Here I give you my use case. My job is highly dependent on terminal operation. Therefore, I set my favorite terminal application to auto-start after the desktop is launched so that I could work immediately after I enter Gnome. But now I have to use super key or enter key to focus on it before working. One more key keystroke, much inconvenience.
Would you please suggest me a solution that don’t need install extensions?
why? … because i wanted to be greeted by my desktop wallpaper 
please add the option to disable this.
… and some do use some task bars extensions like DtD, DtP or BaBar (advertising) (this one working with GS 40 :-p ) that make the overview almost useless.
Ok, I agree that’s not nice-looking (but handy anyway).
I think I’ve found simpler and it avoids this show-hide bad visual.
Could anyone here replace the Extension class in no-overview@fthx/extensions.js by this one and test?
class Extension {
constructor() {
Main.sessionMode.hasOverview = false;
}
enable() {
}
disable() {
}
}
@fmuellner does setting Main.sessionMode.hasOverview = false has downsides I did not see? Thanks!
I’ll add to recover the value after disabling, if it’s ok yet.
It depends. It does what it says on the tin, that is, it disables the overview altogether. For the users who are only asking for not logging into the overview, that’s quite a downside.
Then you are lucky and the hasOverview change happens after the session-updated handler that updates the overview.
Try after locking the screen …
Well, after resuming from lock, it does not block the overview either…
I must say I did test that before posting the test-code here
Ah right, I see why that is working. Still, that’s very much incidental, so you don’t get to complain if something breaks in a future update.
One thing I see that will be broken are the super+number shortcuts to activate a dash icon (until the screen is locked, which should reset hasOverview to the “correct” value again)
Ok, let’s try this. For users, the legacy code still is commented out in extension.js. I’ll revert this new version if it turns to show hidden side effects bugs. Florian, I included a timeout to restore hasOverview to true, to avoid keeping this fake value to false.
This is the safest and most correct version I can think of off-hand:
class Extension {
constructor() {
this._realHasOverview = Main.sessionMode.hasOverview;
}
enable() {
if (!Main.layoutManager._startingUp)
return;
Main.sessionMode.hasOverview = false;
Main.layoutManager.connect('startup-complete',
() => (Main.sessionMode.hasOverview = this._realHasOverview));
}
disable() {
Main.sessionMode.hasOverview = this._realHasOverview;
}
}
It doesn’t do anything when enabled inside the session (rather than during startup), and resets the session mode value to the original after the startup animation (instead of after an arbitrary timeout).
Ok thanks!
https://extensions.gnome.org/review/24054
I tested this and did not have any issue nor message in logs. The hasOverview value is restored. So, let’s go for it.
Do you know a way to know if gnome is cold starting vs back from sleep vs back from screen-lock?
No really.
From an extension, Main.layoutManager._startingUp can be used to determine whether it is enabled before any user interaction is possible (that is, as part of the session startup).
Assuming a logind system, LoginManager's prepare-for-sleep signal has an aboutToSuspend parameter that indicates whether the computer is going to (true) or coming back from sleep (false).
But there’s not really a way to differentiate from an extension whether it is enabled explicitly by the user (installing via the website, toggling in Extensions/Tweaks) or automatically by gnome-shell on unlock.
Thank you for the extension and collaboration on proper implementation of it. My thought process behind {topic} is not technical, it’s psychological. When I log in, I want a brief moment of peace to sip my coffee. see my background, take a deep breath, then decide when I want to take that first action for work for the day. I don’t need my OS telling me when I log in that “You must do something immediately!”.
I don’t usually use Activities to launch programs, I use keyboard shortcuts (at least for the most common apps like browser and terminal). Therefore the forced Activities mode on launch is an annoyance for me. It’s a bit like that spurious clock screen (“shield”) that Gnome shows on each wakeup: Not a big inconvenience, but it kind of reminds me every day that I’m using a desktop environment that I can’t configure properly. I use Gnome because it’s the default, it’s well supported, and quite customizable. I like Gnome, I really do. But Linux users love freedom. Please, guys, would it really hurt so much to add a few more settings?
I usually press “win” key and then search for an app to start. Starting gnome in overview mode brakes down this habit.
I vote for a setting to start Gnome with empty desktop and not in overview mode.
The default to overview is a great annoyance to me personally.
I have applications I always want to have open start on login automatically and launch other apps via keyboard shortcuts only. I neither use the dock nor the application menu.
This forced start in overview forces me to press the super key once after every login to be able to interact with applications which already are launched and waiting.
Okay, time to close this topic, since it’s just a bunch of irrelevant “me too” and “I’ve seen a desktop once listen to me” posts, and people have clearly stopped reading.