the API changes have annoyed them. Anyway it's yet another project for desktop traditionalists to keep an eye on.

Gareth

[Dan]

... Maybe the API changes have annoyed them.

Ya think?! <....>

[RupertPupkin]

I have a suspicion that this may spell the end of MATE, the GNOME 2 fork. That always seemed like too big a project to maintain for a small group of developers, and maybe the Mint team has realized this and are taking an easier path. Forking GNOME Shell will allow them to use the upstream GNOME and GTK+ changes, and not have to worry about all the surrounding library dependencies to keep GNOME 2 working.

In hindsight, Mint should have probably waited until Cinnamon was ready before releasing Mint 12 with MATE and MGSE.

[Dan]

Agreed on both counts.

[Gareth Jones]

Originally Posted by RupertPupkin

I have a suspicion that this may spell the end of MATE, the GNOME 2 fork. That always seemed like too big a project to maintain for a small group of developers, and maybe the Mint team has realized this and are taking an easier path. Forking GNOME Shell will allow them to use the upstream GNOME and GTK+ changes, and not have to worry about all the surrounding library dependencies to keep GNOME 2 working.

Yes, this is a more logical path. It's a shame it couldn't be done purely with extensions, but then maybe when things settle down in a few releases they might be able to merge enough back in to g-s for the rest to be extensions.

In hindsight, Mint should have probably waited until Cinnamon was ready before releasing Mint 12 with MATE and MGSE.

Well I haven't checked, but I'd imaging that the fork started as g-s with MGSE, and is basically the same code.

Gareth

[mwesten]

A thread about it, including Clem's input on the subject...

Another DE option for Mint 12 - Cinnamon
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopi...art=20#p515086

[Dan]

Originally Posted by Clem

I'm not going to argue whether Gnome Shell is a good or a bad desktop. It's just not what we're looking for. The user experience the Gnome team is trying to create isn't the one we're interested in providing to our users. There are core features and components we absolutely need, and because they're not there in Gnome Shell, we had to add them using extensions with MGSE. The extension system in Gnome Shell is handy but core parts of a desktop need to be able to communicate with each others and be integrated properly. The Gnome development team is not interested in the features we implemented, it's opposed to adding them to Gnome Shell, and it doesn't share our vision of a desktop. In other words, our work on Gnome 3 does not influence the development of Gnome Shell, Gnome Shell isn't going in a direction that is suitable for us, and we're not interested in shipping Gnome Shell "as is", or in continuing with multiple hacks and extensions.

... Ouch.


Curious that the same updates which busted my custom themeing, also busted most of those parts I had swiped ... er ... borrowed from MINT 12.

Please tell me that all this isn't the end results of a temper tantrum. <....>

[Gareth Jones]

Well for now. But distributions and developers are spreading themselves pretty thinly now with all these splinters... I still think once GNOME3 stabilizes (in the features/API sense) we'll see some consolidation – some merging, some cloning of liked features, much dust-biting. People seem to expect code to get written, debugged, accepted from all directions and all priorities all at once, all merged and debugged again so quickly in this situation, and if their own priorities aren't immediately met, blame arrogance or politics or "incompatible vision", and it all becomes a nice little self-fulfilling fork-fest. I don't think that's sustainable in the long-run.

Gareth

---------- Post added at 10:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 10:52 PM ----------

Should add, before that's read as more critical than I intended it, that it is a good way to try things out quickly...

[leigh123linux]

It compiles and works ok here.

http://forums.fedoraforum.org/album.php?albumid=279

[Evil_Bert]

Originally Posted by Dan

... Ouch. <snip> Please tell me that all this isn't the end results of a temper tantrum. <....>

OK .... "This isn't the end result of a temper tantrum."

Whether or not it is, he's only saying what a lot of people think. Maybe, one day, we'll be able to simply install MDE (Mint Desktop Environment) in Fedora?

[hadrons123]

leigh , can you post the link for cinnamon source package?

[leigh123linux]

Originally Posted by hadrons123

leigh , can you post the link for cinnamon source package?

I got the link from post #1


https://github.com/linuxmint/Cinnamon/zipball/master

[Dan]

Originally Posted by Evil_Bert

OK .... "This isn't the end result of a temper tantrum."

Whether or not it is, he's only saying what a lot of people think. Maybe, one day, we'll be able to simply install MDE (Mint Desktop Environment) in Fedora?

Indeed. 'twould be nice to have the choice.

One can debate, and perhaps even argue about what the needs and the wants of the marketplace are, and one can try to both anticipate and innovate within the framework of that speculation and conversation. Those are healthy and admirable things. Hubris, arrogance and condescension? Not so much. To paraphrase that venerable short, green, long-eared mystic, "The path to the dark side, that is."

[Hunkah]

I'm so friggin excited about this fork!!!

It has been what I've wanted since I saw the results of GNOME 3. I honestly can't wait to see this. I haven't felt this excited about the future of this desktop since I heard about GNOME 3 originally.

I have hope again!

...I've been so discouraged.

...So very discouraged.

[stevenaaus]

Great news ! Gnome's technology is nice, but their direction has been heads up their arse for a while now. Maybe i should switch to Mint ... it's a very nice project.