Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Forgive me if I have put this post in the wrong place, this is my very first post and I just dont know where things go yet, So mods if you move it where it belongs I would appreciate it but please dont just delete it.
I was a disgruntled Windows user for years. I really cannot stand Microsoft or its products at all... There are businesses that are of the highest standard and integrity, that build great quality products and never cheat people... Microsoft isn't one of them.
So in 2005 I switched to Ubuntu on my main computer, and I was so happy to be out from under all the Windows foolishness (viruses / defragging / trojans / anti-virus installs / and firewall installs) I just cant tell you how free and satisfied I felt. From that point on I was a Linux supporter, and I recommended it to everyone that had ears... When I was in computer school in 2008, Microsoft became an underlying funder of my facility and soon it became a Microsoft-centric place, and even then I was still an Ubuntu supporter (Now if that isn't standing your ground in the midst of the enemy I dont know what is... They hated my red hammer and sickle Linux wallpaper on their machines... nuff said)
I was a die-hard Ubuntu man and proud of it... and I loved every edition of Ubuntu right upto Natty Narwhal, and at this point is where I have to say I WAS a Die-Hard Ubuntu Linux Supporter... Natty was good to me it gave me the flexibility of choice.
So I tried Unity, and it was HORRIFYINGLY bad... but I loved Ubuntu for giving me the choice to not use it, and all was right with the world, until I found out that the very next edition of Ubuntu took that choice away and FORCES me to use that HEINOUSLY bad UNITY interface... Now I know some of you are saying "Hey Man Just Learn to love it, and get used to it" Now let me show you the flaw in your logic before you even shape your lips to say it using the following TopGear analogy.
Forcing me to use UNITY is like taking away Jeremy Clarkson's Ford GT, then telling him that he must drive nothing but a Prius for the next 5 years... Now you can tell him to just "learn to love it", and he might politely accept that suggestion with a pleasant nod, as he heads to his shed, grabs the nearest sledgehammer, and promptly destroys not only the Prius, but the person who took his GT away, as well as three to four city blocks in protest... But I digress.
Fast forward to 2012... and Ubuntu 12.10
Today I learn that my software Ubuntu Natty Narwhal is at end of life, (Why does that phrase sound like it's from the movie Logan's Run?) and that I am too upgrade to the newest version of Ubuntu which is 12.10 in which Canonical is STILL fitting square pegs into round holes by way of that HORRIBLE UNITY interface.
I figured "ok Now I have no choice what so ever here"... so I installed the latest version of Ubuntu 12.10 onto my secondary machine as a test, and I was very very surprised at the performance of this edition of Ubuntu, and how flawlessly it installed... and I was completely, and utterly AMAZED at how truly TERRIBLE UNITY still is after all this time... how hard it was to navigate and find my things... how I have to actually use 20 more steps to do what only took one click to do in Natty... and how features like music previews by hovering over the file is a value added bonus that we never had before... "hmmm funny I am in Natty right now and I can do just that... I must be seeing things" (BTW I saw that last feature on a youtube video because I couldn't find my way around that mess of an OS to sample anything of that nature myself)
Where was I? Oh yes... to those that love UNITY more power to you. It has always been about choice, but I am not going to sit here and tell you that I am not disappointed in Canonical and Mark Shuttleworth for doing this... where this is a good BUSINESS decision for them, this is a horrible PEOPLE decision for us, and shows me that he and Canonical have people skills akin to the people who run Microsoft.
In case you are confused by this comparison let me give you a visual to help you along... Imagine if the Zombies from the movie "28 Days Later" ran a restaurant chain like McDonald's. You don't like your burger, because quite frankly finding entrails on your Royale with cheese just isn't appetizing... now when you take it back to the front counter to complain, do you really think they have YOUR best interest at heart, as they leap across the counter and snatch out your lungs?
I think not...
So Now I am stuck and I Do NOT know what to do... I am NOT going back to Windows only to be told I have to switch to Windows 8, which to me would be akin to shoving 30 ravenous, rabid weasels in my pants and Dancing like MCHammer... Ummmm I am not doing that to myself.
OR
I can upgrade to Ubuntu 12.10, but to be honest I would rather let a large sex crazed gorilla with STD's have its way with my gentleman's parts live on "The Jerry Springer Show" while having my head stuffed into a burlap bag full of angry African bees, than install that on my main system.
