Is this the linux desktop that has long been promised and never delivered ?
Ok so ignoring the fact that the linux desktop will probably never be that main stream this is the first I’ve used the new Gnome interface. As someone who has used Quicksilver and now Alfred on OSX I can’t see what all of the fuss is about to be perfectly honest. I’ve never liked navigating into a folder (and sub folder, and sub sub folder) of applications trying to find the right shortcut, hit Apple+Space type in a couple of letters, start the application. Simples.
So the new Gnome is nice, I like the way it works, I like especially the way it works out of the box installed on VMware Fusion with no tinkering. The same updates completed as for F16 and that’s the VMware tools installed so my mouse is free to move in and out of the window, copy and paste between guest and host works, and well to be honest it just works.
I’ve also installed Cinnamon on the recommendation of Richard Morrell, and again it just works, and it works great. I certainly know what I’d be loading on to a machine as my default OS if I ever went back to PC hardware, and I wouldn’t be too upset to do so (probably).
Clearly I’ve not really used in anger yet, that comes later, but initial signs are certainly promising…..