Unity MEGA Thread

[vigyani]

Hi

I downloaded the latest Daily Build of Ubuntu 11.04 (April 27th 2011) and did a fresh install on Acer Aspire 4710 laptop.

Played around with it and my first impressions (may be incomplete):

1. Interface provides basic functionality for users just using web browser and document editing...
2. One needs to dig inside to get more options, even systems update and similar options etc.
3. Do not see any option to view all the menu items, so that you have an idea what all is available
4. Only if one knows what to look for, you can search it.
5. A new user cannot learn just by experimenting (trial and error) without any hand-holding.

Don't know what Gnome 3 looks like but on the first look Unity does not seems to be intuitive and user friendly, may be I am too rigid to learn new things.

Pl. share your experience?

regards
Vig

[NormanFLinux]

Its basically a search/launcher - you find applications in the global menu and you should be able to drag and drop them on the scrollbar launcher. The scrollbar launcher is the replacement for the now deprecated GNOME bottom panel and Ubuntu Netbook Remix Favorites tab.

[vigyani]

Exactly.

One can search for something only it is known.

How do you search for something, you do not even know it exists?

[NormanFLinux]

Click the Ubuntu Dash button and scroll through the menu. The same thing can be done with files and folders. You can also do a *wildcard* search by typing the first two or three letters of what you're searching for to obtain results closest to your search.

The menu is hidden by default and pops up only when you need it. The idea is to avoid clutter. The trade off with Ubuntu Netbook Remix is to avoid having to wade through tabbed screens to find what you want to add to your Favorites.

[Horseboy]

Microsoft uses feedback from its users to improve their OS, which is one of the reasons why Windows 7 was born, just as Canonical does. They only just offering a little something extra (Unity) for those that like new things.

The Windows community was asking for something powerful, reliable and secure...and what was born out of that? Windows 7.

People wanted a Windows release with the performance of XP and the stylish eye-candy of Vista, and out came Windows 7.

People wanted to stick with Ubuntu Classic in 11.04, and Canonical allows you to change to it willingly.

I am not leaning to one side, I support both Microsoft and Canonical both. Microsoft made an extremely good product (Windows 7) and the same applies to Canonical (Ubuntu).

But they aren't "offering" it, they're making it the default desktop environment with no support for GNOME 3.

[ivanovnegro]

Hi

I downloaded the latest Daily Build of Ubuntu 11.04 (April 27th 2011) and did a fresh install on Acer Aspire 4710 laptop.

Played around with it and my first impressions (may be incomplete):

1. Interface provides basic functionality for users just using web browser and document editing...
2. One needs to dig inside to get more options, even systems update and similar options etc.
3. Do not see any option to view all the menu items, so that you have an idea what all is available
4. Only if one knows what to look for, you can search it.
5. A new user cannot learn just by experimenting (trial and error) without any hand-holding.

Don't know what Gnome 3 looks like but on the first look Unity does not seems to be intuitive and user friendly, may be I am too rigid to learn new things.

Pl. share your experience?

regards
Vig

I feel lost like you in the Unity interface but I learned to use it and its definiteley not for me, too less control for me, I need more customization options and they are there but hidden.
Its a pretty simple interface, I think for some people thats ok but for me its too simple.
I would not believe it but I like Gnome 3 more even if its similar but in the end both are not for me.
Unity is very new and it will be a work in progress, that means for me I would use a non ready environment to work with and I dont want that.
For the first time I feel the KDE desktop of Ubuntu feels more like the main desktop in comparison to Unity because it matured and is definiteley ready to use and full featured.

[cariboo]

But they aren't "offering" it, they're making it the default desktop environment with no support for GNOME 3.

Canonical only stopped integrating Gnome 3 in Natty because of the amount of work needed to develop Unity, Oneric Ocelot will include Gnome 3, there has been a ppa with the gnome 3 apps available since November.

[cguy]

I upgraded to Natty Beta 2 just to try out the interface and I honestly don't have any desire to use it.
Not only it's very limited, but it doesn't bring anything new to the table that KDE can't provide.

[seeker5528]

I've been a huge fan of Ubuntu, it's desktop and it's ease of use. I started out with Ubuntu in 2007/2008 and fell in love with the GNOME desktop. But now that's all changing. I along with the majority of testers don't like Unity (and I got "majority" from all the threads/posts in this forum).

How do you define majority?

An empty can rattles the most.

It's not uncommon for people with the least to say to make the most noise about something they dislike, people on the other side of the coin *can* be that way too, Slashdot is testament to that.

Not saying you fall in that category, just sayin'.

As important as the feedback is the usability testing, and it seems like things are moving in a good direction...

http://design.canonical.com/2010/11/...ting-of-unity/

http://lwn.net/Articles/438678/

http://design.canonical.com/2011/04/...ty-april-2011/

Later, Seeker

[aaaantoine]

Hey, I think I figured out the hidden global drop-downs rationale. Ubuntu's trying to eliminate drop-down menus from applications altogether by hiding them completely out of sight and out of mind.

I think this is the same goal that Mac OS X has, but Ubuntu has taken it a step further...