“IMD for Linux (Indigo Magic Desktop) is going much further that those themes that simulate the IRIX look and feel. IMD for Linux has it own window manager that looks, behaves and provides the same features found on an IRIX box. Read more about the recreation of 4dwm desktop environment on Linux and how to beta test for the project.The Motif widget set has been revised to give a true SGI Motif look and feel and new SGI specific widgets will be provided for source code compatibility between the two environments. Yes, IRIX based applications could be ported to Linux with very little changes in the GUI front-end. IMD for Linux will provide a similar Interactive Desktop environment where applications like toolchest, iconcatalog, fm and others made SGI’s Desktop Technology so famous.”
The 5Dwm project site has just been substantially updated very recently (last couple of days or so) with more information and screenshots and they are asking for beta testers.
Cross UNIX compatability must be the only reason anybody would want to use Motif anymore. The widgets just look ugly now-a-days especially compared to the alternatives such as QT/KDE and GTK+
I don’t think this project is going to win many people over with those screenshots.
Hey Eugenia, how about doing a pixel-by-pixel breakdown on exactly what’s wrong with Motif and IMD for Linux?
SGI does not use the plain Motif/CDE look as you might now.
Instead ViewKit provides a nice look and an even better
feel. Moreover I do not agree that QT/KDE and GTK+ look
better, to me they just provide a poor windoze look emulation.
Very poor for projects which aim at taking over the (*nix)
GUI world!
But of course, nobody wants to use Motif in these days
anymore – but this is caused by Motif itself, it is just too
painful to program.
it is just too painful to program.
and to look at.
and to use.
>and to look at.
>and to use.
So you never used an SGI machine, I’d suppose…
Damn. That has to be the ugliest desktop I have ever seen. Yuck!
I used SGI machines – and he is right – it is very ugly.
Even TWM looks better
Seriously ugly. Ick
I use IRIX 6.5.x, and the ‘look’ is ok, but the ‘feel’ is actually really good.
What I can’t understand is why everyone’s busy cloning theWindows, NeXSTEP, Mac OS, IRIX & Mac OS X GUIs for Linux instead of creating a new Linux look & feel.
Especially with ref to GNOME and KDE – what’s with the slavish copying of Windows? A Linux GUI could be elegant and lightweight, but never will be if it’s trapped in Windows panel hell.
‘Skinning’ the GUI isn’t the solution to Linux’s problems.
Jason…
Why everyone is busy cloning Windows? Because users demand a Windows clone. They don’t want to use their head to learn something new, they just want something that looks like Windows and works.
People want Windows: it is a consumer demand.
I have to agree with that. People don’t need something innovative. People want something thar are used to…The goal is to win users abd the only way to win users is to create something that already works. Creating something new is useless and you will attrack only geeks. Me as a user would rather use something that I am used to instead of learning a brand new concept to do things.
IMD: eeergh! that is pure ugly …. gggurgle! … put it away … please!
When were you lot born? In 1990?
SGI were the only one who made an even remotely workable UNIX/X11 desktop in the entire mainstream UNIX world. The rest had to put up with CDE or Motif, whereas SGI had luxuries such as icons. The lack of history is remarkable, considering that this is an OS geek site.
BTW, Motif is in itself a Windows clone in regard to its widgets. Or rather, an OS/2 Presentation Manager clone, but that’s much the same. It’s just OS/2 with a 3D-ish look and a lot of wasted screen real estate.
“Why everyone is busy cloning Windows? Because users demand a Windows clone. They don’t want to use
their head to learn something new, they just want something that looks like Windows and works.
People want Windows: it is a consumer demand.”
Windows cloning is the main reason I am _not_ using Linux. If I want
that kind of stuff, I can use Windows itself.
Considering how many Linux and GNU coders have a university or
research background, it is surprising that a really good new usable
GUI has not appeared for Linux.
People use what they feel is the easiest. If you clone what they know you get a somewhat useable interface “cheaply” but you can just as well provide something as easy to use with a small step to learn. The BeOS user interface is like this, it’s not all that like Windows but not hard to learn either. Humans are very good with patterns, what a button or menu looks like isnt all that important as long as you can read the text, choices is the problem. If you have to make a choice you use a lot less “automatic” parts which reduces percieved effectivness.
