Stop with the screenshot tours already
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| Author | Content |
|---|---|
| cmost Mar 13, 2013 11:37 AM EDT |
How many times do we have to be peppered with "articles" showing little more than some distro's vision of KDE, Gnome 3.x, Cinnamon, Gnome 2.x or MATE, or XFCE? For pity's sake, if someone didn't know they were viewing GhostBSD specifically, they wouldn't be able to tell if it were Red Hat or any number of other distros running the same DE. Give it a rest please. |
| tracyanne Mar 13, 2013 5:35 PM EDT |
I agree, I'm happy not to post Screenshot tours. The only problem I have is that sometimes a screenshot tour is the only information we have about some new or obscure distro. But yes as I've said before screenshot tours tell you nothing about the distro, except maybe what the logo looks like. We al know what the desktops look like. |
| BernardSwiss Mar 13, 2013 10:01 PM EDT |
Some people adsorb information more easily if it's visual, than if it's verbal (pictures vs. text). As well, many people care a lot more about aesthetics than precisely which versions of which applications and other software are included in the system. Ask Apple how important this can be (as long as the fundamental functionality can be relied upon, of course). I fall somewhere in between, myself -- usually I prefer the more thoughtful, detailed, comprehensive listing of features, default and repo'd applications, code versions, and such-like, but other times I like to see how it actually looks by default, and how the menus lay out the applications, whether I like the default taskbar, icons, button lay-out, etc (especially for distros I've never looked at before or in a long-ish while). The only real problem I have with "screenshot tours" is that sometimes they seem to crowd out the more extensive, in-depth reviews and meatier news stories. |
| djohnston Mar 14, 2013 1:04 AM EDT |
Quoting:The only real problem I have with "screenshot tours" is that sometimes they seem to crowd out the more extensive, in-depth reviews and meatier news stories. Exactly. They are done in lieu of a real review. "Look, ma! I installed this deestro and don't it have purty pictures? Now it's time to erase this un and replace it with another un. I only have time to install four differnt uns a day!" You get the gravy instead of the meat and potatoes. |
| mbaehrlxer Mar 15, 2013 7:44 PM EDT |
BernardSwiss: but which information can you find in screenshot tours that only show the same standard applications that everyone else has. if there is a desktop where you'd say "woha, that's different!" then it would certainly warrant a screenshot tour, but not for what cmost is describing. greetings, eMBee. |
| Fettoosh Mar 16, 2013 1:18 AM EDT |
Quoting:They are done in lieu of a real review. Actually, who needs screenshots when screen capture video would be a much better way to present a quick review of a new release? Screenshots should go the way of the dodo. |
| DrGeoffrey Mar 16, 2013 8:47 AM EDT |
Quoting:Actually, who needs screenshots when screen capture video Ack! Please no!!! We have enough youtube videos of people with their self-important grand vision of themselves demonstrating their stupidity, all to the sounds of their personally selected 'music'. What the 'ell ever happened to the quiet pleasure of reading? |
| mbaehrlxer Mar 16, 2013 10:13 AM EDT |
depends, just turn the sound off :-) |
| lqsh Mar 16, 2013 10:32 AM EDT |
I think there are a lot of Linux newbies that have to no idea where to start when having to choose between hundreds of distros. A directory of screenshots like this has value to them. |
| cmost Mar 16, 2013 10:47 AM EDT |
@ Iqsh To which I would respond: Never judge a book by its cover... While say PC-BSD and OpenSUSE both use KDE, they are two completely different animals. Now with news of Ubuntu switching to Mir; Gnome and KDE switching to Wayland and Mint sticking with good ol' X.org, major differences between distros will be impossible to discern from a screenshot tour... |
| Fettoosh Mar 16, 2013 11:07 AM EDT |
Quoting:Ack! Please no!!! ... What the 'ell ever happened to the quiet pleasure of reading? But a picture is worth a thousand words and a tastefully done video is worth a million screenshot pictures. :-) My point was in regards to how the screenshots are made and presented. One has to keep clicking to display the next, and some of them repaint the whole screen and so slow repeating much of the same ads contents. Why the heck they don't use AJAX to repaint individual screenshot, or use some sort of slideshow utility? In my opinion, a tastefully made video is still best. |
| DrGeoffrey Mar 16, 2013 6:22 PM EDT |
Quoting:tastefully made video "Aye, and if my Grandmother had wheels she'd be a wagon." |
| mbaehrlxer Mar 16, 2013 6:33 PM EDT |
lqsh: not if the screenshots all look the same because they just all show the same applications.
if you don't know anything about apples, do you think you can tell the difference between Golden Delicious and
Granny Smith from pictures? greetings, eMBee. |
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