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Title: GNOME systray -- I need your support
Creak 6 Dec 2019
Hi guys!

I know this is not directly related to games (although Steam uses it), but you're by far the best Linux community I know.

I need your help: I created a GitLab issue on GNOME that asks the GNOME devs to reconsider the systray removal decision they took years ago. It a pain in the ass and I would like them to reconsider and put it back.

If you agree, please put a thumbs up on this issue:
https://gitlab.gnome.org/GNOME/gnome-shell/issues/2000

Also share this post or the GitLab issue if you have other means to make it popular. GNOME devs are not stupid, I know they'll reconsider if they see that no one likes this decision.

Note: no need to tell me that other desktop environments exist, I know that, but I find GNOME the most feature full and appealing one (except for this freaking systray!). If their final decision is to keep the systray, I will very probably change my desktop environment.

Last edited by Creak on 6 Dec 2019 at 2:05 pm UTC
Samsai 6 Dec 2019
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Isn't there an extension to do this (TopIcons-something-something)? It's kinda pointless trying to fight the GNOME devs on their vision since they seem to have very specific ideas about what they want to do and functionality not part of that vision is delegated to shell extensions.
jens 6 Dec 2019
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Quoting: SamsaiIsn't there an extension to do this (TopIcons-something-something)?
Yes, this should do the trick:
https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/495/topicons/

Though I have never tried it, so not sure how good it works.
(I'm fine with the less is more approach of the Gnome developers :))
Mnoleg 6 Dec 2019
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It's very difficult for me to comment without insulting the GNOME devs, so I'll just advise you with all my good intention not to waste your time.
Creak 6 Dec 2019
I've mentioned the extension in the issue description, but the extension is broken every time there's a new GNOME release.

Either they maintain the extension themselves or they don't break the API every 6 months..
slaapliedje 6 Dec 2019
Quoting: CreakI've mentioned the extension in the issue description, but the extension is broken every time there's a new GNOME release.

Either they maintain the extension themselves or they don't break the API every 6 months..
Use this one; https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/2311/topicons-plus/ Just install via git.
Creak 6 Dec 2019
Quoting: slaapliedjeUse this one; https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/2311/topicons-plus/ Just install via git.
I know, I know. It just doesn't work because the API has been broken.

Anyway the issue has been closed already 🙁

Last edited by Creak on 6 Dec 2019 at 9:35 pm UTC
GustyGhost 8 Dec 2019
I kind of understand the vision that the Gnome team has for tray icons, seeing as the dock ends up fulfilling that role when programs are left open.
slaapliedje 9 Dec 2019
Quoting: GustyGhostI kind of understand the vision that the Gnome team has for tray icons, seeing as the dock ends up fulfilling that role when programs are left open.
Yeah, like Steam for example is pretty nice that you can just right click on it's icon in the dock and access everything that is in the systray. Also, the whole 'I closed you, but you go to the systray!' has been an annoying behavior for many years.
Ehvis 9 Dec 2019
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Quoting: slaapliedje
Quoting: GustyGhostI kind of understand the vision that the Gnome team has for tray icons, seeing as the dock ends up fulfilling that role when programs are left open.
Yeah, like Steam for example is pretty nice that you can just right click on it's icon in the dock and access everything that is in the systray. Also, the whole 'I closed you, but you go to the systray!' has been an annoying behavior for many years.
But Gnome didn't solve anything. They just created a new one while taking away choice with it. But that seems to be the way Gnome is intended to go, taking away as much choice for the user as possible. Which is, after using it for almost 15 years, finally decided to throw in the towel and switch to something else.
Creak 9 Dec 2019
Quoting: slaapliedjeYeah, like Steam for example is pretty nice that you can just right click on it's icon in the dock and access everything that is in the systray. Also, the whole 'I closed you, but you go to the systray!' has been an annoying behavior for many years.
It feels like that's the intended purpose, but the result is far from that in my experience. Whether it's Nextcloud, Steam, Riot, or Teams, when I close them, they stay somewhere in the background, but I can't get them. For instance, since there is a bug in Remmina that kept it from crashing whenever I received a gnome-shell notification, I couldn't close Riot to prevent host-side notifications. The only solution was to kill it through the system monitor. Another example, with Nextcloud, it starts up with my session, apparently in the background. I can close it, but it only closes its window, not the application. Afterwards, I can't get it back. Whenever I click on the Nextcloud icon, nothing happens since it is already considered running. And the list goes on...

Mostly, I would say that the intent is good, but the realization is simply not here (mostly for anything not GNOME).
walther von stolzing 9 Dec 2019
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Quoting: CreakWhenever I click on the Nextcloud icon, nothing happens since it is already considered running. And the list goes on...

Mostly, I would say that the intent is good, but the realization is simply not here (mostly for anything not GNOME).
Somewhat off-topic, but it would be good if Nextcloud also had a web interface, as in syncthing. Syncthing has no gtk client in Fedora (so nothing to put an icon in the systray), so it has to be managed over the web interface -- which is actually nicer to use than the gtk application.
Creak 9 Dec 2019
For the Fedora users in this thread, which DE do you use?
walther von stolzing 9 Dec 2019
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Quoting: CreakFor the Fedora users in this thread, which DE do you use?
I use XFCE on Fedora (also regularly on Debian).

The default install isn't quite as polished as Xubuntu in either of them, but very little has to be tweaked to make it just as sleek. I also use the very long-in-the-tooth (but extremely lightweight) Skippy-XD (https://github.com/richardgv/skippy-xd) for 'exposé'/Activities functionality, which is sometimes faster to consult than the openbox-style middle-click list of windows on a workplace, which XFCE also provides.

(XFCE's own xfdashboard is supposed to provide the same functioality natively, and it comes bundled with every distro nowadays, but honestly it's hideous to looks at -- so it's easier to use skippy-xd, than trying to fix xfdashboard's appearance.)
jens 9 Dec 2019
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Quoting: CreakFor the Fedora users in this thread, which DE do you use?
The default Gnome Desktop. It works pretty well for me.
Mnoleg 9 Dec 2019
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Quoting: CreakFor the Fedora users in this thread, which DE do you use?
I've been using [XFCE](https://spins.fedoraproject.org/en/xfce/) for years, but I changed to [MATE-Compiz](https://spins.fedoraproject.org/en/mate-compiz/) a few months ago. Both of them feature a lightweight and highly configurable classic desktop with plenty of features, including vertical panels, I love vertical panels!
GustyGhost 10 Dec 2019
Quoting: EhvisBut Gnome didn't solve anything. They just created a new one while taking away choice with it. But that seems to be the way Gnome is intended to go, taking away as much choice for the user as possible.
Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.

Last edited by GustyGhost on 10 Dec 2019 at 2:14 am UTC
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