Bug#613491: removal of gdm was a huge mistake

reopen 613491
thanks

i only noticed a few days ago when i built a new debian desktop system
that gdm is no longer available, in favour of gdm3.

gdm3 is NOT an adequate replacement for gdm. useful features that are
readily apparent and easily configurable in gdm are either missing
completely or hidden in gdm3.

compare, for instance, the configuration options in the
System->Administration->Login Window dialog for gdm vs the nearly
useless equivalent dialog for gdm3.

even figuring out something simple, like how to disable the
privacy-infringing & security-reducing user list(*) on the
login screen is beyond the average user that the cretinous
over-simplification trend of gnome "improvements" is supposed
to cater for. How many of them are going to figure out that
you need to edit /etc/gdm3/greeter.gconf-defaults and add
"/apps/gdm/simple-greeter/disable_user_list true"?

(*) the fact that Apple does it with Mac OS X and Microsoft does it
with Windows does not make it a good idea or worthy of copying as the
default. it takes away one of the things (the username) that someone
needs to know in order to compromise an account on the system, so
two-factor auth is now reduced to one-factor.


and more complicated options like setting a timed or automatic login
(useful e.g. for setting up an "appliance" like a mythtv frontend, to
have it auto-login to the mythtv user) will be essentially impossible
for the avg user.

and HTF do you change the background image and "theme" for the login
screen? i can't figure it out, nor do i want to have to spend hours
hunting for a hint in the woefully incomplete and generally abysmal
quality gnome documentation.

all of these options and more are easily available and *OBVIOUS* in the
old gdm Login Window preferences dialog. and completely missing from the
gdm3 dialog. WTF?

upgrades are supposed to bring *improvements*, not massive regressions.


OK, the actual issues here are Gnome's fault but prematurely removing
gdm from debian is debian's fault.

(and yes, i am annoyed...but my annoyance is with the Gnome devs who
seem determined to take what WAS shaping up to be a good desktop
environment and turning it into a steaming turd. debian can and should
be making more of an effort to insulate users from dumb upstream
decisions)

craig

craig sanders <cas@taz.net.au>



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