And as far as Linux Mint (MATE) I tried that on my secondary system thinking it would be about the same as the Ubuntu that I once knew and loved, but it was rather horrid in its own right and very difficult to install. (Cries)
So now I just don't know what to do... if you guys have a suggestion as to a good operating system that adheres to the ease of use principle and caters to the power user without me losing any of the functionality that I already enjoy... nor forces me to go back to school for a couple of years to learn how to just login please let me know.
Thank you for reading...
MoonKnight2525 (I feel much better now that I got that off my chest)
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonknight2525
So I tried Unity, and it was HORRIFYINGLY bad... but I loved Ubuntu for giving me the choice to not use it, and all was right with the world, until I found out that the very next edition of Ubuntu took that choice away and FORCES me to use that HEINOUSLY bad UNITY interface...
Yea...shame on Mark Shuttleworth going to your house and putting a gun to your head and screaming "Run Unity or die!" What is up with that psycho!
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonknight2525
It has always been about choice
You have the same choices on desktop environments and window managers as you did 2 years ago. In fact, you have several MORE choices to choose from. You could have installed half a dozen other desktops to try in the time you took to write your rant.
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonknight2525
So now I just don't know what to do...
First try: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
Then try: sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
If that doesn't work: sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop
Other solutions might include: cairo dock, openbox, fluxbox, awesomeWM, pekWM, enlightenment, razor-qt, MATE, cinnamon, or any of a hundred other window managers that you are free to choose. If Mark Shuttleworth is trying to block you from getting to your keyboard, just shove him out of the way.
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Kubuntu is preetty decent, though personally if yoiu are going to go the KDE route try openSUSE
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MadmanRB
Kubuntu is preetty decent, though personally if yoiu are going to go the KDE route try openSUSE
What makes SUSE better for KDE than Kubuntu?
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonknight2525
And as far as Linux Mint (MATE) I tried that on my secondary system thinking it would be about the same as the Ubuntu that I once knew and loved, but it was rather horrid in its own right and very difficult to install. (Cries)
What's so "horrid" and "difficult to install" about Mint?
Mate is barely a hiccup away from Gnome 2.
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Firstly... Thank you all for your replies and your suggestions please keep them coming much appreciated folks...
And "Version Dependency" I truly appreciate the feedback you gave and I will look into what you said, but as to the tone detected in said feedback. As much as I hate to do it I think I need to give you a little verbal / written backlash, so that you might be well aware when the sarcasm monkey that occasionally rides your back digs his spurs in, and makes you cross the line from funny to... lets say... hmmm what are the words I am looking for?
Oh yeah, how about...
Insulting... Condescending... or Patronizing maybe??
So let's address a couple of things, shall we?
Version Dependency wrote: "Yea...shame on Mark Shuttleworth going to your house and putting a gun to your head and screaming "Run Unity or die!" What is up with that psycho!
You have the same choices on desktop environments and window managers as you did 2 years ago. In fact, you have several MORE choices to choose from. You could have installed half a dozen other desktops to try in the time you took to write your rant."
---------------
Now before you pull out the "Oh you need to learn to take a joke" card to mask your nasty commentary while simultaneously answering the questions asked... Don't do it... just don't try it... You recognized what I wrote as a rant of kinds, therefore by virtue of knowing a rant as being an emotionally charged dissertation of sorts, YOU chose to reply as you did... So allow me to retort.
I was writing about MY frustration over the years with something that I truly enjoyed (UBUNTU in all it's vanilla glory). Something that was easy to use, and didn't stunt my productivity as a power user, being turned into something very silly, while implying that Shuttleworth and Canonical did not have the end-user in mind when making these terrible changes to the flagship OS of choice, putting not all of us, but alot of us in a position of finding a new OS or making some drastic changes.
Enter Version Dependency who (apparently has a hidden superiority complex) decides that this was the perfect opportunity to belittle someone that is new to the Ubuntu Forums, as well as their concerns and frustrations in his "oh so very funny reply" (see that last comment in quotes is how sarcasm is done).
