Pop!_OS - The Gnome Desktop as it Should Be!

I very rarely review a Gnome distro as it's my least favourite desktop environment. But what System 76 is doing with their Cosmic Desktop
has made me want to take a closer look, especially as there is talk of them developing their own rust-based environment.
My overall impression is that POP_OS is a vast improvement over vanilla Gnome and moving in a very positive direction - I would even say it's Gnome as it should have been right from the start.
So a broadly positive review. I'm not convinced fully yet, but I would choose this over any other Gnome distro out there at the moment.
I hope you enjoy the video :-)
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Ramble On!

[@leviticus8930]

The reasons you give about Gnome is why Pop is going to their own desktop environment route, and why I am making a similar interface, but using Xfce as the base

[@ChristopherCompagnon1AndOnly]

It depends of the point of view. For me, Gnome Desktop is exactly as a desktop environment should be.

[@catchnkill]

DE is not that different. I use Windows 11 as well as macOS. As long as I can launch the apps I need, I can do file management stuff like copying, deleting and moving files folders, everything is fine. Gnome is quite fine for me.

[@omegaman7377]

No, it is the less practical of all. You should be able to move your windows with your keyboard from side to side, from up to down, from corner to another, from a monitor to another, to other workspaces. You can do that with Mate, Cinnamon and Plasma without an extension. Gnome is a desktop for tablet with a very basic file manager.

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

@@omegaman7377 What if you don't use your keyboard for anything other than typing? :) I'm running Linux Mint 18.3 Cinnamon right now and do all of my window management with my mouse. So, the fact I can move windows around with keystrokes means nothing to me. So, I guess it really boils down to the functionality one really needs.

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

@@JM-tj5qm Why should it matter to me? With a mouse, I really don't have to learn much because I can see the controls and click them. With keyboard navigation, I have to learn the key combinations to do this and that and having to learn that isn't necessarily something I would be interested in learning. So, I think the "efficiency" argument falls short in favor of it being more of matter of preference. GNOME not being a great, keyboard focused desktop environment is a point I can accept. If you're going to be keyboard focused, you should do that well. :) However, if you're not using the keyboard to navigate the environment, the environment being keyboard navigation focused really doesn't matter to me. Now that I think about it, the ONLY time I've used the keyboard to do any manipulation of a window is to use the "Alt-Escape" key sequence (or maybe it's Control-Escape) to get the window context menu to appear so I can click "Move" and then use the arrow keys to move the window down so the title bar appears (if it's off screen). When the title bar appears again, I click it to grab it and reposition the window where I want it. Of course, I have no problem with those who prefer keyboard navigation because it works better for them. More power to you. :)

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

@@JM-tj5qm Ah ok, I misunderstood you and I apologize for that. Since I don't use the keyboard for navigation, I can't and won't comment on whether or not GNOME is a good keyboard focused desktop environment or not. You think it's not good and I can accept that. :) I use a computer daily and all day long and I'm always using the mouse, unless I'm typing something. With regard to learning the navigation keyboard shortcuts, what you mentioned is *already* a lot to learn. lol Above I posted I use "Alt-Escape" or "Control-Escape" and both of those are wrong. I meant I use "Alt-Spacebar" to open the window context menu. See, even with that I got the shortcuts confused. Still, I know many like navigating with the keyboard and I have no problem with that at all. It's just not for me.

[@MrTomro]

one of the best Ubuntu-based distros imo, i just wish they would fix their buggy application store

[@zacharyhoughton3391]

That’s probably the only serious issue I’ve had with Pop!_OS so far. It really is a great distro outside of that. Installed on an old laptop and, you know, “it just works”. I’m really hoping they get the Pop! Shop smoothed out.

