Popularity of Unity

[troymius]

Is there any poll that would measure how was Unity received? How many users like it and how many went back to Gnome or even switched to Xubuntu etc?

[dFlyer]

Don't know of a poll, but I've been using Unity since beta 1 and come to like it, while I wait for gnome3 in 11.10. I've found Unity fairly stable for a young desktop environment. From what I've read in this forum some people have had major problem, but I'm not one of them.

[Basher101]

I also like Unity alot, i tried Fedora 15 today to check out gnome 3, but it did not even want to load..the KDE version loaded fine...my onboard graphics suck <.<

[Tamlynmac]

You might want to post this in the Cafe. As it's not a support thread. Just ask the staff to move it for you - report button.

Good Luck finding neutral polls that reflect the actual number of users who made the decision and their final choice. Especially, polls that don't have an agenda.

[IWantFroyo]

I have nothing against Unity. It is a pleasant DE that saves screen space. Sadly, I can't use it, because my main computer doesn't have enough kick. I use Unity on other computers (the ones that aren't using Lucid.

[LowSky]

Another Unity thread?

[troymius]

Good Luck finding neutral polls that reflect the actual number of users who made the decision and their final choice. Especially, polls that don't have an agenda.

I am sure that the Ubuntu team has ways of monitoring it and that they are doing so closely. Did they publish? I can't find anything.

[sammiev]

Test both and post your findings to your solution. :) Unity or Gnome?

[troymius]

Another Unity thread?

I am looking for data, not love/hate stories.

[troymius]

Test both and post your findings to your solution. :) Unity or Gnome?

Sammiev, there is a ton of these tests out there, mostly done by experienced users or even developers. But they don't tell me where is the user base going.

[Copper Bezel]

I am sure that the Ubuntu team has ways of monitoring it and that they are doing so closely.
They do not. They have a rough idea of how many people might be using any particular version of Ubuntu from site traffic, and that's the extent of it. There's no way they could possibly monitor what percentage of users use the default shell except via questionnaire or something to that effect.

Polls here at UF have been consistently a more or less even split. There are several hovering around.

Incidentally, please keep the terminology straight. Unity isn't a DE. It's a shell, like Gnome Panel, and it's a part of Ubuntu's blend of the Gnome desktop environment.

[Khakilang]

Unity is fine and had its potential. But I switch to Gnome classic for now.

[thewolfman]

I found it to be a long way to get to a shortcut, things that put me off were:

cannot add to panel
left hand docky thingy can quickly become overcrowded
having to search (more or less) for the apps I use

In terms of it being fast and stable; yes it's fine but I still choose to boot to "Ubuntu Classic".

Have a good one chaps & chapettes.

Regards thewolfman:p

[Linux_junkie]

I created a poll of Gnome users a month after the official release of Unity.

199419

Its in OpenOffice Calc format

[Brushstroke]

I think Unity is, for such an early release, relatively stable and works well enough even though it needs A LOT of work. I just hate it. I think it's completely unintuitive and makes navigating the desktop unnecessarily complicated.

Using Gnome 2 on 10.04.3 right now until I switch to Gnome 3 once 11.10 comes out. :)

[Frogs Hair]

I like Unity for the same reason I liked to use docks on earlier versions , I rarely have to Touch a menu . Placing the system settings icon on my dock or the Unity launcher eliminates the the need for the system and administration menu for me.

[Linuxratty]

I am looking for data, not love/hate stories.

Right here:

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1695432

[dh04000]

As a scientist, we know that polls are inherently flawed and poor judges of information.

[Morbius1]

Is there any poll that would measure how was Unity received? How many users like it and how many went back to Gnome or even switched to Xubuntu etc?
Yes there is:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1744368

[Smilax]

i have used ubuntu since 8.04.

unfortunately, because of unity i've now left.

can't speak for other's, and they can't speak for me.

i found it totally unusable for my purpose.

think it's about the drive to create devices to 'consume content' which has been kicked of by the iphone and his mates. which of course, may be a good thing for mainstream adoption.

now i use fedora and xfce.

all i can say is.

it rocks.:guitar:

[Ric_NYC]

i have used ubuntu since 8.04.

unfortunately, because of unity i've now left.

can't speak for other's, and they can't speak for me.

i found it totally unusable for my purpose.

think it's about the drive to create devices to 'consume content' which has been kicked of by the iphone and his mates. which of course, may be a good thing for mainstream adoption.

now i use fedora and xfce.

all i can say is.

it rocks.:guitar:



You are not alone.

