Elementary OS


Recommended Posts

KDE is too glossy to be a Mac clone. If anything, they'll rip off Windows 7 since a lot of the wanna-be Aero work is already there. If you're going

to copy someone else's design, might as well make it easy on yourself!

I kid, I kid.

It was rumored that Windows 7 was a rip off of KDE.

As for the distro, I will pass. It is not something I would pay for.

BSD called - they want Apple to kill themselves.

Seriously though, Apple needs to make their own OS without BSD.

The people who wrote the BSD code base wanted companies like NeXT/Apple to do what they did.

  • Take "good code" rather than poorly re-inventing the wheel
  • Contribute changes and bug fixes back to the original project (this is optional, but it's always appreciated)
  • Leave in 'advertising' promoting BSD in comments.

They never particularly cared about somebody using BSD code to turn a profit or bundling up their code with some new stuff and calling it a new product.

If they didn't want that to happen they could have made a license that prohibited for-profit derivative work, mandated that any linked code be opensource as well, or demanded that any changes be made public (Apple does this already, but it isn't required).

You do know how Mac OS came about in the first place, right?

Apple bought and licensed things over time while developing their own applications, frameworks and interface on top of that? Beyond that they currently make use of BSD code and share their improvements with the open source community.

Linux devs just crack me up lately. Apple introduced iOS-like scroll bars that disappear when not in use in the first Mac OS X Lion Developer Preview. Within three weeks Ubuntu suddenly has something similar as well in their beta. Implemented not quite as nicely of course. I'm guessing that too "evolved on its own" and we can yet again write it off as pure coincidence it was introduced after Apple did the same thing.

Honestly? I like it.

Better a okay rip-off than a lacking own GUI. :D

GNOME and KDE are both far from ideal GUIs.

I use Linux on a daily basis for months now and I gotta say I adore working with linux every time, it's just that the GUI is always flawy at the most initial and obvious places.

It's sad that so little effort is put into propper GUIs from the community and few big corporations try to break free from old traditions, trying to innovate proper and easy as well as focussing GUIs.

Yes, I'm a Mac fan, hence I might like the copywork, but really: Better an approach to good copying than to just let it slide.

Sure, Canonical is doing some excellent work trying to put new things to GNOME and I like their approaches, but it's still rough.

Let's hope good things develop from here...

Glassed Silver:win

@Neo: Yeah, and Mac ripped off the App Store idea because Ubuntu had the Software Center back in mid 2009, and package manager years earlier. Mac also ripped off the "launchpad" (ironically, Canonical owns the trademark on that name), because that sort of view existed in Unity since mid 2010... /sarcasm

So? My personal opinion is that the scrollbars are a coincidence, but who cares? I'm not defending Elementary, because they shamelessly "tweak" and mash the interface of OS X and iOS and add an unnecessary layer on top of Ubuntu, but Ubuntu generally tends to have an idea of where to go with the ideas they borrow. Sure they changed the layout of the buttons to the left, and at that moment it seemed like desperately copying OS X, but what they did is that they made the move make sense, unlike OS X, with the current maximized window behavior (along with another idea they took from OS X, global menu, which is also slightly tweaked). So, yeah. I'll admit that generally Linux developers tend to have sub par free versions of what already exists in the proprietary world, but what's exactly wrong with that alone? Not to mention that Ubuntu is slowly starting to build something of its own.

@Neo: Yeah, and Mac ripped off the App Store idea because Ubuntu had the Software Center back in mid 2009, and package manager years earlier. Mac also ripped off the "launchpad" (ironically, Canonical owns the trademark on that name), because that sort of view existed in Unity since mid 2010... /sarcasm

Yeah, except Launchpad comes from iOS released in 2007. An online software store hasn't been anything original for years.

So? My personal opinion is that the scrollbars are a coincidence, but who cares? I'm not defending Elementary, because they shamelessly "tweak" and mash the interface of OS X and iOS and add an unnecessary layer on top of Ubuntu, but Ubuntu generally tends to have an idea of where to go with the ideas they borrow. Sure they changed the layout of the buttons to the left, and at that moment it seemed like desperately copying OS X, but what they did is that they made the move make sense, unlike OS X, with the current maximized window behavior (along with another idea they took from OS X, global menu, which is also slightly tweaked). So, yeah. I'll admit that generally Linux developers tend to have sub par free versions of what already exists in the proprietary world, but what's exactly wrong with that alone? Not to mention that Ubuntu is slowly starting to build something of its own.