[@mobeen3522]

Pop shop is based on elementary os appcenter so it's not really system76 team's fault

[@johnwestervelt1525]

I loved the initial install. Beautiful! As further install and use evolved over the next few days, though, problems emerged. For instance, while installing my usual apps, and I tried it 3 times to try to get it resolved, suddenly the search function (both launcher icon and super key) went dead. Then icon spacing sudden spacing issues on the launcher, then bug pop-ups. I ended up having to cut off all thePOP!_os extensions to get the distro as a whole to function adequately, ie back to the usual Gnome. I hope they get the bug situation corrected. And I hope this is just me or my computer that's the problem. Because there's great potential!

[@TheCocoaDaddy]

Great video! I also like the fact you tried Pop!_OS without having any prior knowledge of how to use it. I really liked what I saw and will consider Pop!_OS as a possible replacement distro for Ubuntu on my mom's computer. Thanks for posting this!

[@lamebubblesflysohigh]

Tiling is the greatest feature you never knew you needed! IF you actually use your Pop for work, it is much more productive to have multiple tiled windows than old school window shuffle. I am so addicted to it I started using Vivaldi browser because it has its own tiling so now I can tile my browser tabs while having browser tiled next to my other stuff :D

[@analogidc1394]

Thanks OldTechBloke, I quite enjoyed this video. When it comes to using the Gnome desktop I'm not bothered by using it. Most likely because I've been using it for years and I know where everything is. I suppose that could be said for just about any OS or desktop. Cheers!

[@act.13.41]

I am an old KDE guy and no matter how hard I try, I just cannot Gnome. I tried POP a couple of weeks ago. I was impressed. One has to go to the website to install and configure Gnome, and that is a pain in the butt. However, POP looks great in its default form. Everything seemed to just work. Frankly, I could live with it.

[@omersayli]

Actually Gnome is much more easy to use when Dash-to-Panel extension is installed. I use both Gnome and KDE, both are good.

[@cantdance3077]

Same here but still a bit of a noob. I’ve tried Gnome several times but it rubs me the wrong way to have to add an extension or tweak tool to control the DE. Those functionalities are built-in to KDE.

[@marioschroers7318]

Happy New year Year, sir! Apart from learning a bit more about Linux, being a non-native speaker of English, listening to your authentic British accent is a pure delight. Do you have it open-sourced so I can fork it (aka adapt it a bit)? 😃 Shine on!

[@bippaasama]

Also, with Gnome extensions (provided you don't update Gnome often since an update can cause them to break) you can change the layout to anything you want really. You can even have a Windows-like taskbar and start menu with no top bar. Extensions can be a bit clunky and don't always play well with each other but they can really make Gnome a lot more useful if for some reason you're stuck with it.

[@AssociateMinisterReserveDeacon]

¢a😅

[@uMalice]

Excellent review. I agree with your take. I think I could learn to use and possibly eventually like the PopOS gnome config. I will have to keep my eye on this distro. thx!

[@RobBoudreau]

Like you Steve I'm pretty set in my ways. I've read quite a few good reports about PopOS, but never really bothered to look myself, so this was really interesting to me. I agree, I think they have a lot of good ideas, certainly a lot more flexibility than Gnome. Will be real interesting when they get their Rust-built desktop out, see what they changed, what they kept, etc. Heck, just the fact of it being built on Rust will generate a lot more curiosity I'll wager. And I believe another OTB look...

[@OldTechBloke]

The rust DE is what prompted me to take a look Rob. Like eznix I think it would be good if they also moved to a Debian base and shed the Ubuntu dependencies

[@RetosSpace]

R.I.P OTB Steve!!!!

[@merlin-ju6fu]

Oh man, I wanted to see OTB go into Steam and see what games might interest him. :)

[@OldTechBloke]

Now that would have been a rare sight 😀

[@merlin-ju6fu]

@@OldTechBloke Do you have an interest in computer games ? I was born in 1964, and now seek out classics like Galaga and Defender. Also, I thought you were going to check against the Linus POP_OS experience. :) But you canceled the update download ...

[@ialrakis5173]

Tested POP OS some years ago and quite liked it. Probably what I'll install when I buy another 'power desktop'

[@antoniostorcke]

Preach. Snaps are finished. Flatpak reigns supreme.