I do not know everything Ubuntu (Desktop managers, Linux Distros and add-ons), never claimed to. Even if I did I would still not be happy with how UNITY was built, nor with how it was implemented, nor with those who implemented it in such a roughshod careless fashion. We would be having this exact same conversation except I'd be using alot more techno-babble, while questioning your computer savy and common sense, (not to mention your skillful use of Internet anonymity to sling insults) with obvious disregard for the feelings of others.
As my grandma used to say "If a person is hurting and needs help, go to them kindly, listen, try to understand and they will love you for your compassion. Or you can take the opportunity to puff yourself up by putting them down and risk getting a crack on the noggin" i.e.: Mike Tyson v.s. Buster Douglas... you should look it up sometime on YouTube.
Version Dependency wrote:
First try: sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop
Then try: sudo apt-get install kubuntu-desktop
If that doesn't work: sudo apt-get install lubuntu-desktop
Other solutions might include: cairo dock, openbox, fluxbox, awesomeWM, pekWM, enlightenment, razor-qt, MATE, cinnamon, or any of a hundred other window managers that you are free to choose.
If Mark Shuttleworth is trying to block you from getting to your keyboard, just shove him out of the way.
---------------
Really Version Dependency?
Really? Was that last comment really necessary?
I dont think it was, So let me put you on blast for that as well Mr. High and Mighty.
I no more believe that Shuttleworth will come into my house and commandeer my computer than you think the Easter Bunny hides eggs around your house early on Easter morning, or that a fat man in a red suit slides down your chimney on Christmas Eve to bring you presents... Then again considering your assumed mental capacity at the writing of your last reply maybe you do.
Maybe you are at home right now waiting for the magical nose faeries to come bring you ice cream... or for the underwear gnomes to come pleasure you in your living room if you collect enough cat hair from between the sofa cushions and catalog them just so in your scrapbook.
Hey we are slinging insults here aren't we?
I can do that to... There's an old saying "Don't start none, and there won't be none" YOU started this so I will end it...
None of the things you said were jokes, nor humorous because if they were meant to be so you would have asked your mommy and daddy to buy you a few more wooden letter blocks yesterday (when they went out to buy you diapers) so that you could invest in practicing the abbreviation "LOL" (Laughing out Loud) to put at the end of your non-existent humor. (not that it would help mind you)
And you know its quite a shame that you are like this too, because you seem to be a knowledgeable person, and could help alot of new guys out who need the knowledge you have locked in your head, but you are so busy building your self esteem by stepping on others that you probably dont see that huh?
You could have looked at my situation... understood the problem and written a solution "Hey I know where you are coming from... If you do this and this and this you can use UNITY and recover most of your productivity. Or Hey install these packages and add-ons and you can get back to work I feel your pain..." and left it at that.
Did you do that? Noooo you wanted to show people how smart YOU are, and how DUMB I am for not knowing by osmosis, and 70 years of study what you already know... Gee thanx you are a real GEM of the Ubuntu Forums Community... What on earth would I have done without your extra commentary?
In any case Thank You for your warm welcome Version Dependency, and the great information. Wow I wonder why I never posted earlier than I did, "I have definitely been missing out on all the fun" (make a note that the last thing I wrote in quotes was sarcasm also, so that you know exactly how it's done for the next time you need to crush a noob in the forums to boost your Ego, and REALLY discourage them from ever posting again "That'll show 'em huh?")
Take it easy...
BTW: I would probably look into changing my name if I were you because if I were to use your Initials in the above insult section... the initials "V.D." would not only be inappropriate, but very funny, and very very wrong don't you think?
Moonknight2525
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Quote:
Originally Posted by
MartyBuntu
What's so "horrid" and "difficult to install" about Mint?
Mate is barely a hiccup away from Gnome 2.
Well... I had a terrible time with MINT (MATE) on my laptop, no wireless drivers which was a disappointment, Connected to broadband and still no wireless drivers, the UI was impossible to use.
But I cannot say that this was entirely the fault of MINT as a whole, i believe it was probably a very bad install and some things got corrupted, so I will give it a try later on this week (hopefully) with hope that it will go better this time.
Forgive my mis-speaking there MartyBuntu
Moonknight2525
Re: Ubuntu / Unity... My Experiences
Quote:
Originally Posted by
Moonknight2525
I can do that to... There's an old saying "Don't start none, and there won't be none" YOU started this so I will end it...
No, that would be me ending it.
Thread closed (and being reviewed) and staying closed.
404
