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Right now I don't like what Unity will bring to the desktop but I'm willing to see what happens in the next six months.I have been using Ubuntu for about 3 or 4 years but I have no qualms switching to another distro if this little experiment doesn't work.
I think if handled wrong, this could be the very worst decision Mark Shuttleworth has made for the future of Ubuntu.
Ubuntu is struggling to attract Windows users, marketing, as you note in another post, is one of the reasons. The other reason is 'fear of the unknown'. People strongly resisted the move from XP to Vista, and are still resiting the move from XP to Windows 7. Much of this is because Microsoft keeps moving things around: users get used to finding a Control Panel item in a specific place, for example, and get frustrated when they can't find it. So they stick to what they know.
Forcing people to use the new Unity desktop will increase the already high resistance to moving to a new OS. Gnome is reasonably similar to Windows XP, so its easy for people to find their way around. KDE less so. Unity, forget it.
So what I fervently hope happens is that the installer of 11.04 gives the user a choice of which Desktop to install. By default it will install Gnome. If you _choose_ Unity, which I suspect a lot of more technical people will ... then that's something that you have to consciously select. However I'm pretty sure that there isn't enough room on the install CD for both desktops.
Personally, I don't mind Gnome, so if they don't give me the choice, I know its easy enough to switch back to it. But the problem is the less technical users, and first-timers, won't know this. And these are the ones Ubuntu has to convince.
Ubuntu is struggling to attract Windows users, marketing, as you note in another post, is one of the reasons. The other reason is 'fear of the unknown'. People strongly resisted the move from XP to Vista, and are still resiting the move from XP to Windows 7. Much of this is because Microsoft keeps moving things around: users get used to finding a Control Panel item in a specific place, for example, and get frustrated when they can't find it. So they stick to what they know.
Forcing people to use the new Unity desktop will increase the already high resistance to moving to a new OS. Gnome is reasonably similar to Windows XP, so its easy for people to find their way around. KDE less so. Unity, forget it.
So what I fervently hope happens is that the installer of 11.04 gives the user a choice of which Desktop to install. By default it will install Gnome. If you _choose_ Unity, which I suspect a lot of more technical people will ... then that's something that you have to consciously select. However I'm pretty sure that there isn't enough room on the install CD for both desktops.
Personally, I don't mind Gnome, so if they don't give me the choice, I know its easy enough to switch back to it. But the problem is the less technical users, and first-timers, won't know this. And these are the ones Ubuntu has to convince.
Please note that "Figure A" is NOT Unity! It is the Ubuntu-Netbook-Remix. You may want to correct the post. Also, it would be nice to show a screenshot of Unity.
A small one:
How I uninstall everything now?!?
Thanks
How I uninstall everything now?!?
Thanks
Probably kills Ubuntu for me, and I've only played with Linux on and off, albeit for about 6 years.
Last point is the most important point. The ability of linux users to configure their desktop. So far i am not a big fan of unity. Let's see what they will offer in 6 months
I have seen Unity on 10.10, and don't care for it. It's a good example of the shiny-object ("glitz sells") principle as applied to apes of various stripes, in this case, humans.
I climbed on the Ubuntu bandwagon for three primary reasons: 1) security, 2) simplicity (which translates into productivity), and 3) reliability (ditto). I don't see how Unity enhances any of these. I *do* see how it would damage my clients' personal productivity, however -- apes play with shiny objects.
Unity is a major shift in the desktop paradigm, and upgrading users are going to go bat-**** when they see it for the first time. Ergo, it's a deal-breaker for the enterprise. Watch support costs rise as users need re-education.
A savvy developer would offer a choice of desktops for Ubuntu 11, with Gnome 3 and KDE at the top of the list and Unity as a third-place option. If the install defaults to Unity -- well, I can hear the user shrieks already.
Ergo, if version 11 offers no easy way to install with Gnome 3 as the default -- or worse, defaults to Unity -- I will be recommending another distro.
This intro will tell us a lot about Shuttleworth's common sense. Sure, give us a way to try out your iteration of Unity, but don't stick us with it willy-nilly. You've offered Ubuntu and Kbuntu; now it may be time for U-Ubuntu.
I climbed on the Ubuntu bandwagon for three primary reasons: 1) security, 2) simplicity (which translates into productivity), and 3) reliability (ditto). I don't see how Unity enhances any of these. I *do* see how it would damage my clients' personal productivity, however -- apes play with shiny objects.
Unity is a major shift in the desktop paradigm, and upgrading users are going to go bat-**** when they see it for the first time. Ergo, it's a deal-breaker for the enterprise. Watch support costs rise as users need re-education.
A savvy developer would offer a choice of desktops for Ubuntu 11, with Gnome 3 and KDE at the top of the list and Unity as a third-place option. If the install defaults to Unity -- well, I can hear the user shrieks already.
Ergo, if version 11 offers no easy way to install with Gnome 3 as the default -- or worse, defaults to Unity -- I will be recommending another distro.
This intro will tell us a lot about Shuttleworth's common sense. Sure, give us a way to try out your iteration of Unity, but don't stick us with it willy-nilly. You've offered Ubuntu and Kbuntu; now it may be time for U-Ubuntu.
I have tried touch screens and find them a good alternative on a PAD format, but very inconvenient in the desktop setting. Using a screen-based keyboard slows me down to a crawl and can be very frustrating. The idea of reaching across my desk to the screen for any input in my daily work isn't anything I'd relish. If Ubuntu's forthcoming installation requires that I install an interface like Unity, then I'll definitely move on to another Linux distribution, although I've been an Ubuntu user for some years. Mr. Shuttleworth apparently has his eye on the blooming PAD market. I use an Apple iPAD as well, so I'm writing from some experience with the interface.
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