[@mcsorens2680]

I installed Pop OS to my hardware today and it's running great so far. I decided to give it a try after watching the video and give Gnome a try. I have never used Gnome.

[@fernandojsantos09]

I used to run gnome desktop because, at least for me, the most stable and good designed environment, but after popOs, no other desktop environment is a good match between design and usability

[@alanbatt]

well done Steve I enjoyed the review looks a good dstro

[@davidwayne9982]

I install VARIETY and ROTATE my wallpapers out of my OWN picture folders... :)

[@trueriver1950]

I am wondering if the app shop is curated? Or if there is a curated space therein? I personally would like a distro which offers both curated and wide-open ways of looking for apps. I don't especially mind if either or both are app stores or the more traditional UI, but the default or easier one should be curated so that you have to do more to take risks

[@Destide]

My Gnome assets are like a 19th century child hidden until requested

[@davidwayne9982]

Gnome tweaks works well with it too-- for installing theme stuff-- and all kinds of personalization.. :)

[@user-ui6jr1wn5x]

How did you make the tile in xfce or mate?

[@OldTechBloke]

Just take a look in the custom keyboard shortcuts in mate and on xfce change the window manager to i3

[@TheSulross]

thanks for that review - been using Ubuntu few years but am looking to switch and pop!_os is so far at the top of my candidate list, this review cemented that ranking

[@StrikerEureka85]

unpopular opinion: POP has the most polished DE of all distros. that's why I have it as my daily driver. i love tiling WMs as well and will be installing xmonad sometime in the near future. i haven't gotten around to doing it because I currently don't have the time to rice xmonad it to my liking.

[@neffscape6353]

It's curious how tastes can change overtime and I think you should give GNOME 4x another try. I loved GNOME 2 and I never liked GNOME 3x, but now with trackpad gestures and horizontal workspaces I actually prefere GNOME shell more than anything else, expecially on my laptop, where I can switch worskpaces and launch apps with swipes and gestures on the trackpad. The problem with GNOME is the attitude of its developers. They don't care about user feedback and are not providing options for people to customize their experience. This kind of attitude is what really turns me off when using GNOME. Cosmic was born because of this attitude.

[@OldTechBloke]

I agree and I’m looking forward to the rust version of cosmic

[@neffscape6353]

@@OldTechBloke I have to admit though, that manjaro spin of gnome 4x feels better than cosmic right now. You should try it :)

[@TrustJesusToday]

Six weeks into Linux and Pop! OS seems to be for me. I did try a handful of Ubuntu flavors with Budgie coming close to what I was looking for. Pop seems to be the DE that works for me. I'm looking forward to the next release.

[@trueriver1950]

@OTB hi Steve: don't feel sledehammered by the half dozen or so minor points i have made in separate comments: overall this is a brilliant and even handed review and well worth my time

[@pgamebot]

So I’ve been using Linux for a while and I’m an advanced user. I thought why not switch to a “noob” distro to try out cosmic. Everyone sings praises of Pop! Boy was I disappointed, and I’m not sure everyone reviewing it is being honest. First, the cosmic/gnome was much more buggy than KDE, also much heavier. But what was unforgivable, after a clean install with multiple images and usb sticks, I found that the Pop! shop would freeze for minutes at a time. OS kept asking me to force quit them. Some research and this is a long time known issue. I would say for a new user it would have been a buggy frustrating mess and probably drives people away from Linux.

[@abhisek330]

What is the name of that "Super + /" launcher?

[@OldTechBloke]

It’s just the windows key and forward slash

[@donaldmickunas8552]

iHey OTB Great first look at POP OS Cosmic. I haven't checked out Pop in a few years. Though I am not a gnome fan, I was impressed with Pops' version of gnome. I too prefer a more minimal setup with bspwm. So, I'll stick to my Debian setup for the time being. I like Arch but all of those updates make me nervious. Eventually, something is going to break which is the nature of using a rolling release. I know Arch has remained stable to quite a while however, no guarantees. Anyway, I'm on older hardware and Debian has everything I really want and need so here I am. I like Cosmic a lot. I may download and play with Pop in a virtual machine but I don't think I'll switch. Anyway, I hope this finds you well and happy. Take care and Stay Healthy. 😀

[@davidwayne9982]

Doc says i'm not allowed PI!!!! :)

[@borkfork3163]

I used POPOS for a year but have moved back to Emmaubuntus, my favorite all time.

