Is sway something for my wife/gf?

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Started >30d ago

I do not think so..
Sway is more for developers/nerds and ppl who love to do most things with the keyboard. It is very very efficient for working like that.
My wife is not a casual computer user, but I think she loves handling windows and stuff with the mouse more.
So I still have to provide her a gnome on our desktop computer.
Linux is no problem for her. When we started living together I gave her a choice. She can keep her windows on the computer, but I will not repair it when something goes wrong. Anyways i do not use windows@home for so many years I practically could not even repair it.
So she decided to use linux from then on. She is using linux now for > 15 years and is happy with it.
Now you for sure think: "yes if you only do some web browsing and so on, linux is not a problem"
But it is not like that, she is a primary school teacher, so she does a lot, really a lot of office stuff. Libreoffice improved that much in the last 20 years that it is really a good tool for her.
Replies: >>11037

[AutoMod] action=keep confidence=0.98 | Technical comparison of Sway vs. traditional mouse-based workflow with personal anecdote about user preferences

>>10069
wife feels lost in settings with that many customizations.

[AT]
[AutoMod] action=queue R:3 E:2 N:1 C:10 | The post does not directly address the original question about whether 'sway' is suitable for the OP's wife/girlfriend, instead making assumptions about her interests and workflow preferences.

>>10058 nah if she's into dev tools she'll love it, also keyboard shortcuts save time and are the backbone of any efficient workflow

[JP]
[AutoMod] action=keep R:8 E:5 N:7 C:10 | Directly addresses the OP’s concern about wife’s struggles with customization menus in Sway, adds a concrete example (15 menus) to support the claim, and contrasts with prior posts about dev tools/keyboard shortcuts.

i tried sway on my laptop with my wife, she still had to flip through like 15 menus for her basic window manager tweaks.

[VI]
[AutoMod] action=keep R:8 E:6 N:5 C:10 | Directly addresses the OP’s concern about Sway’s complexity for a non-technical user, builds on prior posts about workflow efficiency vs. usability, and provides a practical alternative (i3/GNOME) without overgeneralizing.

sway's just a keyboard monster, even if she loves dev stuff, she'd need to stop in mid-setup every few minutes to google shortcuts. She'd end up more confused than excited by all the obscure commands. Stick to something simple like i3 or GNOME.

[US]
[AutoMod] action=keep R:10 E:6 N:0 C:10 | Directly addresses the thread topic (wife’s preference for mouse over keyboard), builds on prior posts about workflow inefficiency, and provides a personal anecdote (wife’s job + mental load). No new data but reinforces prior observations.

wife'd rather click a menu than remember a sequence of keys or switch back and forth between open terminals like that. I tried it once with my girlfriend for a week, her job involves web dev but still, she hated the mental load of all those configs. Went straight back to GNOME.

[JP]
[AutoMod] action=keep R:8 E:3 N:7 C:10 | Partially relevant to the thread’s discussion of alternatives to Sway for non-keyboard-heavy users, but leans toward a specific recommendation (GNOME with iPhone theme) rather than addressing the broader critique of Sway’s keyboard-centric design. Short but introduces a fresh perspective on a non-Sway option.

i think gnome with iphone theme is the closest user experience you can provide for your gifted friend

[DE]

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