[Morbius1]

This is more a side question to the 2 previous posters but what advantages are there between Fedora+XFCE and Xubuntu?

EDIT: Didn't word that properly. I meant Fedora+XFCE vs Xubuntu.

[hakermania]

Why to leave 11.04 while it has the classic option?

[XubuRoxMySox]

Going to a whole 'nother distro just because of a DE seems rather extreme.

It's so easy to change to any other DE or WM that if it were me I would choose a few mouseclicks to change it rather than install a whole 'nother distro. Talk about overkill just to change a DE!

I'm afraid I just can't conjure up alot of sympathy for folks who "left Ubuntu" in a huff because they didn't like the default wallpaper or DE or browser or whatever.

Dang, just change what you don't like! Ubuntu makes that easy! A heckuvalot easier than learning a whole 'nother distro!

-Robin
(signing my post because:


My name isn't "dixiedancer," and

to tweak some folks who complained about me signing my posts, lol)

[Smilax]

This is more a side question to the 2 previous posters but what advantages are there between Fedora+XFCE and Xubuntu?

EDIT: Didn't word that properly. I meant Fedora+XFCE vs Xubuntu.


hi, don't really know as i've never used xubuntu.

i've tried other distros before and i think thats a fun thing to do.

after i tried some of the builds of unity over a year ago, i decided to look around some more. tried debian but that wasn't for me. then tried fedora which i liked. but again i don't like gnome 3 either.

so now i decided to use fedora + xfce.

i'm sure i could get xfce + buntu runing (i think thats xubuntu, right?) but hey, why not have a look around anyway.

i'm sure some people thought that those who left windows because they didn't like vista where in overkill huff mode. right ;)

and that's it, the reason right there,

i didn't like unity.

so i didn't use it.

i like xfce.

so i do use it.

[XubuRoxMySox]

i'm sure i could get xfce + buntu runing (i think thats xubuntu, right?)...

Minimal Ubuntu + xubuntu-desktop = Xubuntu. Default applications, settings, etc.

Minimal Ubuntu + Xfce = just minimal Ubuntu with the vanilla Xfce desktop, but would not include Xubu's default applications and settings and artwork and stuff.


...I'm sure some people thought that those who left windows because they didn't like vista where in overkill huff mode. right ;)

You prob'ly got me there. In my case it wasn't so, since I tried abuncha stuff to "fix" Windows before I finally "left in a huff." Overkill? Maybe so. But cost-free and alot simpler for this non-technical kid than "fixing Windows."


I didn't like unity.

So I didn't use it.

I like Xfce.

So I do use it.

Great! I'm just say'n that you didn't have to switch to a whole 'nother distro (unless you just wanted to do something totally different, and that's fine too, I'd distro-hop alot more if I had the time and a spare 'puter to test drive stuff on) when a simple


sudo apt-get uninstall ubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

would have sufficed.

-Robin
(tweak!)

[cgroza]

sudo apt-get uninstall ubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktopwould have sufficed.
Since when apt-get has an uninstall operation?

[Smilax]

Minimal Ubuntu + xubuntu-desktop = Xubuntu. Default applications, settings, etc.

Minimal Ubuntu + Xfce = just minimal Ubuntu with the vanilla Xfce desktop, but would not include Xubu's default applications and settings and artwork and stuff.





ah, i see. that makes sense.






Great! I'm just say'n that you didn't have to switch to a whole 'nother distro (unless you just wanted to do something totally different, and that's fine too, I'd distro-hop alot more if I had the time and a spare 'puter to test drive stuff on) when a simple


sudo apt-get uninstall ubuntu-desktop
sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktopwould have sufficed.

-Robin
(tweak!)



yea, that's going to be a lot easier. but also i allways seem to go the fresh install route so i'm allways reinstalling anyway's. i like how it kinda cleans everything out evey ~6months or so. and i do like customising the desktop. which is something i didn't like with unity.
i tried out
ubuntu + unity, fedora + gnome shell both on live cd when the release versions came out. i think i'll downlod a xbuntu live cd to check it out.

[XubuRoxMySox]

Yessir! A fresh install is always the best way to go!

