Has Ubuntu lost it's Ubuntu?

[malspa]

VietCanada, you almost have me convinced that I don't like Unity after all! LOL!

Enjoy Mint and MATE, sounds like the best way to go for you.

[Copper Bezel]

If the dock is that huge immovable bar on the side of the monitor, I hate it. I want a clean desktop. One icon for the net, one icon for access to my system and software. Making it go away when I'm not using it is just annoying in the end when it keeps popping up, except when I want it. I know this because MS has had the disappearing bar as an option and I have tried it a few times. I don't like it.

It's weird, but I don't like the autohiding taskbar in Windows, either, despite not having any problems with the autohiding Launcher or other docks. I don't know what it is, but there's something about the way the Windows taskbar functions that makes me prefer to have it always visible. The functionality is almost identical, so I have no idea what makes the difference for me.

[TeamRocket1233c]

Enjoy Mint and MATE, sounds like the best way to go for you.

I'm actually using MATE right now, only it's on Fedora, it's epic as a DE.

[Dolsilwa]

VietCanada has a point - using mouse in Unity, without keyboard, and trying to launch an app that isn't in launcher - that's real pain in the a**. Go to the left upper corner - click on dash button, go to down edge to select category, go to upper right corner to select filters, and then select that you want to see only installed programs - then browse through sea of 48px icons - and then at last you may launch your program...

That is not user friendly - if you use mouse only. Of course you can search your app in Dash and i use that. But i'm mouse-oriented user not keyboard-oriented or touch-oriented, and i'm much faster in Gnome-panel than in Unity.

Oh and difference between Mac and Unity dock isn't that Unity is on the left and Mac is at the bottom. The truth is that Unity launcher is on the left, but Mac can be on the left, right, bottom, can be flat or 3d, can autohide, intelligent hide - so don't say there is no difference. There would be no difference if Unity use AWN, but Unity launcher - well it has less options than stupid Gnome-panel.

But all in all i like Unity and Ubuntu is my main distro, and i use it every day.

[craig10x]

Yes...i used a mac for about a year and i know you can move the dock to wherever you want....though the funny part is my friend who uses a mac, moved it to the left side just like unity because he said it seems to make more sense to have it there...thought that was an interesting comment!

Actually, i find that the most efficient way to use unity is to put your favorites and most used apps on the unity dock (for quick 1 click access) and just use dash search for programs used less frequently...
And the most efficient way to use the dash is just to type a few letters of what you are looking for, rather then search through whole catagories of apps...

I can't agree with vietcanada, that unity is only useful for touchscreens...windows 8 metro i have used and that certainly does feel much more oriented toward touch screens where as unity works well for the mouse and also is excellent for touchscreens as well..which was the whole idea when Canonical designed it...make an interface that works well on multiple devices...I think they hit the mark FAR BETTER then windows had done with it's metro interface...

[DeadlyOats]

I couldn't stand Unity... I use Kubuntu, now. Cannonical is a business, so they have to make business-like decisions. They're trying to sell products and services to companies and corporations around the globe. So, it makes sense that they professionalize their releases. But I can't stand Unity, and it's the reason I simply can't see myself using Windows 8. I want my desktop to be a desktop and not a giant phone-app screen.

[ken3]

@VietCanada, you might want to look at FVWM.

It can be a bit of a PITA to set up, but if you want something simple you can have it be exactly the way you want. A menus, dashboards, buttons, whatever you want.

[VietCanada]

Yes...i used a mac for about a year and i know you can move the dock to wherever you want....though the funny part is my friend who uses a mac, moved it to the left side just like unity because he said it seems to make more sense to have it there...thought that was an interesting comment!

Actually, i find that the most efficient way to use unity is to put your favorites and most used apps on the unity dock (for quick 1 click access) and just use dash search for programs used less frequently...
And the most efficient way to use the dash is just to type a few letters of what you are looking for, rather then search through whole catagories of apps...

I can't agree with vietcanada, that unity is only useful for touchscreens...windows 8 metro i have used and that certainly does feel much more oriented toward touch screens where as unity works well for the mouse and also is excellent for touchscreens as well..which was the whole idea when Canonical designed it...make an interface that works well on multiple devices...I think they hit the mark FAR BETTER then windows had done with it's metro interface...

I think after reading the critique of MS 8 by the usablity expert my opinion has changed. I would argue that Ubuntu has beeen redesigned for content consumption not primarily for touch screens. I think most physical content consumption devices are touch screen. Smart phones maybe (communication focus?), pads for sure. So it makes sense to design a content consumption OS to be compatibale with touch screens and smaller screens too for that matter. I would absolutely agree that the new Ubuntu is better than MS8. I found MS8 to be completely unusable and wholly ugly. MS 8 on a 42" 1080p TV is, well words fail me but it was a unique experience among my PC/OS life to be sure.

Ubuntu OTOH looks fine. It just isn't focussed on productivity and multitasking and that's what i need. When I'm not doing that or watching TV I have a beautiful wallpaper to enhance my LR as opposed to a bunch of rectangles in kindergarten colours.

[VietCanada]

@VietCanada, you might want to look at FVWM.

It can be a bit of a PITA to set up, but if you want something simple you can have it be exactly the way you want. A menus, dashboards, buttons, whatever you want.

TY I'll check it out. I have formatted about 40 gb to install and check out other OSs.

[craig10x]

@VietCanada: I was glad to read that you thought unity was better then windows 8
I do like the Windows 7 layout but found windows 8 metro both unattractive and very un-intuitive...just a very confusing layout, overall...

Also, since i had a mac at one point, i was much more accustomed to using a dock then you are, so transitioning to unity was a fairly simple process...
When i used mint it was when it was still gnome 2 and much identical to what you are now using on mint mate, including the same menu, by the way...

For me, i can use either one with equal ease (lower panel w/slab style menu or a dock desktop like unity)...but i never liked the original ubuntu layout (pre-unity) which was two panels (top and bottom) with no search menu...only a fan out style menu which i didn't think was easier or quicker then using a search...

Unity was designed to be used on multiple devices and also to be an attractive and easy to use desktop for newbies to linux as well...which i think, it is...
Also, being different then both windows and mac gives it a kind of uniqueness which also brings newbies "into the fold" here...