Features/Gnome3.8

🔗 GNOME 3.8

🔗 Summary

Update GNOME to the latest upstream release

🔗 Owner

• Name: Matthias Clasen
• Email: mclasen@redhat.com

🔗 Current status

• Targeted release: Fedora 19
• Last updated: 2013-05-09
• Percentage of completion: 100%

GNOME 3.8.1 is in F19, 3.8.2 will land right before or after the beta.

🔗 Detailed Description

GNOME 3.8 continues development along the lines of 3.6:

• Building out the central features of GNOME 3:
  • A new panel will allow to configure GNOME shell search, and applications can provide search results to the shell
  • The display of search results in the GNOME shell overview was redesigned
  • Notifications can be configured in a new panel
  • Privacy settings are collected in a new panel
  • Sharing (mainly of data, in the local network) can be centrally controlled in a new panel
• Support for OwnCloud in Online Accounts
• Better accessibility
• Improved IBus integration
  • Modifier-only shortcuts can be set in the Keyboard panel
  • IMEs can have menu items in the statusmenu (the whitelist was removed)
  • Per-window changes of input source are possible again
  • Nicer candidate popups
• New applications
  • A note-taking app
  • A new photo app
  • A new clock app
  • A new weather app
• Support in the shell and the network control panel for "enterprise" networking features, such as bridging, bonding, and VLANs.
• Fallback mode is going away in 3.8. Instead, there will be a set of supported extensions that is grouped together in a 'classic' mode, which provides a more GNOME 2-like user experience

For detailed descriptions and designs of the features that are being worked on for GNOME 3.8, see the feature list and the progress reports here and here.

🔗 Benefit to Fedora

Fedora stays in sync with upstream. The classic mode will provide an alternative for users who are more comfortable with the GNOME 2 user experience.

🔗 Scope

• Keep existing GNOME packages updated
• Follow upstream module changes
  • gcalctool → gnome-calculator Done
  • gnome-games → many little game modules
    • five-or-more (glines) Done
    • four-in-a-row (gnect) Done
    • gnome-chess (glchess) Done
    • gnome-klotski (gnotski) Done
    • gnome-mahjongg Done
    • gnome-mines (gnomine) Done
    • gnome-nibbles (gnibbles) Done
    • gnome-robots (gnobots2) Done
    • gnome-sudoku Done
    • gnome-tetravex (gnotravex) Done
    • iagno Done
    • lightsoff Done
    • quadrapassel Done
    • swell-foop Done
    • tali (gtali) Done
• Package the extensions and session definition for classic mode (Done, part of the gnome-shell-extensions package)
• Package new applications and new dependencies of existing GNOME packages
  • Photos (likely a preview in 3.8) Done
  • Notes (likely a preview in 3.8) (bijiben) Done
  • Weather (likely a preview in 3.8) Done
  • gnome-getting-started-docs Done

🔗 How To Test

Generic 'desktop testing' is always appropriate for a major new desktop version.

Specific testing for new features:

🔗 Search

• Test that nautilus, gnome-boxes, gnome-contacts, gnome-documents are listed in the search panel
• Test that turning off search altogether is reflected in the GNOME shell search
• Test that turning off individual search providers is respected in GNOME shell search
• Test that the order of search results in GNOME shell matches the order in the search panel
• Test that tracker indexes the directories that are listed in the search locations popup
• Test that clicking on applications in the GNOME shell search launches them
• Test that clicking on individual search results launches the right app with this item
• Test that clicking on the search provider icon launches the right app with the same search

🔗 Notifications

• Test that the notifications switch in the user menu prevents all notifications from popping up
• Test that the "show popup banners" switch in the notification does the same
• Test that the "show in lock screen" switch prevents all notifications from showing up while the screen is locked
• Test that the details setting for each listed application have the desired effect
• Test that an application that is not listed in the panel gets added to the list after it sents a notification
• Test that Super-M toggles the message tray up and down

🔗 Privacy

• Check that the lock screen settings work as expected; also check the interaction with screen-related power saving settings
• Check that visibility settings are respected
• Verify that cleaning recent files works
• Verify that purging trash and temporary files works, and that it respects file ownership in /tmp and /var/tmp

🔗 Sharing

• Check that Bluetooth settings are respected
• Check that Personal file sharing settings are respected
• Check that activating screen sharing starts and stops vino
• Check that other screen sharing settings are respected
• Check that media sharing works
• Check that remote login starts and stops sshd
• Check that not having vino, rygel or sshd installed causes the relevant settings to be disabled

🔗 OwnCloud

• Check that OwnCloud accounts can be set up in the Online Accounts panel
• Test that OwnCloud data shows up in nautilus via the gvfs backend
• Check that evolution picks up OwnCloud accounts for mail and calendar

🔗 Classic mode

• Check that choosing 'classic mode' in the gdm session chooser works as expected and is remembered
• Check that the application menu shows favourites and categories that match the GNOME shell overview
• Check that windows have minimize and maximize buttons
• Check that nautilus shows icons on the desktop
• Check that the taskbar can be used to restore minimized windows
• Check that Alt-Tab shows windows instead of applications
• Test the interaction between the taskbar, the message tray and the on-screen keyboard

🔗 Clocks

• Test that launching gnome-clocks from the GNOME shell calendar works
• Test that you can add and remove clocks for multiple locations
• Test that you alarms notify you at the right time, and that repetition works
• Test that the timer notifies you when the time is up

🔗 Photos

• Test that Photos shows pictures from Pictures/
• Test that titles can be set and are shown
• Test Online Accounts integration (TBD: which providers, and what)
• More TBD

🔗 User Experience

Overall desktop experience should be largely unchanged from F18.

Noticeable changes in the details:

• First time login experience will have an 'initial setup' wizard
• Redesigned search results display in the GNOME shell overview
• New settings panels for search, notifications, privacy and sharing
• Support for OwnCloud in online-accounts
• Classic mode will be available as an alternative session

🔗 Dependencies

• Features/InitialExperience
• Features/OwnCloud

🔗 Contingency Plan

• If GNOME 3.8 does not happen in time for Fedora 19, ship a release candidate like 3.7.91
• Upstream will also look at dropping individual features if they are not ready in time

🔗 Documentation

• GNOME 3.8 planned features
• GNOME 3.8 schedule
• GNOME 3.8 release notes (not yet available)

🔗 Release Notes

Fedora 19 includes the latest version of the GNOME desktop, 3.8. For more information about what is new in this GNOME release, see the release notes.

🔗 Comments and Discussion

• See Talk:Features/Gnome3.8