I haven't tried Fedora, but I have tried several other Xfce distros, from Phoenix (PCLinuxOS' Xfce variant) to Salix, Crunchbang, Mint 9 Xfce, and Debian Xfce (net-install).

People used to say that Xubuntu was bloated, but omygosh! Phoenix had alot alotalotalota more extra junk in it (about a year ago I guess) than Xubuntu ever dreamed of having!

Salix looks awesome and it was my first taste of Slackware, very cool. Just didn't care for the package management and it was kinda hesitant on my hardware.

Debian took sooooo long to finally get the way I wanted, and still had all kindsa hardware issues, and their forums sucked. They don't like kids.

Mint 9 Xfce was awesome. Fantastic mixture and not polluted with PulseAudio like it's parent distro. Highly recommended. Now that the Xfce edition has changed to a Debian base, I decided to try...

drum roll now....

[RABID FANBOI] the bestest, wonderfulest, most awesomeest distro in the history of evvvaaaar! Xubuntu!![/RABID FANBOI]

The only one of the above besides Mint 9 Xfce that really "just worked" on my old hand-me-down 'puter, with a smart choice of default applications and rock-solid stability (10.04 LTS - I only use the LTS releases).

Now I'm a -- rabid Xubu fanboi. Pitiful, I know, and it's not my religion, just my favorite OS...

...[RABID FANBOI]because it's wicked awesomness on steroids!![/RABID FANBOI]

I'll have to try Fedora Xfce when I get a spare 'puter to test it on though. Heard alot of good stuff about it!

-Robin

[Smilax]

... for this non-technical kid ....


-Robin
(tweak!)




... I have tried several other Xfce distros, from Phoenix (PCLinuxOS' Xfce variant) to Salix, Crunchbang, Mint 9 Xfce, and Debian Xfce (net-install)....


-Robin



your funny!:KS

[beew]

So there are some xubuntu users here. I would like to 1) know how to stop unmounted partitions from showing up on the desktop (I have hard drive installed with 4 or 5 OSes so whenever I boot into Xubuntu the whole desktop is cluttered with icons of partitions even though none are mounted!) 2) How to edit the application menu to hide or show application launchers? (I.e is there anything like the "Main Menu" in gnome?) The only way I know of to hide items would be to actually get rid of the desktop files but that is not "hiding", it is removing. Thanks.

Xubuntu is light and fast,--it feels light too,-- except I find it quite annoying for little things like the ones described above mostly related to poor usability of thunar (and there are more but can't think of them now) and it is also very ugly out of the box (fixed that in 11.04 by installing Ubuntu themes, Compiz and emerald)

[XubuRoxMySox]

So there are some xubuntu users here. I would like to 1) know how to stop unmounted partitions from showing up on the desktop (I have hard drive installed with 4 or 5 OSes so whenever I boot into Xubuntu the whole desktop is cluttered with icons of partitions even though none are mounted!)

I dunno about the newer versions, but in Xubu Lucid I go Menu -> Settings -> Xfce4 Settings Manager -> Desktop and click on the Icons tab. You can then select or de-select stuff to appear on the desktop. (Screenshot attached).


2) How to edit the application menu to hide or show application launchers? (I.e is there anything like the "Main Menu" in gnome?) The only way I know of to hide items would be to actually get rid of the desktop files but that is not "hiding", it is removing. Thanks.

Xfce menus are not editable in my old version of Xubu, but I'm told that the new version is editable using an external editor (Google it - I've seen it here on UF before).

I always install a different file manager that I discovered during my flirtation with LXDE. It's easier and I think more intuitive than Thunar. There's no law that says you have to use what you're given anyway. I swap a few of the default apps out for ones that suit me better. SeaMonkey instead of Firefox and Thunderbird, for example, PCManFM instead of Thunar, stuff like that.

Enjoy!

-Robin

[Morbius1]

I dunno about the newer versions, but in Xubu Lucid I go Menu -> Settings -> Xfce4 Settings Manager -> Desktop and click on the Icons tab. You can then select or de-select stuff to appear on the desktop.It's moved a bit in Xubuntu 11.04 just to confuse folks:
Menu > Settings > Settings Editor > xfce4-desktop > desktop icons > file icons > disable show-removeable.

But just like in gnome when you do this it won't show a true removable ( i.e. USB ) mount icon any more either.

EDIT:

Xfce menus are not editable in my old version of Xubu, but I'm told that the new version is editable using an external editor (Google it - I've seen it here on UF before).
Do you mean lxmed: http://lxmed.sourceforge.net/download.html

It's java based so make sure you have that installed first.