Everything is according to you right? 3D Dock? Coincidence. 2D Dock in Gnome 3D & Ubuntu? Coincidence. Expos? rip-off in Gnome 3? Coincidence. The exact Dashboard close button in Gnome 3? Coincidence. Rounded search box in Gnome 3? Coincidence. Suddenly Mac OS X Lion-like scroll bars in appear in Ubuntu two weeks after Apple released DP1? Coincidence. Icon and symbol concept rip-offs? Coincidence. Suddenly moving the window widgets in the exact same order and location as on Mac? Coincidence. Launchpad rip-off just after Apple demoed Mac OS X Lion's take on it? Coincidence. The list goes on and on. Sure, let's stick with it all being a "coincidence". (Y) :laugh:

I'm not against companies borrowing ideas from each other, giving their own spin to it in the process, everyone does that. However at this point things are just becoming ridiculous. Elementary OS still being a perfect example.

Yeah, except Launchpad comes from iOS released in 2007. An online software store hasn't been anything original for years.

Everything is according to you right? 3D Dock? Coincidence. 2D Dock in Gnome 3D & Ubuntu? Coincidence. Expos? rip-off in Gnome 3? Coincidence. The exact Dashboard close button in Gnome 3? Coincidence. Rounded search box in Gnome 3? Coincidence. Suddenly Mac OS X Lion-like scroll bars in appear in Ubuntu two weeks after Apple released DP1? Coincidence. Icon and symbol concept rip-offs? Coincidence. Suddenly moving the window widgets in the exact same order and location as on Mac? Coincidence. Launchpad rip-off just after Apple demoed Mac OS X Lion's take on it? Coincidence. The list goes on and on. Sure, let's stick with it all being a "coincidence". (Y) :laugh:

I'm not against companies borrowing ideas from each other, giving their own spin to it in the process, everyone does that. However at this point things are just becoming ridiculous. Elementary OS still being a perfect example.

I said scrollbars are coincidence. And using your rhetoric, a dock hasn't been anything original for years :p

Launchpad is unlikely ripped off, because it's been there before Lion showed it (you can go to first netbook remixes for a similar thing), and how innovative is arranging a bunch of icons in a grid anyway? As for window widgets on the left side, it's there for a reason, to remove the clutter in the panel (where they go when windows are maximized) which would occur if they were on the right side next to the notification area. There never was any reason to put them on the left side in OS X that I know of. As for the Gnome 3 stuff, I don't care and I wasn't talking about that anyway.

I just touched upon the scrollbars. If they were able to code them in two weeks, then, wow, holy sh*t, Ubuntu devs are amazing. Things like these are planned in advance. When they moved the buttons to the left, they were clearly paving the way for removing the menubar altogether (which I think is their ultimate goal, right now it's hidden in the panel until you hover it) and integrating the window border with the panel. It makes sense, two months after they moved the buttons, first version of Unity was out, using the panel/window border integration.

EDIT: Since my reply makes no sense after your last edit. As I sad, a lot of things in Linux world seem like sub par versions of what Windows and Mac have. I don't deny that. I am annoyed that you insist everything came from Mac, like Mac's totally original (hardly the case). Just like Mac took workspaces from other people, polished them up, so are a lot of distros taking some design ideas and trying to do something with them. Those that blatantly copy (Elementary, Gnome 3) will most likely fail, but I consider Ubuntu to be the one that has a chance of doing something on its own. They've already made sense of moving the buttons to the left, and generally they do plan in advance (I think even the scrollbars were tested by regular people, they do similar things all the time).

