Help! I cant live without my bottom panel anymore

[fixles]

Hi,

I started using Gnome 3 and loved it but its just no good at multitasking. Finding windows in the top left corner thing is impossible when you have a lot of windows open. I need my bottom panel back.

I've installed frippery bottom panel but wow does it look bad! And I've tried gnome-fallback but again it looks terrible and all my icons appear huge.

I dont mind gnome 3 if i can just have a bottom panel with my windows their or using fallback if it can be made to look reasonable.

Anyone have a solution? Think I might have to look at some alternative WM's in the meantime.

[Gareth Jones]

There are various other options on https://extensions.gnome.org. Search for things like "panel" or "window list". This one caught my eye as the most promising, but there are others: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/25/window-list/.

Failing that, there are extensions to add a permanently-visible dash/dock, or third-party docks like AWN/Docky/CairoDock etc. The other option is to try Cinnamon, which is Mint's fork of GNOME Shell with a more traditional interface, but keeping some of Shell's features. I'm not sure whether it keeps the bits you like mind.

[DBelton]

I used CairoDock with Gnome 3 shell for awhile, and it worked pretty good. But I don't use either one anymore, so don't know how the newer versions work together. I had issues when I tried Docky, but don't know if they fixed them by now or not.

I just switched over to using Xfce instead of Gnome, and my productivity was back to where it was with Gnome 2 in about 5 minutes. After a year of Gnome 3, productivity was still way lower than with Gnome 2.

[Doug G]

I just switched over to using Xfce instead of Gnome, and my productivity was back to where it was with Gnome 2 in about 5 minutes. After a year of Gnome 3, productivity was still way lower than with Gnome 2.

I did exactly the same conversion and have no plans to ever visit gnome again. I leave gnome out of new system installs now.

My only wish is that xfce would default the taskbar panel on the bottom of the screen, and the popup panel on top

[MauserM98]

Originally Posted by fixles

I need my bottom panel back.

Its there when you use KDE.
Easy switch. Just : yum groupinstall "KDE Software Compilation"
I went away from Gnome. And I do NOT regret.

[fixles]

Originally Posted by Gareth Jones

There are various other options on https://extensions.gnome.org. Search for things like "panel" or "window list". This one caught my eye as the most promising, but there are others: https://extensions.gnome.org/extension/25/window-list/.

Failing that, there are extensions to add a permanently-visible dash/dock, or third-party docks like AWN/Docky/CairoDock etc. The other option is to try Cinnamon, which is Mint's fork of GNOME Shell with a more traditional interface, but keeping some of Shell's features. I'm not sure whether it keeps the bits you like mind.

Aha! Cinnamon! I didnt even think to look for it in Fedora. After 3 weeks of hell with ubuntu it never occured to me. Thanks Cinnamon was just what I was looking for.

Its a shame I do love the look of Gnome 3 and for the most part the functionality. I only installed the screen brightness extension. The only place it falls down is when your trying to work quickly using a lot of windows.

Thanks again!

---------- Post added at 12:29 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:27 AM ----------

Originally Posted by MauserM98

Its there when you use KDE.
Easy switch. Just : yum groupinstall "KDE Software Compilation"
I went away from Gnome. And I do NOT regret.

Thanks, KDE was what I was thinking after trying LXDE and XFCE but someone suggested cinnamon. Its really nice, clean loads of options and looks good.

---------- Post added at 01:02 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:29 AM ----------

Originally Posted by DBelton

I used CairoDock with Gnome 3 shell for awhile, and it worked pretty good. But I don't use either one anymore, so don't know how the newer versions work together. I had issues when I tried Docky, but don't know if they fixed them by now or not.

I just switched over to using Xfce instead of Gnome, and my productivity was back to where it was with Gnome 2 in about 5 minutes. After a year of Gnome 3, productivity was still way lower than with Gnome 2.

Thanks I tried XFCE and LXDE but Cinnamon wins by a nose the menu and looks. Gnome 3 has some great features the alt tab and the hot corners but I've concluded any desktop manager for serious productivity needs a good visable window switcher panel on the screen.

[george_toolan]

Don't despair, the missing bottom panel is here https://extensions.gnome.org/extensi...panel-docklet/

Just configure this shell extension in "panel" mode ;-)