To Install:
To install lxmed, first download a .tar.gz file.
Unpack archive in your home or desktop folder.
In terminal, enter the lxmed folder and type chmod +x install.sh to make install script executable.
Install lxmed by typing sudo ./install.sh
Go to main menu -> Settings -> Main Menu Editor

[YesWeCan]

I am sure that the Ubuntu team has ways of monitoring it and that they are doing so closely. Did they publish? I can't find anything.
Yes. They ask their customer whether he likes it or not.
I don't think Canonical gives a wet slap what ordinary users think about it. If they did they would, instead, be putting their scarce resources into improvements that ordinary users care about a lot more.

The best place to search for opinions may be the linux press.

[troymius]

Yes there is:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1744368

Thanks. Based on this poll, one could say that Unity is not "love at first sight" for a big chunk of Ubuntu users. But then, unhappy users are probably more likely to participate in a poll like this.

I wish there was a better way to measure it. Like the JD-Power car buyer survey but free and open of course ;-)

[cariboo]

We've found that since Unity was first released as a netbook version in 10.10, that the people that don't like Unity are far more vocal than the people that do use Unity and like it. If you check all the Unity threads, pro or con, that the same anti Unity people are getting there say in, in almost every thread.

[recluce]

We've found that since Unity was first released as a netbook version in 10.10, that the people that don't like Unity are far more vocal than the people that do use Unity and like it. If you check all the Unity threads, pro or con, that the same anti Unity people are getting there say in, in almost every thread.

In all fairness, the fanboys are also mostly the same!

But don't worry, critical voices (like mine) will eventually go away (as they move to other distros). Already, many of the most active people on the "Ubuntu +1" board during the Lucid and Maverick cycles are gone or have reduced their activity to almost nothing.

[sikander3786]

We've found that since Unity was first released as a netbook version in 10.10, that the people that don't like Unity are far more vocal than the people that do use Unity and like it. If you check all the Unity threads, pro or con, that the same anti Unity people are getting there say in, in almost every thread.
+1

And also given the fact that these are support forums. Those having problems visit more frequently while those who've got a working system, why would they bother?

[realzippy]

We've found that since Unity was first released as a netbook version in 10.10, that the people that don't like Unity are far more vocal than the people that do use Unity and like it. If you check all the Unity threads, pro or con, that the same anti Unity people are getting there say in, in almost every thread.

..really?
Well,most people nowadays use their computer just for internet....
what a waste.Unity 's restrictions don 't bother them.

I was thinking about creating a thread with a poll in the cafe,something like:
Will you leave gnome when 10.04 reaches EOL ?

But I guess it gets closed as the other unity polls (btw,why?) (http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=1695432&page=324) soon,
claiming the poll isn 't representative...
Well,april 2013 is a long time to go.I predict:
Unity will become the Windows ME of the linux world...

[Smilax]

We've found that since Unity was first released as a netbook version in 10.10, that the people that don't like Unity are far more vocal than the people that do use Unity and like it. If you check all the Unity threads, pro or con, that the same anti Unity people are getting there say in, in almost every thread.




ah, the old silent majority....


you can use that line to justify anything.

[realzippy]

+1

And also given the fact that these are support forums. Those having problems visit more frequently while those who've got a working system, why would they bother?

I guess the opposite is true.
There are many of us visiting the forum just for helping others.
Eg sikander 3786.How many threads did you open in 2 years ?30?
And you have a few K beans...

[kats]

what advantages are there between Fedora+XFCE and Xubuntu?I moved from Ubuntu to Fedora, mainly because of all the infighting within the Ubuntu community. I've found Fedora to be a little quicker on some computers and the user experience not to be too much different (it was easy for me to make the switch).

Ubuntu has been getting alot of stick from the open source community because they are one of the biggest Linux distros but don't seem to be pulling their weight when it comes to contributing code back into the open source eco-system. Distros like Fedora and Debian are contributing alot more code and it doesn't seem fair. I would rather help distros that are contributing good quality code. So for me that is the advantage of using a grass roots distro.

[Copper Bezel]

Yeah, Ubuntu is just contributing users. = P Ayatana doesn't count as code?

