why so much schism?

[offgridguy]

3) Regardless of how efficiently the desktop screen space is utilized, NO ONE LIKES HAVE TASKBAR/DOCK ON THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN.

No one except me?

[iamkuriouspurpleoranj]

A little confused. On the one hand you're disappointed with the singularity of vision offered by distributions such as Mint and Ubuntu and on the other hand you want leadership and a less fragmented distro landscape. Er, which one is it?

What do you really want?

In any case, let's be honest, there aren't loads of distros. There's a dozen real ones and then various rethemed Ubuntus or Debians.

Is this is a bad thing?

Well, not really. Canonical want to move forward with Unity, which I actually really like, and for those who are looking for something else there's something else out there.

Gnome 2 is great but it's the past.

Canonical, if you read the Ubuntu website do refer to Linux and to Debian. Are they trying to convince everyone that Ubuntu is Linux? Who knows? Does this matter? Everyone always says that Ubuntu contributes little to the Linux community but how is it then that practically every easy-to-use distro is built on top of it? Ubuntu must be getting something right and providing the underbelly for the lion's share of the desktop Linux userbase is a contribution of sorts, no?

So what we have is one or two outliers who are demonstrating leadership and then lots of smaller players offering niche choices. That sounds like a pretty good deal from from where I'm standing. Or have I missed something?

But I'm always confused by these people who want to use Ubuntu but don't because they don't want to use it...

It's like people who complain that Unity, a DE they claim not to like, isn't easier to integrate into other distros.

It may not be the Year of the Linux desktop but it's a great time to be running a Linux desktop, that's for sure.

[offgridguy]

A little confused. On the one hand you're disappointed with the singularity of vision offered by distributions such as Mint and Ubuntu and on the other hand you want leadership and a less fragmented distro landscape. Er, which one is it?

What do you really want?

In any case, let's be honest, there aren't loads of distros. There's a dozen real ones and then various rethemed Ubuntus or Debians.

Is this is a bad thing?

Well, not really. Canonical want to move forward with Unity, which I actually really like, and for those who are looking for something else there's something else out there.

Gnome 2 is great but it's the past.

Canonical, if you read the Ubuntu website do refer to Linux and to Debian. Are they trying to convince everyone that Ubuntu is Linux? Who knows? Does this matter? Everyone always says that Ubuntu contributes little to the Linux community but how is it then that practically every easy-to-use distro is built on top of it? Ubuntu must be getting something right and providing the underbelly for the lion's share of the desktop Linux userbase is a contribution of sorts, no?

So what we have is one or two outliers who are demonstrating leadership and then lots of smaller players offering niche choices. That sounds like a pretty good deal from from where I'm standing. Or have I missed something?

But I'm always confused by these people who want to use Ubuntu but don't because they don't want to use it...

It's like people who complain that Unity, a DE they claim not to like, isn't easier to integrate into other distros.

It may not be the Year of the Linux desktop but it's a great time to be running a Linux desktop, that's for sure.

Welcome to the forums. Nicely expressed reply. +1

[cg40k]

The great thing about Linux is if you dont like something you can easily replace it or switch to something different.

[aspergerian]

N00b-un-2,

Your essay is appreciated. Iwas very happy with Ububtu 10.04, but with its LTS soon to end, I tried Ubuntu 12.04, then Mint, finally settling on Xubuntu, which is working for me. With forum help, I reclaimed my desktop. Also, Unity and fallback slowed my computer, whereas 10.04 and Xubuntu do not.

I didn't need U 11.04 so I may have missed warnings and guidelines regarding machine capacity, thus Unity's demands took me by surprise. I presume there are millions of users who have computers which run 10.04 and Xubuntu and w7 well and who have no need to buy a new computer, especially if it comes with a desktop many of us hasten to escape from. I hope such users won't be abandoned by Canonical.

[y6FgBn)~v]

The rest of us will have to muddle through somehow until you are ready to show us the way someday.

You never fail to bring a smile to my face Snowpine

[nothingspecial]

I didn't need U 11.04 so I may have missed warnings and guidelines regarding machine capacity, thus Unity's demands took me by surprise. I presume there are millions of users who have computers which run 10.04 and Xubuntu and w7 well and who have no need to buy a new computer, especially if it comes with a desktop many of us hasten to escape from. I hope such users won't be abandoned by Canonical.

I for one still fail to see what the fuss is about. Ubuntu offers all the choice you could possibly want. As Mark Shuttleworth said as 11.04 was released an we were introduced to Unity......

Of course, Ubuntu is far bigger than Unity. And the needs of the Ubuntu community, and users of Ubuntu, are far more diverse than simply Unity could address. So I’m proud of the fact that the Ubuntu community publishes the whole expression of software freedom across its archives. Kubuntu continues to improve and set a very high standard for the KDE experience. Lubuntu, the LXDE based expression of Ubuntu, is moving towards being 100% integrated. There is unique work being done in Ubuntu for users of the cloud and other server-oriented configurations. While we can be proud of what’s been achieved in Unity, we are equally proud of the efforts that go into ensuring that the full range of experiences is accommodated, to the extent possible with the effort put in by our huge community, under the Ubuntu umbrella.

http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/671

[vasa1]

You never fail to bring a smile to my face Snowpine

I don't know about the "never" bit but the comment you quoted is spot on.

[snowpine]

Awww, I love you all.

[Paddy Landau]

3) Regardless of how efficiently the desktop screen space is utilized, NO ONE LIKES HAVE TASKBAR/DOCK ON THE SIDE OF THE SCREEN.

No one except me?

I'm sure there are some, but on today's widescreens, I far prefer it on the side.

I presume there are millions of users who have computers which run 10.04 and Xubuntu and w7 well and who have no need to buy a new computer…

Yes, eventually you do have to. Just as each new version of Windows (and sometimes, as with Windows XP SP3, a new service pack) required new hardware, so eventually a modern UI will need it. Ubuntu is aimed at the higher end, so if you stick with it, you will need to upgrade your hardware occasionally. I think the big leap came with 11.04 when Unity was introduced (or was it 10.10?).

I hope such users won't be abandoned by Canonical.

I'm sure that Canonical will continue to support them. Canonical officially supports Lubuntu (a relative newcomer), which has saved many old computers from the recycling dump.