[@NarcolepticLTD]

I'm pretty impressed with Pop right out of the box (on their hardware) - but that's coming from a guy who never ran linux as a desktop... I did run FreeBSD for several years as a desktop in a work environment - but it's been 20 years since then - there wasn't such a thing as 'Just works' back then, and youtube wasn't a thing either lol. So coming from having to install the base OS from an ISO burned onto CDROM, then get X running and build up your WM with whatever you needed (you still had to recompile your kernal in those days if you even wanted sound), I'm easily impressed. Honestly felt like there was a magic spell being cast when I was able to just click twice and pair bluetooth devices, or even just plug in an external drive with no faffing about. ABSOLUTE WITCHCRAFT. When I have the time to really dork around with it I'll probably just swap over to a base wm and build out my own environment from scratch, but this desktop environment is pretty well polished.

[@SteeGrav]

I'm using it on an old HP Streambook (Celeron, 4 Gig RAM and 32 Gig storage) and it works fine. I have also installed it on an SD card for my pi4 b 8 Gig ram and it works even better!

[@donaldc3884]

Ive tried giving Gnome multiple chances to impress me. It just doesn't. Going to a Gnome desktop feels like returning to kindergarten. I just cant do it, I will stick to KDE. As long as you dont get too crazy customizing KDE you will be alright.

[@eckee]

Idk man, I’m using Manjaro Gnome. I haven’t tried so many distro and DE’s but Manjaro Gnome is my favorite. Pop OS was my first choice as it was recommended, it didn’t work on my nvidia card, tried open source, it did work bu it was very limited. Tried Ubuntu and one of its fork based on the new Gnome, they were limited. I was so hopeful about Fedora but it was limited too. Manjaro is just right with gazillion customisations and it’s extremely stable and everything works perfectly. Despite the fact that Gnome is its the least popular DE.

[@davidwayne9982]

i used Pop a Lot --- and you just found things I didn't know it would do--- and about half way through your video-- WHICH IS EXCELLENT by the way--- love your slow, deliberate style- that is so easy to understand--with NO FLUFF or muss!!! :) (oh- and studies are showing more and more people hate snaps.. and they are becoming more prone to PROBLEMS- whereas the flatpaks give you the LATEST version of something and seldom have issues) PART of your issues with any software is because of the stupid VIRTUAL BOX-- which persoanally I think should be done away with.. it's just ASKING for problems..

[@OldTechBloke]

Virtual box is fine for a quick look. It wouldn’t be practical to install everything on hardware

[@ekohendratno]

i hope global menus active by default for simple app menu GUI

[@trueriver1950]

5:55 while a significant amount of their distro relies on Ubuntu distros (even if it is a significant minority) I feel it is useful for them to keep their version numbers in line. The advantage is that, for as long as they don't have the resources to maintain everything, the user knows as a worst case how far out of date anything might be.

[@davidwayne9982]

I MUST AGREE-- 100%% if you're going to do gnome-- this IS the way it should be... I HATE gnome-- but I can tolerate on this-- lOVE Pop os.. It's one of the ones on my VENTOY..

[@Biotico]

If I didn't went the Arch way, Pop OS would probably be my choice...