[anaconda]

I found it to be a long way to get to a shortcut, things that put me off were:
cannot add to panel
left hand docky thingy can quickly become overcrowded
having to search (more or less) for the apps I use
In terms of it being fast and stable; yes it's fine but I still choose to boot to "Ubuntu Classic".
Have a good one chaps & chapettes.
Regards thewolfman:p

same here.. I tried unuty for 2 months, but it wasnt for me.
The searching of frequently used applications and a panel, which you cant add launchers were a total turn offs..

[kats]

Ayatana = small potatos.

Users? How does that relate to code contribution? How many of those users are contributing to the Kernel etc? Mostly that would be Debian and Fedora people doing all that.

Linus Trovalds was quoted as as saying, "I've always had a few problems [with Ubuntu.] It's not very friendly to kernel developers, and I just end up giving up. "

[Copper Bezel]

Maybe, but the indicators work now, and I appreciate that. = ) I'd agree with you that Fedora is as close to the "source" as you can get. Ubuntu is more about strategically addressing issues that allow Linux to bridge into the mainstream than it is about contributing to the projects that feed it. It's a different kind of project. Its existence doesn't somehow damage those other projects, however, and for all the anecdotes I hear of folks switching to Fedora after starting on Ubuntu, I imagine it's had a fairly good net effect on Fedora's user base.

I appreciate Ubuntu as the distro that does that last 1% - even if it's really more like .001% in terms of commits. = )

[Ric_NYC]

The point is: KDE and Xfce are treated like "second class" citizens.
Unity is the "darling".

[XubuRoxMySox]

Ubuntu has been getting alot of stick from the open source community because they are one of the biggest Linux distros but don't seem to be pulling their weight when it comes to contributing code back into the open source eco-system.



I think Ubuntu's contributions to Linux other than code have been phenomenal though. I don't think that code is the only thing that really matters to most of the Linux community.

The "Is Canonical Selfish" link in my signature has some more on the topic, and a link to another author - no fan of Ubuntu herself - who pretty much says the same kinda thing.


-Robin

[3rdalbum]

same here.. I tried unuty for 2 months, but it wasnt for me.
The searching of frequently used applications and a panel, which you cant add launchers were a total turn offs..

First one, okay. I'd agree.

Second one, you've got a big launcher down the left side of the screen for any programs you want. Program launching is handled by the launcher on the left side, not the top panel. The top panel is for system tasks (the right side) and the state of the current application (left side).

[don_quixote]

I took a break from Linux for a few years and came back just recently. Unity , for me, is a big improvement over stock GNOME. And with the slightest bit of fiddling around, I really like it. All I did in Unity was auto-hide the launcher and shrink it, disable the overlay scrollbar (I think that was one very poor idea). And I re-mapped some Compiz keys. I love the new search, it's very quick and effective. Now: most of the management is still Compiz-driven, as before, so most of my productivity remains exactly the same. I can run the whole desktop from the keyboard, which I could also do with GNOME 2 shell, but not GNOME 3 (why is GNOME 3's scale plugin equivalent unable to switch between Windows via the keyboard without a kludgey plugin? I don't get it). And I love just how Unity maximizes the screen space (take note GNOME 3). Mind you, GNOME 2 shell never did look right to me, at least without extensive modifications (often with frequently buggy docks). Unity allows me to modify the basics and, for me, Just Works.

NOW. There are some things I don't get: the insistence in keeping the launcher on the left makes no sense -- make it an option and let the people decide. I would use mine on the left, but I understand if some wouldn't. The focus on keeping it together with the Ubuntu button makes zero sense to me. I don't think I've used that particular button once, by the way, and don't see a circumstance where I would use it (why is it there? GNOME 3 has the right idea by using a hot corner). Theming is currently very poor. I absolutely HATE HATE HATE the overlay scrollbar. It, frankly, stinks. I do also hit an odd bug here or there but I did so during the GNOME 2 + Compiz era, so nothing new there. Overall, though, I have no major complaints.

As a further general compliment to 11.04, this is the first time I've installed Linux on my laptop where (almost) everything works. I had a minor bluetooth issue and my laptop monitor brightness wouldn't work without some additional modifications. Still, minor problems compared to graphics card run-arounds, compiz freezes, and suspend state problems I've encountered in the past.

[cgroza]

same here.. I tried unuty for 2 months, but it wasnt for me.
The searching of frequently used applications and a panel, which you cant add launchers were a total turn offs..
You are doing it wrong.