For starters, throw away all your conceptions about desktops.  They no longer apply.

Also remember that I am reviewing a highly experimental piece of software.  It may look unwieldy but that’s because it has no customization options yet (or at least, no GUI).

And lastly, remember that because there is a whole new paradigm introduced here it may seem that GNOME Shell’s whole concept is flawed.  However, after playing with it I can safely say that I can’t wait for it to arrive and believe it will increase my productivity.

So what am I talking about?  This (click for full view).

GNOME Shell with Google Chrome in foreground

“this” is the GNOME Shell, the next-gen graphical interface that will ship with most Linuxes when GNOME 3 is released (slated for 2010.  In terms of Ubuntu releases, this will hopefully make 10.04 or 10.10).  There is the standard panel at the top (which is much less spartan than most people’s Panels) and a unique sidebar with four sections:  the top with the chevrons (>>) expands the whole sidebar and pins it.  The second (should but currently doesn’t) expands to show you just the time (though time is also in the Panel).  The third (again should but doesn’t) expands to show you launchers (for Windows users, Launchers are like application shortcuts but instead of pointing to an application file give the OS a command and some specifics about it – a display name, comments, and changeable icon).  The fourth *does* expand and shows you recently opened documents (which I’ve never found particularly useful but in a business setting I imagine could be invaluable).

This is promising, and this is what I see it looking like when Shell is completed:  When you have an application full screen, it expands from side to side (currently, as in the screenshot, the sidebar’s tabs push the window over showing an unsightly sliver of desktop).  When you hover over the side (hopefully your left as it is now because the other side is occupied by a scroll bar) the sidebar’s tabs slide on to the screen without displacing the application as in the screenshot.  They are also mostly transparent.  Upon mousing over, they have full opacity.  You can then use the tabs to launch applications, use recent documents, check RSS feeds, your email, or any number of widgets for the sidebar.  This is just how I see it and I’m not on the GNOME design team, but this would be cool.  Hint. Hint.

There is no bottom panel or dock of any kind – which I would peg as a first for a graphical operating system (at least among the popular window managers – on Windows and OS X as well as the default GNOME and KDE setups (again, with most/all of these you can make it so that there is no bottom panel or dock but it’s not default)).  There is no application switcher:  get used to using ALT-TAB.  This makes more sense in a bit.

One thing that surprised me in the panel was the Activities button.  In the default GNOME setup, there are three menu buttons:  Applications, Places, System.  No more.  Upon rolling over the Activities button, you get this (click for full view):

This is the new application and desktop management window in Shell

You see that Places is still there, on the side, and you have easy-access launchers.  To look at more apps, just click Browse besides Applications and that will give you a full list.  Now, I don’t particularly like this.  I want to have my preferences and system administrator tools set apart from my day-to-day stuff.  However, the Search dialogue (which is *not* activated when you click on it – just start typing) acts kind of like one of my favourite Linux apps – GNOME Do.  GNOME do lets you preform any number of operations without going through menus (usually launching an app just by starting to type its name).  I see the “search” function as the same kind of thing.

The multiple desktops are interesting too.  While they’ve been standard fare in Linux for years, this lets you just add them at will (note:  as of right now you can’t subtract a desktop, so don’t clog up your screen!).  You can move apps from desktop to desktop with ease.  I see this and ALT-TAB replacing a task switcher like a dock or a GNOME/Windows/KDE-style one.  Unlike with a compiz-enabled GNOME desktop you can’t drag apps from desktop to desktop, but you can still easily switch them with CTRL-ALT-Arrow.  When you’re in the Activities screen I’d personally ask for the ability to set a meta-wallpaper (different from the default) where it’s in the background instead of just black behind the desktops.

Verdict:  It’s definitely in development.  While I want a more customizable panel and customization in general, I’m sure that’ll come in later releases of Shell.  This is a very unpolished release – it’s slower than the GNOME desktop and there are so many things you can’t do that I won’t even name them.  However, I’m sure they will be repaired.

As for the future of Shell, I’m eagerly anticipating the 10.x Series of Ubuntu when this will be implemented.  It shows tonnes of promise and I can’t wait until it’s stable enough for me to switch over to full-time.

Want to try it for yourself?  The GNOME project offers up a non-destructive way to try GNOME Shell here:

http://live.gnome.org/GnomeShell

What are your thoughts?  Duke it out in the comments.  Remember that in GNOME3 hopefully this awesome mockup will land on our laptops to complement the great ideas in the Shell.

By the way, the site is back to looking normal.  Sorry for the inconvenience!