Edited by shaba at 2019-9-7 04:09

For a Beautiful and Functional Linux !?
This post was originally posted in Portuguese (Brazil) at September 06th in https://plus.diolinux.com.br/t/por-um-linux-bonito-e-funcional/9010
This post in Portuguese (Brazil) was published in the "Deepin Brazil" Facebook and Telegram groups.
All the references are in Portuguese (Brazil).

I have been using GNU/Linux since 1998. Since then I have been testing and experimenting with some distributions and various window managers looking for something that is both beautiful and functional.

When I say beautiful, I mean a visually polished system with well-designed icons and a coherent systemic visual pattern where the sum of the details makes all the difference.

When I say functional, I mean a well-automated and visually well-designed system, with system functions and applications that optimize my work and productivity.

Nowadays I also value lightness and simplicity, so that, a lean system that requires little hardware resources and is intuitive based on the maxim “less is more”. In addition to lean, I also think it's important that a system has fewer options and buttons available by default, with the possibility of sophistication and customization for anyone who wants it.

I also appreciate well-standardized systems, whereas I believe diversity and freedom are essential to the expansion of creativity and innovation. Considering that the GNU/Linux Universe is a sea of ​​diversity, even though there are some attempts at standardization, I still don't think it's good enough.

One of the lessons I learned from using GNU/Linux was that the systems most commonly used, especially by end users, tend to be the least problem, as there is more feedback and bug reports from the user community. So, even if I have some technical knowledge, I prefer not to have to waste my time looking for solutions to solve problems. That was one of the reasons why I stopped using Debian and started using Ubuntu years ago.

Returning to the concept of a beautiful system, considering that I am very demanding about the visual presentation of a system, I have appreciated the visual innovations presented by the ElementaryOS and Deepin distributions. I've tried both distributions and after a while I ended up returning to Ubuntu, because both distributions have a very low refresh rate, especially Deepin, thus impairing the functionality of the system and consequently the performance and efficiency of my job.

Do you know when you are visiting a client and that feature doesn't work? So, this generates another negative point for the reputation of GNU/Linux and especially for me.

In short, between a beautiful and functional system, I need to prioritize a functional system to ensure my efficiency and productivity.

Ubuntu (default), with Gnome Desktop, is currently a pretty beautiful and functional system. At the same time, I've been following the development of Deepin and Qt (Deepin Desktop Environment DDE development framework)


and I realize there's a lot of potential in Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE). So I decided to pay more attention to Deepin.

Deepin claims to be a robust (“rock-stable”) system for using Debian as its base, but it loses security due to the low system update rate. In addition, it also loses productivity to end users who need more up-to-date applications. So I see Deepin as paradoxical if the focus of the organization (Wuhan Deepin Technology Co., Ltd.) is end users.

Looking for a system that is prettier and more functional than Ubuntu, I sought to install more up-to-date Deepin applications via Ubuntu APP (with alternative personalizations), flatpak and snap, but I found functionality and especially visual issues, so that, applications not aligned with the default system. Also, I found some problems (bugs) in Deepin that I haven't normally encountered in Ubuntu.

So I decided to do some research and find some solutions that combine the potential of Deepin (beautiful) with Ubuntu (functional).

In this sense, I found Ana Carolina's post


in which Dionatan Simioni made a specific video about


I find Ana and Dionatan's comments very pertinent and I agree with most of them. We need more designers in the GNU / Linux world. Beauty is not everything and at the same time is key.

Also, I did some testing running Deepin Desktop Environment (DDE) on Ubuntu through the available repositories


and I had to spend a lot of time correcting the system to make it look minimally acceptable. This discourages me a lot when I think I will need to do this periodically with each reinstallation of the system. Also, the DDE PPA is very outdated (!). As of the date I am making this post, the last update to the PPA was 70 weeks ago (almost 18 months or almost 1 ½ years!).

For those interested in performing the same tests, I've put together some helpful links below.


Since Deepin's PPA is so outdated (!), I thought about getting the most up-to-date DDE packages directly from source, ie from the official Deepin repository.


and install them on Ubuntu, but that would take considerable work to identify and organize all files, check compatibility between systems and minimize breaking dependencies between .DEB packages.

It would be great if Deepin's own organization (Wuhan Deepin Technology Co., Ltd.) kept an updated DDE PPA in real time. I believe this would bring even more users to Deepin and would streamline the DDE development process. Another good possibility would be if Deepin were to use Ubuntu as its base again (as it was in the past).

While these possibilities don't happen, and considering that I don't want to wait for them, then I think it's best to start thinking of alternatives as I continue to use Ubuntu (default).

I could start realizing any of the possibilities I mentioned, but nowadays I don't have as a priority keeping (up to date) some distribution and/or repository. I am doing many other things and I need to optimize my time.

If anyone is interested in maintaining an up-to-date DDE PPA and/or creating an Ubuntu Deepin (Dubuntu !?) distribution, I can help with team building and organization to create these initiatives, as I work professionally with team design and self-management, processes and projects.

So, are you reading this text interested and available? If not, would you have other ideas, proposals and / or alternatives on how to make a beautiful and functional GNU/Linux possible?

IF Answer = True THEN Comment. :wink:
(If your answer is positive, then comment)

Let's Dream together.
One day we got there.
Cause "Dream that we Dream together is reality." :smiley: :vulcan_salute: