Introducing GNOME 46, "Kathmandu"

Original Article ↗ Hacker News Discussion ↗

Overall sentiment on GNOME 46 and GNOME in general

  • Many acknowledge GNOME’s progress and polish, especially stability, visuals, and “gets out of the way” workflow.
  • Others remain frustrated, saying each release brings UX changes that disrupt habits without adding enough value.
  • Some see GNOME as the “best ad for KDE,” while others say it is by far their preferred desktop.

Application launcher & workflow debate

  • Major thread around GNOME’s “Activities” / Super-key launcher versus a traditional dock/taskbar + start menu.
  • Critics:
    • Call the full-screen overview and hidden shortcuts (e.g. Super) undiscoverable and confusing to new or casual users.
    • Miss a persistent taskbar, minimize/maximize buttons, tray icons, and a “real” app launcher.
    • Argue GNOME violates the principle of least surprise and ignores user feedback.
  • Supporters:
    • Praise Super → type → Enter as fast and keyboard-friendly, with good search.
    • Say hot corner + overview is efficient with both mouse and touch.
    • Argue that users who want classic UX should choose other DEs (KDE, XFCE, MATE, Budgie).

Customization, extensions, and stability

  • Strong complaints that GNOME is hostile to customization compared to its GNOME 2 era.
  • Extensions:
    • Written in JavaScript; some report memory leaks and performance issues.
    • Break on nearly every release or require explicit “this version is supported” flags, frustrating users and vendors (e.g., System76 building its own desktop).
    • Some distributions ship key behavior as extensions, increasing fragility.
  • Themes: GNOME’s stance of not officially supporting custom theming is noted; some find this inconsistent with the idea that distros should “finish” the UX.

File management and interaction details

  • Complaints about Nautilus:
    • Center-ellipsized filenames, lack of type-ahead search, and changing locations of file operation indicators.
    • Desire for Miller Columns (like macOS Finder) and better handling of large directories.
  • File dialogs and button placement are criticized as inconsistent and hard to configure.

Alternatives and ecosystem

  • Several users report switching to KDE Plasma (5 or 6), XFCE, MATE, Budgie, i3/sway, or Regolith to regain traditional workflows or better stability.
  • NixOS is praised for making experimentation safer, irrespective of desktop choice.

New features callouts

  • Variable refresh rate (VRR) support and integrated RDP/remote desktop are highlighted positively.
  • Accessibility improvements are appreciated, though the release page is criticized for missing alt-text on images.