[@davidwayne9982]

They are "RE-WRITING it in RUST--- to get away from that... so next version MAY BE totally gnome free... :) It makes it worth watching.. I'm also considering MX Linux-- the Fluxbox version - because i don't like having 40billion choices to have to make.. it's too much--(in the other version i mean- more for me to MESS UP)... :)

[@eznix]

Pop!_OS should shed the Ubuntu underpinnings. The Debian base is fine and does not force snaps down the throat. Canonical can switch the kernel to a snap package and alienate all the Ubuntu-based distros that try to remove snap. Btw, good video. I only wanted to see your video. I could not care less about Pop!_OS, or anything Ubuntu based. 🙂

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

A man after my bourbon! 😂 🍻 LLAP

[@OldTechBloke]

Thanks Eznix, like you pop isn’t a distro that I would personally use but the move to create their own DE prompted me to take a look. Agree that completely disentangling themselves from Ubuntu would be a good thing

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

@@OldTechBloke I do agree that disentangling themselves from Ubuntu is a good thing! That could be a reason to us it but that would be a experienced Linux user making that move for that reason.. :-) LLAP

[@shaunpatrick8345]

Pop solves the "problem" of the overview being full-screen, at a cost of making it less coherent, making search less versatile, preventing multiple applications being opened from the launcher, and preventing apps being opened into separate workspaces. But if you think about it, a full-screen overview was never a problem anyway, because you're not using any other part of the screen when you're doing the tasks the overview provides. If large launchers are a problem then Pop could be improved by making the application launcher as small as the search launcher.

[@happyfeet4506]

Fabulous that you have wondered off the path to give this distro a try & review. Brilliant video review. I'm not a fan of gnome at all but however I will admit this distro looks amazing. I'm now on the arch path I love pacman, pamac. The aur is brilliant and we now have the choice of yay or paru for the aur helper. Just a few, reasons that Linux kicks Windows into the dirt.

[@gergelyf.3757]

Nice but really slow boot time on HDD ... truly slow but why? Ubuntu booting 30s for me ,and popOS 1-2 minute same laptop same conf same everythink .. Windows 11 booting 10 sec so i don’t know what is this..

[@guilherme5094]

👍!

[@pijushgupta1988]

Is that a Royal Enfield interceptor?

[@OldTechBloke]

Yep

[@pijushgupta1988]

@@OldTechBloke Nice Sir, I have the classic 350 and pop os on my laptop. I use both daily, during coding and after writing code.

[@jesse7631]

I would love to use Pop OS, but there are two things keeping me back. First, the EFI boot partition has to be 400 MB. If you're dual-booting with Windows, you can't install Pop OS, because Windows only creates a 100 MB boot partition. Why does Pop OS need 400 MB? I don't know frrankly. It doesn't use all that space. Second reason is that you have to adjust settings to get it to recognize your Windows Boot Manager after installing it. All other Linux distributions find your Windows boot manager (if you have installed it correctly) and include it in the boot menu. Not Pop OS, though! Why? Again, I do not know.

[@OldTechBloke]

You could manually shrink your windows partition, create a second esp partition and then do custom partitioning. Not ideal but it is a work around

[@jesse7631]

@@OldTechBloke I have 3 SSDs in my machine; I don't need to shrink any partition. But growing the EFI partition is time-consuming and tricky.

[@davidwayne9982]

You can do live install-- just bypass the INSTALL screen and begin using it... I DID - worked great. Should have done 21.10 too-- it is so much smoother than 21.04-- snappier, smoother, and BETTER.. they did make a lot of improvements... not in the look so much as the UNDERNEATH and the performance!!!!

[@rollinas1]

Arch doesn't work properly on my new asus rog laptop, pop os - no problem.

[@Viral_Squad]

The Gnome Desktop as it Should Be is Fedora + 2 or 3 Ext !

[@errorsofmodernism7331]

I prefer vanilla-gnome-desktop to Pop Cosmic. Pop Cosmic looks (as you stated) too cartoony and the Gray on Black font looks fuzzy and dim with inadequate contrast for anyone over 40.

[@bippaasama]

If you're annoyed by light themes, it's not because you're elderly. There's been an awful trend with light themes in the past decade or so where they make them completely white and not off-white or grey. If you remember, Gnome 2's default theme wasn't blinding and neither was Windows XP/Vista/7's themes and they were all light themes. I don't get why every GUI designer does this, I honestly don't.

