Intro to the Gnome Flashback desktop
Signs of Life
© Lead Image © Barmaliejus, fotolia.com
If you struggle with the appearance and behavior of the Gnome desktop, the classic features of fallback mode offer an alternative in a familiar style. Lamented by many as dead and gone, Gnome 3 fallback is still alive and kicking in Gnome Flashback.
In spring 2011, Gnome 3.0 launched with a new design approach that threw many well-known features overboard and caused bitter opposition. As a concession to long-time fans of the classic desktop, the developers ported its basic components to GTK 3, provided them as an alternative to Gnome Shell, and called it "fallback mode."
Just two years later, in Gnome 3.8, the project replaced fallback mode with "Classic Mode," which comes as a customized Gnome Shell requiring 3D-capable hardware. The modular structure of session management, the notification system, the window manager, and an application level were thus officially laid to rest.
Little impressed by the regular Gnome and its new workflow, a small team led by Latvian developer Alberts Muktupavels soon convened to keep the previous Gnome alive as Gnome Flashback [1]. However, neither users nor developers took notice of it, so the legend was substantially restricted to bug fixes.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Related content
-
Gnome 2.16
The changes in Gnome 2.16 are more than cosmetic: the current release sees a leaner and faster version of the desktop.
-
First Look at Gnome 3
The new Gnome desktop offers a simpler work environment – once you become accustomed to the new navigation tools.
-
Gnome 2.10
The new Gnome desktop adds a variety of applications and applets. Under the hood, Gnome 2.10 is more robust.
-
A taste of tiling with X-Tile
-
Sabayon and Pessulus
Gnome version 2.14 includes new features for restricting the user’s access to the system. The Pessulus lockdown editor and the Sabayon profile editor help manage the Gnome user experience.
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
Danish Ministry of Digital Affairs Transitions to Linux
Another major organization has decided to kick Microsoft Windows and Office to the curb in favor of Linux.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.
-
Go-Based Botnet Attacking IoT Devices
Using an SSH credential brute-force attack, the Go-based PumaBot is exploiting IoT devices everywhere.
-
Plasma 6.5 Promises Better Memory Optimization
With the stable Plasma 6.4 on the horizon, KDE has a few new tricks up its sleeve for Plasma 6.5.
-
KaOS 2025.05 Officially Qt5 Free
If you're a fan of independent Linux distributions, the team behind KaOS is proud to announce the latest iteration that includes kernel 6.14 and KDE's Plasma 6.3.5.