EDIT: Since my reply makes no sense after your last edit. As I sad, a lot of things in Linux world seem like sub par versions of what Windows and Mac have. I don't deny that. I am annoyed that you insist everything came from Mac, like Mac's totally original (hardly the case). Just like Mac took workspaces from other people, polished them up, so are a lot of distros taking some design ideas and trying to do something with them. Those that blatantly copy (Elementary, Gnome 3) will most likely fail, but I consider Ubuntu to be the one that has a chance of doing something on its own. They've already made sense of moving the buttons to the left, and generally they do plan in advance (I think even the scrollbars were tested by regular people, they do similar things all the time).

Like I said I don't have an issue with companies borrowing ideas from each other. Microsoft does this, Samsung, LG, Motorola and even Apple is no exception. However there's a big difference with how things go down with Linux. They don't borrow ideas, they try to copy them 1:1. Linux had multi-desktops before Mac OS X, yes, however Spaces looks nothing like the default Linux implementation. It uses its own unique style that fits in with Aqua. Things in Linux distros like the 3D Dock, 2D Dock style, scroll bars, Expos? clones and even icons in some cases are nothing but rip-offs from existing Mac OS X features and quite frankly things have been increasingly becoming worse recently. Hell, Gnome 3 even took resources straight from Mac OS X (see first page). The disappearing scroll bars are an Apple concept. If not tell me why didn't the Ubuntu team introduce these scrollbars before 2007 or even before October 2010? Why do these dings always have a habit of turning up in Linux after they are introduced in an Apple product?

Long story short: It all always makes sense and everything evolves on its own in the Linux landscape. However it never makes any sense or evolve on its own before Apple introduced it in one of their products. That's what we see right? But okay. ;)

Jeezus. Give it up already. They all copy Apple. I think we get it.

This topic is now closed to further replies.
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
  • Posts

