Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: Borax Man <rotflol2@hotmail.com>
Newsgroups: comp.os.linux.misc
Subject: Re: What Window Manager/Desktop Environment do you use, and why?
Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2025 12:04:44 -0000 (UTC)
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
Lines: 56
Message-ID: <slrn104is6s.ueo.rotflol2@geidiprime.bvh>
References: <slrn1042rd9.14sa.rotflol2@geidiprime.bvh>
 <F1SdncBow6jR9t_1nZ2dnZfqn_qdnZ2d@giganews.com>
 <101tsvg$en0o$1@paganini.bofh.team>
 <slrn1045krt.21o1.rotflol2@geidiprime.bvh>
 <6843417c$0$8575$426a34cc@news.free.fr>
 <slrn10478lo.8p2.rotflol2@geidiprime.bvh>
 <20250609093835.0000784c@gmail.com> <1027nss$ptre$6@dont-email.me>
 <slrn104g20d.l1t.rotflol2@geidiprime.bvh> <1029fb5$19mj3$3@dont-email.me>
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8
Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit
Injection-Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2025 14:04:44 +0200 (CEST)
Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="9f3274f3ef2e673a98559d8380af6591";
	logging-data="2068886"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org";	posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18YeHPaIAwOzIlRLlkY4zRgVXwh2C7eOsE="
User-Agent: slrn/1.0.3 (Linux)
Cancel-Lock: sha1:V7MxfbF1kwpnEexQfKpooxX4sKU=

On 2025-06-10, Rich <rich@example.invalid> wrote:
> Borax Man <rotflol2@hotmail.com> wrote:
>> On 2025-06-09, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
>>> On Mon, 9 Jun 2025 09:38:35 -0700, John Ames wrote:
>>>
>>>> ... because they never stopped to consider that *nix users, unlike
>>>> Windows users, aren't stuck with whatever nonsense gets handed down
>>>> from on high by the Design Divas, ...
>>>
>>> Oh, I’m sure they considered that all right. Everybody with any experience 
>>> of Free Software can recall famous instances of project forks -- both ones 
>>> which ended well, and ones which didn’t. They’ve always known that those 
>>> who disagreed with some of their decisions could fork their code.
>>>
>>> It’s certain users (of whom we see too many examples right here on Usenet) 
>>> who don’t seem to appreciate this point. And who get continually surprised 
>>> when it is pointed out.
>> 
>> I don't remember reading anything to that effect, but you might be right.
>> 
>> There is now a fork of X.org called Xlibre, which I'm hoping will remain
>> viable for some time to come.
>> 
>> Nevertheless, the fact a project can be forked doesn't really negate the
>> disruption when your DE or software suddenly changes on you.  The
>> attitudes of the developers still matter, and it is worthwhile to build
>> your digital castles on lands maintained by those who share your
>> philosophy.
>
> Indeed, the "ability to fork" does not negate the negative outcomes of 
> the original project "moving the controls around" and "given them new 
> pictures and names" with every 0.x release at the whim of the 
> "artists".
>
> The real world equivalent would be if one's car's UI completely changed 
> with each new model year.  One year there is a steering wheel, on the 
> left, with the gearshift in the center console.  The very next year 
> there's a pilot joystick instead of a steering wheel, and the shifter 
> is now a motorcycle style twist handle at the top of the joystick.  The 
> third year you get "feet operated steering pedals" and "hand powered 
> brakes" via a center console lever, with the gearshift being a slide 
> lever embedded in the door, etc.
>

This is why you should consider the attitudes of the developers and
their philosophy.  If you decide to go with software maintained and
developed by those who have a "move fast and break things" kind of
attitude, you will have to accept, that things will move fast... and
break.  If the developers are opinionated, and have a "vision", then you
are going to have to accept that they will impose their vision, and your
experience will be as they think it should be.

I value stability and consistency and self-empowerment, so I tend to go
with software which is mature, doesn't really change and is, more or
less, already in its groove.  Software like Emacs, Mutt, FVWM,
Claws-mail, Groff, urxvt and mpd.