Saying that all users are “demanding” a windows look and feel is a bit narrow-minded if you ask me. Where is “taste” in this equation. Not _all_ users want fancy windows like widgets and look&feel. Personally I would give up almost any available desktop manager (apart from the *box series) in order to use IMD.
Considering how many Linux and GNU coders have a university or research background, it is surprising that a really good new usable GUI has not appeared for Linux.
ROX Desktop: http://rox.sourceforge.net
Enlightenment: http://www.enlightenment.org
I know that ROX is basically a re-creation of the RiscOS interface, but it’s still quite good. I use it on my Debian box and I couldn’t be happier with it.
It has a quaint old feel to it.
Perhaps blackbox might be ported to irix? Thats minimalist enough isnt it?
What about some of the technical features of the desktop? What is an overlay plane anyway? It sounds like there is more to this than just eye candy (sweet or sour depending on taste). Can anyone comment on the SGI technologies incorporated?
-E
It is easy to use, I know how to resize the windows, how to grab the borders, how to start apps. I also have been used to it, so it’s familiar.
And the font look very good.
The fact that people are used to Windows isn’t the point. Windows is bad design, full stop. From both an aesthetic and a usability perspective Windows has more holes than a swiss cheese, or more properly, it is inconsistent and ugly. Recent changes to the ‘look’ of the UI amount to little more than cosmetics. Lipstick on a chicken, as [email protected] once said…
I am not in a position to comment on the ‘feel’ of Windows.
Whether one personally likes, for example, the Mac OS / Mac OS X UI what I cannot understand is that so many people claiming to be Linux ‘power users’ criticise Apple’s OSes for being pointless eye candy.
Apart from misunderstanding the importance of a graceful, intuitive and aesthetically pleasing UI it’s missing the point. Oftentimes Linux users are saying, “I want an ugly OS.” (Usually because they’re fast.)
Now it would seem that the same sort of people are rejecting the allegedly ugly IM desktop, which (in it’s genuine IRIX version at least) is realtively lightweight in favour of KDE and GNOME which have more techno blubber than a sperm whale.
My point is this : –
It matters not a jot what people are used to. Pointing and clicking is pointing and clicking on any platform – Linux doesn’t need to look like Windows. Some bright spark would do well to produce an original and consistent GUI for Linux.
Linux being able to be differentiated from Windows is a good thing.
PS – The homogeniety of the Win look and feel really irks me. I actually like the Unix style. I remember gazing in wonder at screenshots on the web when all I’d was using was Macintosh Sysyem 7. I still think there’s life in the old Unix beast yet, and this from someone who’s no fan of X11.
I Like it. I think it looks rather good. I might sign up to be a beta tester
I couldn’t care less what you tree hugging, eye candy half witts think. 5DWM is perfect for my needs. It is fast, reliable and stable. When KDE gets to that then come back and dance up and down.
As for fugliness, I guess you’ve never used OpenWindows or Tru64’s desktop.
I really like the old desktop, it’s really nice..and I like the way it looks too, much better than kde and gnome.
Look guys/gals so what if it dosen’t use all the latest widgets etc, I say it looks good, I always prefered a simpler desktop. KDE and Gnome have WAY too much eye candy, I have used Windows, Linux and Solaris for years. Out of all three I actually prefer Solaris CDE, it’s fast, stable and suits my needs without loading down the system processing all the eye candy. For linux I prefer Window Maker but have been using KDE lately. I wouldn’t mind trying IMD, it may just be the desktop I’m looking for my Linux box.
Tree hugging or otherwise, I like the standard IRIX look so IMD/5D is fine by me.
Oh for Chr*st’s sake, IMD can be made to look just fine for most people (who actually work in tech for a living) with a minimum of effort.
Here…
http://www.nekochan.net/gallery/
5DWM is packed with advanced features like OpenGL hardware acceleration and support for high-end SGI toolkits and their other OpenGL software out the yin-yang – stuff that the likes of GNOME and KDE can only dream of.
When Sega comes out with a new operating system, I’ll be sure to let you know, OK?