Intro to the vast range of customizability available on Linux <https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-5-most-customizable-linux-desktop-environments-when-you-want-it-your-way/>.
At the top of the list is KDE Plasma (of course). But you may be
surprised that GNOME makes it onto the list at all, albeit barely
squeezing it at number 5:

The only reason GNOME makes the list is because of GNOME Shell
Extensions. Without the extensions, there's very little
customization to be made with GNOME.

In answer to the question asked in the subhead: “What makes Linux the
most flexible operating system on the planet?”, the answer is “modularity”. Unlike other common platforms, the GUI is not baked into
the OS kernel -- it is a separate, modular layer. Being modular, it is replaceable, with a whole range of options. And of course, you can
remove it altogether, and run without a GUI at all if you want.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Wed, 14 May 2025 23:41:31 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D'Oliveiro wrote:

The only reason GNOME makes the list is because of GNOME Shell
Extensions. Without the extensions, there's very little
customization to be made with GNOME.

Earlier I red a discussion of whether moving to Ubuntu 25.04 from the LTS
24.04 was a good idea. An argument against was shell extensions have a way
of not working in the off year releases.

I'm running 24.10 and may go to 25.04 since it is available again. It was blocked for a while because of problems with some systems. No big thing
for me. LookingGlass only shows 4 extensions that must be default
installs. I'm positive I didn't install the tiling extension since I hate tiling.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2025-05-14, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

Intro to the vast range of customizability available on Linux
<https://www.zdnet.com/article/the-5-most-customizable-linux-desktop-environments-when-you-want-it-your-way/>.
At the top of the list is KDE Plasma (of course). But you may be
surprised that GNOME makes it onto the list at all, albeit barely
squeezing it at number 5:

The only reason GNOME makes the list is because of GNOME Shell
Extensions. Without the extensions, there's very little
customization to be made with GNOME.

In answer to the question asked in the subhead: “What makes Linux the
most flexible operating system on the planet?”, the answer is “modularity”. Unlike other common platforms, the GUI is not baked into the OS kernel -- it is a separate, modular layer. Being modular, it is replaceable, with a whole range of options. And of course, you can
remove it altogether, and run without a GUI at all if you want.

It seems a bit of a fluff article, perhaps slop like, but KDE Plasma is
pretty configurable. I haven't heard much about Enlightenment, only
having used it briefly in the 2000s and once again, briefly in the
2010s.

While its not a Desktop Environment, I find FVWM one of the most
configurable graphical environments I've come across. It may not be THE
most configurable, but the power and ability to shape it is unlike
anything else I've seen. It would be more appropriate to call it a
tookbox to build your own DE/Window Manager. You can configure the
modules, the keybinding, create new functions, create new menus, the
very buttons in the top of the window, the title bar, its location. You
can build your own modules, which isn't something I've done much, but
does allow you to extend the Window Manager. If you can think it, you
are likely to be able to do it.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

W dniu 15.05.2025 o 01:41, Lawrence D'Oliveiro pisze:

Unlike other common platforms, the GUI is not baked into
the OS kernel -- it is a separate, modular layer.

No "common platforms" but M$ Windows. Jabłoko MacOS and Linux are Unix
like systems and have such separation. Sony PlayStation consoles are
based on FreeBSD so they are also Unix like. The same is true for
Android. Any other operating systems are unpopular these days.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Thu, 15 May 2025 15:04:51 +0200, 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 wrote:

W dniu 15.05.2025 o 01:41, Lawrence D'Oliveiro pisze:

Unlike other common platforms, the GUI is not baked into the OS kernel
-- it is a separate, modular layer.

No "common platforms" but M$ Windows. Jabłoko MacOS and Linux are Unix
like systems and have such separation. Sony PlayStation consoles are
based on FreeBSD so they are also Unix like. The same is true for
Android.

Android is based on a Linux kernel and is sufficiently modular that you
can run a regular-style Linux distro on it.

MacOS does not have the GUI separation any more. It is “Unix” in trademark only, not in the way you expect a “Unix” system to work.

I doubt the PlayStation can even be classed as “Unix”.

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote at 22:53 this Thursday (GMT):

On Thu, 15 May 2025 15:04:51 +0200, 🇵🇱Jacek Marcin Jaworski🇵🇱 wrote:

W dniu 15.05.2025 o 01:41, Lawrence D'Oliveiro pisze:

Unlike other common platforms, the GUI is not baked into the OS kernel
-- it is a separate, modular layer.

No "common platforms" but M$ Windows. Jabłoko MacOS and Linux are Unix
like systems and have such separation. Sony PlayStation consoles are
based on FreeBSD so they are also Unix like. The same is true for
Android.

Android is based on a Linux kernel and is sufficiently modular that you
can run a regular-style Linux distro on it.

MacOS does not have the GUI separation any more. It is “Unix” in trademark
only, not in the way you expect a “Unix” system to work.

I doubt the PlayStation can even be classed as “Unix”.

I know the PS2, at least, had the native ability to run Linux.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Fri, 16 May 2025 13:00:09 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07 wrote:

I know the PS2, at least, had the native ability to run Linux.

Sony soon removed that. Remember there was a big lawsuit over the issue?

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On 2025-05-16, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

On Fri, 16 May 2025 13:00:09 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07 wrote:

I know the PS2, at least, had the native ability to run Linux.

Sony soon removed that. Remember there was a big lawsuit over the issue?

Then there was the CD rootkit issue. They were nasty people.

--
/~\ Charlie Gibbs | Growth for the sake of
\ / <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> | growth is the ideology
X I'm really at ac.dekanfrus | of the cancer cell.
/ \ if you read it the right way. | -- Edward Abbey

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Sat, 17 May 2025 16:55:39 GMT, Charlie Gibbs wrote:

On 2025-05-16, Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

Sony soon removed that. Remember there was a big lawsuit over the
issue?

Then there was the CD rootkit issue. They were nasty people.

Yeah, but all this happened *after* they invented the Walkman ...

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Lawrence D'Oliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote at 23:26 this Friday (GMT):

On Fri, 16 May 2025 13:00:09 -0000 (UTC), candycanearter07 wrote:

I know the PS2, at least, had the native ability to run Linux.

Sony soon removed that. Remember there was a big lawsuit over the issue?

Yeah, that's how I heard about it.
--
user <candycane> is generated from /dev/urandom

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)