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lilbambiOct 25, 2010
There goes compatibility with older hardware under their default UI, but very much needed for newer hardware to compete.
lilrabbit129Oct 25, 2010
A lot of the comments on the article itself is very negative. This is usual when any big change is announced. That being said, I'm not sure if I've ever actually used Unity so I can't weigh in on the subject.
Subjectively, sometimes a change is good to shake up the community and get people thinking .. differently, no pun intended.
sirpoongaOct 25, 2010
Exactly. Reading the comments it seems like there are linux users that don't know that there are distributions other than Ubuntu. This is the whole reason there are so many distributions, there is no way to make a single distribution that satisfies everyone. Thank you open source for allowing multiple distributions.
I can understand Ubuntu's decision. If they want to make linux a desktop OS they need to make it easier to use. GNOME isn't going to give them that. right now I don't consider linux a desktop OS. It is a computer enthusiast OS or server OS, but it is nowhere near user friendly enough that anyone can use it. Some of the GNOME tools are confusing. Some tasks there are no GUI tools - have to use command line.
If a change like this bothers you then the best thing is to start is a more stripped down linux and add what you want. In college on my PC I installed Debian because at that time it was the stripped down linux. However, I would suggest RedHat to friends that wanted to get into linux since it was easier to use until someone gets use to linux. I still have the RedHat 4.2 floppies laying around somewhere.
atomic1fireOct 25, 2010
Jolicloud was pretty usable on My laptop,
Most of the big linux stuff (package manager+most of the programs) was tucked away, and it had a directory where you could add native and web apps, right from the desktop. there were some driver issues, but my laptop wasn't supported, so that's understandable.
namcoOct 26, 2010
I'm stumbling through learning on Fedora 13 running KDE. I like KDE much better than Gnome. The other few times I tried out Linux on Gnome, I usually hated the interface and eventually wiped it. RPM makes it easy to install packages and get into the OS more.
elderonOct 25, 2010
I commend what they are trying to do, I know the few previews I read about gnome shell were mostly pretty bad. Boards were full of people very negative about Gnome moving to this new gnome shell instead of continuing on it's path of gradual updates.
I'm not sure if making yet another desktop environment is a good thing. What do they expect to offer that KDE or GNOME (when it's back up to snuff with gnome shell) can't? I mean in the spirit of linux and open source I wish them the best of luck and people like options, but from a technical standpoint, what do they want to accomplish? Why not help the other groups or work on a unified theme or something?
Just seems like they threw out the car and are trying to reinvent the wheel again, though I suppose sometimes that is necessary. As for compatibility with older systems you should know that you can pick and change the desktop anytime you wish so it's a non issue really. There are also many other distros tailored towards the aging computer section.
I'll keep my eye on it either way. Canonical (as Ubuntu) is a huge name now in the linux community. probably more so than redhat now at least in the non enterprise area. or at least I hear the name more. So I figure it's not wise to just discount this idea out of hand until I see where it leads =)
DallasWOct 25, 2010
The title is bulls**t , It's just the shell. Ubuntu isn't "Moving Away" from gnome.
dusanmalOct 25, 2010
Change is good but some basic usability standards need to be kept. Trying Unity will convince most that it is not (yet?) applicable to general population. It is good for simplified machines aimed to simplified tasks and hence very good option to have for users. Definitely not worth "default desktop" status - most of Linux/Ubuntu is not used on Netbooks and such. Second problem is worse: interface intended/designed for simple/netbook-like usage which requires 3D support in hardware... Sorry, but they have aimed way too far to the future. Better yet, they drank too much S.Jobs juice...
atomic1fireOct 25, 2010
I think they need to focus on touchscreen devices.
Team up with a major electronics maker, and then use unity (plus compiz perhaps) to design for it.
The dock looks perfect as a easy way to access programs on a touchscreen, just saying.
virtualspectre8Oct 25, 2010
This will be awesome!!!!
Compiz + Unity Dektop Edition (not Netbook edition for those of you that think it will be the same UI) will rock!!!!
For the record, Ubuntu IS NOT MOVING AWAY FROM GNOME!!!!
peterbyeOct 25, 2010
Anything that takes de Icaza out of the picture has to be great news. Won't be long before Gnome becomes dependant on Mono.
n0loginOct 25, 2010
I think we're looking into this a bit much. It sounds to me that they are just planning on using Unity for certain hardware, which they are already doing.
350zedOct 25, 2010
What Ubuntu needs is a real, solid niche that's got a wide market in which it offers clear differentiation and superiority.
It's becoming too much of an "also-ran", and it's lagging MS and Apple with only marginal improvements with each release. It needs to become something that stands out in a specific market segment.
Maybe I'm just waiting for Google OS. *shudder*
mikedothOct 26, 2010
If you want to see Linux on the average users desktops then you need a big name to push it. Most people want what the next guy is using, and to know if something breaks or they get stuck that it's not hard to track down the fix. They want to go to the store and buy popular programs off the shelf. Google is probably the only one able to pull it off.
Closed AccountOct 26, 2010
Yay now we can have 3 GUIs to fight over!