The main problem with gnome 3 is users are feeling in foreign land. It is much improved desktop with radical changes. Even Linus Torvalds also feels like bad to use gnome 3. Then to this scenario gnome shell extensions came into picture. They add a new way to tweak gnome shell. Also gnome tweak tool helped user a lot to change various functionalities of gnome shell.
Now Gnome open an easy use website to manage gnome shell extensions. Also the Linux Mint team started making extensions those make gnome shell looks and feels like gnome 2. The Mint GNOME Shell Extensions (MGSE) is a great step but their functionality is pretty limited.
What is Cinnamon
Cinnamon is a Linux desktop which provides advanced innovative features and a traditional user experience. The desktop layout is similar to Gnome 2. The underlying technology is forked from Gnome Shell.
Features of Cinnamon
GNOME2-like notifications and systray icons, option to change the panel position and other panel options like autohide, etc. Some of the features are already in Gnome Shell through extensions but their configuration is limited.
Get Cinnamon
The code is on github. Just fork it and install it. The Cinnamon code can be downloaded via Github. Cinnamon is in it’s early development stages so expect to find bugs and missing features!
Related articles
- In Depth: What’s the best Linux desktop environment? (techradar.com)
- Developers Suggest Ubuntu Spin Using ‘Gnome-Shell by Default’ (omgubuntu.co.uk)
- Linux Mint 12 to Blend GNOMEs 2 & 3 (linux.slashdot.org)
- GNOME Shell Extensions Site Enters Alpha; One Ups Unity? (omgubuntu.co.uk)
