I really like gnome and how it looks. However every time I try it I find myself in need of more functionality and so I install a bunch of extensions. For example I can’t live without a dock and some sort of system tray that shows which apps are running in background.

Sometimes the extensions have small UI inconsistencies or use more memory than usual. That’s why I totally ditched gnome and switch to KDE.

Also I tend to think it’s been designed for people who are more comfortable using a keyboard. I’m mostly a mouse person.

Do any of you run pure gnome with no extensions? How do you cope with the lack of a dock and system tray?

  • Daniel QuinnEnglish
    6•8 months ago

    I don’t use the dock or a system tray really.

    • Each app is opened on its own workspace and it’s always the same workspace. Slack on 1, Thunderbird on 2, Tilix on 3, IDE on 4, Firefox on 5, etc.
    • Each workspace gets its own key mapping: Ctrl+F1 for 1, Ctrl+F5 for 5, etc. so switching is quick and easy with no mouse needed.
    • To open a new program I just hit Win followed by the first 2 or 3 letters of the name and Enter.

    I use the following extensions:

    • Burn My Windows
    • Pure Perfection
    • Clipboard indicator (for clip history)
    • System Monitor (to keep an eye on resource use)