    • First time clicking on a Sayan Sen article after he started making clickbait, vague headlines recently. Didn't read, just came here to say the headline doesn't look like very cheap, vague clickbait this time. Are you okay?
    • Good review, and yeah the benchmark breakdown is pretty clear but also a little messy in a good way. It’s kinda interesting to see where the RX 9070 GRE slides in between the 7800 XT and the 9070 XT , especially when it comes to AI tasks and Blender style workloads. The side by side with Nvidia’s RTX 5070 and 4070 makes it feel obvious just how competitive the mid range GPU scene has gotten lately, and that’s great for creators and gamers too since you can pick based on your priorities rather than only chasing one single thing.
    • That's it. I finally uninstalled Firefox because they often keep pushing buggy updates, only to test them later and make users suffer. No longer is it my alternative browser to Edge. What a waste of energy. Firefox is bad for the environment, just like Chrome (wasting RAM/energy).
    • Microsoft Weekly: new Surface, Windows 11 26H2, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft announcing Windows 11 version 26H2, launching new Surface devices powered by Snapdragon X2 processors, GTA VI preorder date and cover art, fresh Windows 11 preview builds, a quirky phone-sized e-reader with a physical dial, and more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. Windows 11 version 26H2 is now official. Alongside Windows 11's new preview builds released this week, Microsoft confirmed version 26H2, which is coming later this year as an enablement package based on the same platform as versions 24H2 and 25H2. A newly published blog post details what IT admins should do to prepare for the upcoming launch. Next, we have new Windows 11 bugs. Users report that this month's security updates for Windows 11 cause all sorts of issues, including BitLocker bugs, OneDrive issues, black screens of death, and third-party integration in Office apps. Microsoft has not confirmed those yet, but it acknowledged other issues with its operating system. What Microsoft has confirmed is a bug where Recycle Bin delete prompts display internal file names instead of actual ones, and a year-old Windows JScript compatibility bug caused by security-focused engine changes. Moving to more positive news, Microsoft and Adobe are working on improving Windows performance in popular creative apps like Photoshop. Thanks to SPGO optimizations, users can expect up to 20% better performance. Finally, we have a few useful articles that can help you recover your PC or make it perform better. For one, we published a guide detailing what to do if your computer cannot boot after a clean Windows 11 install. There are two important steps you can try to get your system back to working in no time. Additionally, there is a more detailed guide on various CPU performance modes that could notably improve performance. Windows Insider Program Here is what Microsoft released for Windows Insiders this week: Builds Canary Channel Builds 28120.2315 and 29613.1000 These two builds include a new built-in audio driver, improvements to audio Settings, and more. Dev Channel Builds 26300.8697 and 26220.8690 Not much is available here. Some File Explorer improvements, Start menu enhancements, bug fixes, and more. However, build 26300.8697 is now officially marked as version 26H2. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. This week, Microsoft announced its newest Surface devices powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon X2 processors. There is the 12th-gen Surface Pro and the 8th-gen Surface Laptop. Both devices feature little to no visual differences compared to their predecessors from 2024, and most changes hide inside, including a better processor, faster graphics, enhanced NPUs, and more. The Surface Laptop also received a new haptic trackpad. Mozilla is currently working on a major Firefox redesign, and earlier this week, it published a roadmap of upcoming features and highlights of the upcoming "Project Nova" rework. Files, one of the best file managers for Windows 10 and 11, has been updated in the Preview channel with a long-requested feature. Tree View is finally available in version 4.1.4, allowing you to quickly browse deeply nested folders without leaving the main view. In addition, the update improved the Windows Fonts folder, allowing you to preview each font without opening the default viewer. Rufus, another useful Windows 11 utility, also received a notable update. Version 4.15 arrived as beta with important fixes for silent Windows 11 installation. It also includes patches for ARM-based Windows PCs, OneDrive removal improvements, and more. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: Microsoft faces shareholder lawsuit over masking AI costs and slowing Azure growth Microsoft now allows you to tweak Visual Studio to new extremes Microsoft brings Planner Agent to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users Microsoft fixes one of Excel Copilot's most frustrating limitations Microsoft will finally let you sign in to Edge with a Google account Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: NVIDIA 610.62 with support for Empulse and various fixes. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Earlier this week, we reviewed the DuRoBo Krono, a portable, phone-sized e-reader with some interesting physical controls. This device has an Apple Watch-like dial for page turning, frontlight adjustment, and more. Software is simple and no-nonsense, but it also lacks some useful features and customization. Overall, the device proved interesting, but not flawless. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Forza Horizon 6 received two big updates this week. Alongside the Series 2 content update, developers pushed plenty of bug fixes and balancing tweaks. However, they also had to acknowledge the Eliminator CR-farming exploit and shut down the online mode temporarily. Luckily, only a few days later, another fix arrived, which re-enabled Eliminator and patched the exploit. Microsoft announced new games for Game Pass subscribers. Those include EA Sports FC 26, Junkster, Call of Duty: Vanguard, Abyssus, RV There Yet?, and more. Some existing games are leaving the catalog, so be sure to check out the full list here. New games are also available for GeForce NOW subscribers, and they include Embers of the Uncrowned Demo, Aphelion, Megastore Simulator, OPERATOR, Citizen Sleeper, and more. Rockstart Games had plenty of GTA-related news this week. For one, the company gave GTA V players another free update. Those still playing the game on Xbox One and PlayStation 4 are no longer required to pay $40 to upgrade to the latest-gen version. More importantly, Rockstar Games revealed the GTA VI cover art and announced the preorder date. The Epic Games Store is giving away two games: Citizen Sleeper and Roboeat. These two titles are up for grabs until next Thursday, but if they are not up to your taste, you can always check out the latest Weekend PC Game Deal issue, which is usually full of discounts and specials that let you save a lot of money on new games. Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. GEEKOM X16 Pro at GEEKOM - $1,119.67 | 17% off Acer 4K Webcam for PC/Mac with All-Metal Unibody Sculpted - $59.99 | 14% off Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB - $369.99 | 42% off Nothing Ear Wireless Earbuds Bluetooth - $73.15 | 51% off PowerColor Reaper AMD Radeon RX 9070 16GB - $579.99 | 17% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
  • Recent Achievements

    • Week One Done
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • One Month Later
      Genuinetonerink- Dubai earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • One Year In
      hhgygy earned a badge
      One Year In
    • One Month Later
      AMV earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      AMV earned a badge
      Week One Done
  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      514
    2. 2
      +Edouard
      171
    3. 3
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      84
    4. 4
      Steven P.
      74
    5. 5
      Michael Scrip
      72
  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!