[@GrzegorzNyga]

I love vanilla gnome, so simple and elegant ux, amazing

[@trueriver1950]

4:30 to ppl asking "isn't PopOS just a reskinned Ubuntu" I would say that re-skinning can only go skin deep, and the differences are deeper than that, with divergent repos and active development that goes beyond merely forking -- the future plans for a Rusty Cosmic being just one example. So while that comment might have been fair early in PopOS history, they long since moved beyond rebadging and reskinning. If you still want to call PopOS Ubuntu nowadays then in my opinion you should actually call them both Debian because you can make a similar claim between Ubuntu and Debian...

[@christopherjames9843]

Mint Cinnamon is the best.

[@vadim_antihype]

Pop_OS using elementaryOS app center, it's not developed by Pop_OS team.

[@NormanF62]

This is just transitory. System76 is writing a new desktop in Rust. They want to break from GNOME completely and start afresh. In the meantime, the company will push the GNOME desktop to its limits.

[@trueriver1950]

12:59 touchpad or touchscreen

[@OldTechBloke]

I assumed touchpad

[@Adamy-69]

Just the colors are not beautifull, we would need more colors' customization !

[@trueriver1950]

1:12-1:18 I disagree with your view that there is no place for anti-discriminatory codes of conduct in software. People who are not old white blokes (like both thee and me are) are discouraged from taking part by cultural habits that we don't even notice because it's not us who are undermined by those habits. I support the introduction of codes of conduct regarding all the -isms in all areas of life where strangers interact. Free software is therefore the place par excellence where they are most needed because devs interact with people from all over the world. Whether Gnome goes "too far" is a different issue, but better to be over cautious than to inadvertently turn people away by not trying at all. Free software cannot live up to the name if we don't make everyone feel welcome.

[@OldTechBloke]

I’m afraid we will have to agree to disagree here

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

I only watched this video cause you made the video and not for the subject... :-) Sorry OTB, it just not interesting to me... Cheers OTB! LLAP

[@OldTechBloke]

I understand that Bruce. A one off for me

[@eznix]

@Bruce Scott - Same here. OTB is just that good! 🙂

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

@@eznix 🙂

[@BrucesWorldofStuff]

@@OldTechBloke 👍

[@Grant_S_M]

Oops. The word 'woke' is an insta-block.

[@Alex_Dumitrache]

I absolutely hate the way PopOS does Gnome. For me it's borderline unusable.

[@cecehedrick1253]

The Gnome’s COC is too woke comment 💀. So… OK Boomer

[@canaldoanubis6207]

Ugly distro

[@PHDWhom]

Yawn. This is not even remotely useful. Desktop icons need to exist.

[@PhayzinOut]

Speak for yourself. I use Debian Sid without desktop icons

[@PHDWhom]

@@PhayzinOut Oh, I am definitely speaking for myself. I absolutely need to have desktop icons, mostly due to ADHD, and the fact that I set my downloads directory to the desktop. My ideal system does away with the xdg-user-dirs thing and instead I make the desktop my main workspace. For me, if I do not have the work right in front of me, it’s simply gone. It’s the same reason why I cannot use digital note takers, as once the app is closed, I will forget. So I use pen and paper. But hey, we all find our own workflows and work accordingly.

[@shaunpatrick8345]

@@PHDWhom to use the desktop you need to minimise all other windows. If you set a keyboard shortcut to open the file manager in the Desktop folder then you can see your desktop files without having to disrupt your workflow. There's basically 2 options, and one is superior: have your workspace beneath your work, or open a workspace above your work.

[@dougtilaran3496]

@@PhayzinOut That makes 2 of us. Sid with Openbox. I have zero desire to have a comp that looks like a giant cell phone

[@PHDWhom]

@@shaunpatrick8345 this might be fine for you, but it simply does not work for me. I set my Downloads directory to the desktop, and my important files live there, sorted into folders named by myself, not developers who decided what my directory structure should be. I blame Gnome for this. I WANT A WORKING DESKTOP. Thus, I have moved away from Linux entirely and run FreeBSD.