GNOME Fallback Mode Returns in GNOME 3.8

Well, well, well... what do you know, after all the fuss about the GNOME Fallback mode being removed from the upcoming GNOME 3.8 desktop environment, it looks like the GNOME developers decided to implement a similar mode for all you GNOME 2 nostalgics out there.

Yes, come an get the good news, as the GNOME 3.8 desktop environment will have support a GNOME 2.x style desktop, but it won’t be called GNOME Fallback or GNOME Classic.

Alex Diavatis from WorldofGNOME had a chitchat with Debarshi Ray, a GNOME d eveloper, who said “After a bit of to and fro (back and forth), we decided that we will expose the fallback mode replacement as a separate session. So, when the user tries to log in via GDM they will see two options for GNOME — the vanilla GNOME and the fallback mode replacement.”

“We have not yet decided what to call these two modes. The current consensus is that ‘Classic’ is a bad name because it does not clearly convey any meaning, so I am trying to avoid using it so that it does not stick in people’s minds.”

So, who will it work? Basically, just like good ol’ times, as a separate session, selectable from the GNOME Display Manager (GDM) or any other login manager you have installed on your GNOME 3-based operating system.

The not yet named GNOME 2-like session will have the following modifications: some form of an application menu, a task bar or a window switcher, an alternate ALT+ Tab functionality, and minimize and maximize buttons by default.

The App-Menu extension for GNOME Classic 3.8 - Image courtesy of WorldofGNOME

GNOME 3.8 will arrive on March 28, 2013, and it will incorporate lots of interesting features, among which we can mention Python 3 porting, color tinting and focus-caret tracking in GNOME Shell, port GNOME Shell to use XI2, support for ownCloud, and much more.

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