I have installed Rocky 9 using the full DVD, and selecting “Workstation” as the role, but when I get to the GDM login screen, there’s no option to choose wayland vs xorg, and there’s no option to choose gnome classic session? The rpm package for gnome classic session was already installed by default.
You mean the stage, where you write your password?
Yes, in Rocky 8.6, just before you enter the password there’s a cog wheel where you can choose gnome classic (and xorg), but I don’t see any cog wheel (or anything else) in the GDM login screen for Rocky 9.x?
OK, it turns out that the cog wheel is now a tiny icon located in the bottom right hand corner of the GDM login screen, and the gnome classic option is there.
After four hours of working in “non classic” mode, I can’t understand how anyone can use it. I need many terminals and windows open at once, and be able to quickly bring them up from the task bar, as opposed to having to press the “super” key and then have to choose them from a jumble in the middle of the screen.
Yes, bottom right rather than close to the password textbox.
I’ve explicitly excluded the gnome-classic-session package from installation since CentOS 7 (where it did appear). We just operate differently.
Most people use extensions such as window list, dash to dock, app indicator and the like to make gnome shell more to their taste.
Ps. There is even a fun one called “Burn My Windows” which reminds me of the old compiz days. The developers description:
“When I released the Desktop Cube Extension for GNOME, many people requested to revive one of the most useless features of Linux desktop history: Setting windows on fire! This extension is not only more useless than the cube, but it is also much more hacky. So I expect some bug! [Let’s incinerate them all!”
With Cnome classic on Rocky 8 and 9, the extensions are automatic.
On Rocky 9, there is a control panel in Accessories called “Extensions”. I only use the ones in the official Rocky repos.