[email protected] - downgrade

[Jopp-gh]

I didn't expect somebody would change cinnamon's fully functional yet useful workspace-switcher applet and downgrade great features with useless modifications:

1. the first workspace is always highlighted with a gray background tone, even if I'm in other workspaces. Must be an oversight, a bug.
2. Next, the current workspace has to use Mint's accent color to be obvious and an immediate eye-catcher. Removing the accent color from workspaces is a big mistake.
3. Finally, what's that tiny OSD thingy with these little dots? Nobody sees this panel because workspace switching happens in a sec, so superfluous. The worst of this OSD is, it replaces the old way to display obvious, big letter workspace names on the middle of the screen on workspace switch! In sorry to say, but such ui elements look like wasted time for me and destroy obvious features. Please bring back the old OSD! this minimalistic OSD hurts older people.

I really don't understand these decisions, there are great books of design principles around. Basic principles are also described by Bruno Munari - what design is.

I'm just wondering how somebody can find any fault in a simple applet like the workspace applet. The "new" workspace applet is not obvious, not easy to read and in comparison with mint 21.x clearly a downgrade.

[claudiux]

1. If your first workspace is always highlighted by a gray background, perhaps it's because it contains an open window (even a reduced one)?
2. This accent color has not been removed. I don't encounter this “bug”.
3. Small dots? How many workspaces do you have? Does this applet have enough space to be displayed?

[JosephMcc]

You should be able to edit what you wrote. It's all hard to follow right now as you seem to talking about two different things. The applet and the workspace OSD (not OEM) are two very different things. It's not very clear at all what you are talking about. I will say, if you don't like the new workspace OSD, it's unlikely to change.

[claudiux]

Ah OK, that was about the OSD. The OSD doesn't depend on the [email protected] applet.

[claudiux]

@Jopp-gh You can configure the applet so that its display type is “simple buttons”.

[Jopp-gh]

@JosephMcc
You're right, my Auto correction modified OSD to OEM (I meant the workflow settings overlay popup and not some installer options)

[Jopp-gh]

@claudiux my preferred option has always been "simple buttons". Because it's just a small applet, I don't need more details.

If you can, could you please post a screenshot how the workspace-switcher applet looks on your machine (with multiple workspaces) if you use already Xia?

[claudiux]

@Jopp-gh
I have 4 workspaces.

This is screenshot with: worspace 1 active (Firefox open), workspace 3 containing a nemo window, workspaces 2 and 4 being empty.

This is the OSD switching to workspace 2:

N.B. I'm using Xia with these extensions: smart-panel@mohammad-sn and DesktopCube@yare. Theme: Mint-Y-Dark-Sand.

[Jopp-gh]

Checked, all the color variations of Mint-L dark restore the highlight colour to the workspace switcher applet.

The problem with dark Mint-L themes is these dark themes aren't up to date: you get white pop-ups, menus. Example, Just right-click on the panel (where we keep applications, applets, etc).
When I set dark themes, I want a coherent dark theme everywhere and not a random mix of white and dark. A mix looks not just bad but its simply wrong.
Mint-L isn't an acceptable workaround, since popups and menus (eventually also windows) are even bigger visual blocks than a highlight feature on an applet.

I always used Mint-y because it's CSS rules are the most complete/up to date, coherent and not because of my taste.

I'm puzzled why shades of gray (Mint-Y) should be more functional and obvious than an accent color (Mint-L), so in my opinion saying that applet colors are theme dependent stands not very well on its own (by all respect, of course).

[claudiux]

Copy the theme you want from /usr/share/themes/ into ~/.themes/.
In ~/.themes/, rename it "Custom".

In Cinnamon Settings -> Themes (advanced) select Custom for Desktop.

Edit ~/.themes/Custom/cinnamon/cinnamon.css. Search about "workspace". Modify what you want.
Save this file, then reload your theme restarting Cinnamon or using the last version of the Xsession applet: https://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/applets/view/362

[cplittlfield]

Ah. Guess I'd better find a course on CSS, then.

[claudiux]

The joy of learning a little more each day!

[Jopp-gh]

OK, it shouldn't be too hard to compare mint-y and mint-l.

Since my workspace OSD is off, how to re-add tall workspace names in the middle of the screen?
CSS should be able to do this too.

I've no problems with CSS, but Mint doesn't ship tools to edit themes conveniently. I guess apps like GTK-inspector or similar are developer tools.

[cplittlfield]

The worst of this OSD is, it replaces the old way to display obvious, big letter workspace names on the middle of the screen on workspace switch! In sorry to say, but such ui elements look like wasted time for me and destroy obvious features. Please bring back the old OSD! this minimalistic OSD hurts older people.

As an "older people," I can support this. It took me quite a while to notice that there is that little, unobvious button at the bottom of the screen on switching workplaces. I liked the older way better.

I have trouble spotting menus and user dialogues in the currently-fashionable minimalist design. Borderless dropdowns and dialogues that are the exact same colour as the main window are my nemeses.

[claudiux]

Try using this extension, which is customizable: https://cinnamon-spices.linuxmint.com/extensions/view/93

EDIT: It doesn't concern workspace switcher, sorry.

[JosephMcc]

Xia removed the workspace name on workspace switch

Do people even try things before making these kinds of comments? The OSD shows the workspace name. It's just at the bottom of the screen instead of in the middle.

[Jopp-gh]

@JosephMcc

What I really wrote:

Xia removed the workspace name on workspace switch, (...) and have, sorry to say, zero use for the new OSD.

Design is an useful invention , accessible to anyone, anytime, obvious, simple, without "decorations"

The new osd is:too small, out of sight, minimalistic. I said it already in this thread.
And this is the context, why I want the old code back.

[JosephMcc]

You literally wrote "Xia removed the workspace name on workspace switch" which is patently false. The old one was a box with text in it. The new one is a box with text in it and an indicator of which workspace you are on. So obviously not more minimalistic. It really couldn't be. The theme has complete control over the colors, shape, and size. So a theme could make this much bigger and stand out more if it chose to. It just doesn't in Cinnamon's default theme. The theme also has some control over where it's placed. It could push it further up on screen.

[Jopp-gh]

The new OSD replaced the old way to display workspace NAME switch.

Since the changes are day and night and the new osd didn't improve on the old old way in terms of clarity and other design choices, I used "removed" to emphasize this abrupt change. Fine, if this change is, from as technical view, only a stylistical change.

If so, would you be so kind to share the CSS code to modify the new OSD to look again like the old one?
This would solve the problem of our thread. Thanks

[cplittlfield]

The old one was a box with text in it. The new one is a box with text in it and an indicator of which workspace you are on. So obviously not more minimalistic.

All I know is that using the Mint-X theme before and after, the "box with text in it" used to appear in the middle of the screen and the text was satisfyingly large (the box was also invisible, which was nice). I liked that. By contrast, the new "box with text in it" appears at the bottom of the screen, and the text is much smaller and much less noticeable. So the theme is quite obviously not controlling how the workspace name/number gets displayed.

Now, I understand that the new way is ever so much more modern, stylish, and fashionable, but the old way was much more helpful to my old eyes. To imply that the two styles are equivalent is disingenuous, I'm sorry, The new small and unobtrusive notification is actually quite a bit more minimalistic than the large text notification that used to appear in the middle of the screen.

And by the way, the new notification box doesn't stay on the screen long enough for me to focus on the dots and count them. Fortunately it does last just about long enough for my old eyes to focus on the text, even though it's now quite a bit smaller than formerly. Another 1/4 of a second would be helpful, though.

Take my advice and don't get old. It sucks.