MEET THE NEW GNOME

The latest version of the Gnome desktop impresses with improved interoperability; seamless drag and drop; the lean Tracker search engine, which integrates with the file manager; and automatic codec installation in the media player [1]. The developers also have added new features and removed annoying bugs from many key components.

In the past, critics said that the Gnome desktop component architecture is too complex. The architecture, dubbed “Bonobo,” has been regarded as obsolete since Gnome 2.18. The panel and Evolution are the only black sheep left that rely on the technology, and this is likely to change next year at the latest. Most applications, including the Epiphany browser and gedit, come with their own plugin infrastructure that nicely fills the gap left behind by the ditched component architecture.