XFCE release 4.12 brings refinement and improvements

by
in linux on (#47JH)
After 2 years and 10 months, XFCE 4.12 has been released, and its changelog is an impressive list of refinements, improvements, and new features.

For starters, they've streamlined the code, removing a whole host of options the developers decided were no longer the best way to accomplish common tasks. The minimize/maximize buttons are gone now, and all apps run full-screen all the time. You can access a subset of options via keystroke combinations (sadly, these haven't been documented yet but they should be obvious).

Oh wait, just kidding. Must have been thinking about some other desktop environment there. Seriously, have a look at the user-friendly improvements the XFCE team has worked into this release.

Check out the link for a multiple-page change log of significant features, including improvements to alt-tab dialogues, panel features, usage with multiple monitors, a move to GTK3, and more. XFCE remains independent of Linux-specific system features, and instead designed a front-end/back-end approach that allows it to work equally well on Linux, the BSDs, and beyond. As a BSD-user, I'm immensely proud. Finally, note throughout the press release the number of times they mention listening to their users and implementing the features that users said they wanted. More than one other major project could benefit from a similar approach to working with its community.

[Edit 2015-03-02 22:25 There was a very important "just kidding" sentence between paragraphs 2 and 3 that was important, because paragraph 2 is a joke. I've re-added it; otherwise I would expect to be flamed alive by angry XFCEers wondering why i'm such an idiot].

Re: Crying (Score: 2, Interesting)

by hapnstance@pipedot.org on 2015-03-04 13:41 (#490W)

" we don't need radical changes in metaphor, just refinements in usability and convenience"

" It's clear they're making a huge effort to listen to their users and find out where the pain points are: it's a radical concept in software development (listening to the users and applying fixes as relevant). I wish others did it too."

And these are the reasons why I switched from FireFox to Pale Moon for my daily browser. You are correct; more projects need to do this but I think this *is* coming. I think there are slowly but surely going to be forks of good projects who have lost their way and have gone down that "changes in metaphor" road. The forks will try to restore the sanity and they will gain a following.
Post Comment
Subject
Comment
Captcha
What is the 4th digit in 627565?