Re: Netspeed applet replacement and other stuff?

[Kai-Martin Knaak <kmk lilalaser de>]

Adam Tauno Williams wrote:

> Svante Signell <svante signell telia com> wrote:
>>Looks like the fallback alternative is gone, 

The netspeed applet is still in the debian testing repo. And it works 
with the gnome3 components that are currently in testing.


>>so I have to use the default mess

I wouldn't call the default "messy" but "radically reduced". Unfortunately,
the reduction includes many features that improve productivity of experienced
users. Even more unfortunately, this includes most handles to easily configure
the desktop to the needs of the individual user. The default gnome3 theme 
implicitely sends the message "my way, or the highway"

Fortunately, there are ways to regain most of the gnome2 look and feel. I do 
not talk about the dumbed down "classic" session that gdm3 offers by default. 
Enter the suspiciously windows like "gnome-tweaks" application, loads of third 
party "extensions", not documented use of built-in tools on the command line, 
some XML guess work and a few hours of spare time. In my case, the result is
a gnome3 desktop with three of the good old gnome-panels, my preferred applets, 
and a main menu. Most importantly, the panels contain a constantly visible 
windows list and a graphical desktop switcher. The obnoxious notifications.
The top panel does not tell me my name anymore, there is a power-off button
and there are clickable icons on the desktop. 


> oh, you must mean the current awesomeness.  GNOME3 has been a real
> pleasure to use and definativelly improves my productivity.

Well, some of the new features are really nice. But again, the default
theme of gnome3 tries to force feed its ideals to the user. This is 
clearly bad form.


>> Is there a
>>replacement for the netspeed applet available?

> The is an extension that add GNOME System Monitor graphs to the
> notification bar.

The netspeed applet does not show graphs but less intrusive but still
more infomative numbers. By the way, the scale of the system monitor 
graph receives a rescale about once a minute. That way, you can't really
judge the quality of the connection at a glance.

 
>>Is there any settings that at least mimics the looks-and-feel of
>>gnome 2 available???
> 
> Of course not, this is GNOME3.

Of course, there is. The infrastructure of gnome3 is much more flexible 
than gnome2 ever was.  However, to actually use this flexibility, needs 
more effort than it should. See above.

> To switch, now I have to
>>move
>>the mouse to the upper left corner,
> 
> 
> Alt-F1

or the windows key.

Most of the time, I prefer to use the constantly visible windows list in the 
panel, though.

>>application (if I can find it there, no icons with titles any
>>longer).
> 
> ??? u get a thumbail of the actual window

Which sometimes is less informational than the window title. Imagine several
instances of a text editor. They look almost the same in thumb view. Some 
gnome3 themes add the window title to the thumb nail. There is an extension 
that adds the icon of the application to the thumb.

---<)kaimartin(>---
-- 
Kai-Martin Knaak
Email: kmk familieknaak de
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