Make 10.10 look like 10,04

[msknight]

Hi Folks,

This may sound like an odd query but I've had great success in installing 10.04 Netbok Remix for people who aren't that confident about computers.

Having the menu options down the left hand side in large text is a very big confidence benefit for them.

I installed for another friend the other day and I installed 10.10 netbook remix, only to find a confusing set of icons down the left side and the active processes were intermixed with them.

How do I get 10.10 to look and operate like 10.04 please?

Many thanks,

Michelle.

[skyjacker]

If you hover the mouse over the icon it will show you what the icon represents. If you right click on it (for example "applications", it will list the application groups. You can also left click on the "ubuntu" system in the upper left corner and it will open the desktop and show the major groups, with the names underneath.
Good luck....

[msknight]

So ... there's no way to revert it :(

[msknight]

I really think that 10.04's interface could go a long way to providing a computing experience for the good chunk of people that are at odds with the traditional interface.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11501622 - a good fifth of our population haven't used the Internet. I believe that it is technology that is at fault ... with our UI creations effectively designing them out of systems.

I'm still going to install 10.04 for people and hope that someone with some form of influence over the GUI design, picks this up and runs with it.

(also, even though I use the desktop system myself, I personally have a strong dislike of the 10.10 netbook remix interface re-design.)

[garvinrick4]

Once you get used to the Unity interface it is quite efficient but again we all have are own personal opinions. When you install cut out a little 8 to 10 gig piece of drive and install both let friends make choice, might surprise you.

[msknight]

Nice idea, but with one small drawback ... these are people who will balk at having to make a decision as to which version they are going to run.

I work in support and I'm usually reminded just how much for granted I take my IT abilities and just how much of a learning curve it is for some people.

I've been in some offices where some IT support newb talked condescendingly to a man with PHd's in molecular biology or similar, leading a highly respected team in their field, about some basic PC operation ... as if the man was a worthless fool.

I wanted to grab the newb, drag him out of the office and slap him around the face a few times and tell him to have respect for people who are experts in their own fields but may not know why a modem cable won't work even though it clicks quite happily in to an RJ45 socket..

Unfortunately, I've seen this too many times and it has earned IT support a bad name.

It was a major score for Ubuntu when people who were having problems with the Windows Start mess, took to the netbook interface like a duck to water. It was plain and obvious.

The new icons have got rid of that. Sure, technies like you and I will work out what is going on within a few seconds, but to people not used to computers, it is a very wide valley to jump.

When the interface is eventually updated on their machines when the LTS release changes, it will be a step backwards for them and I'll have lost a really good introduction tool in my arsenal.

[salukibob]

I completely agree with everything msknight has said. Although i'm coming from a different angle. I've used multiple versions of linux, and consider myself an advanced user. However, on discovering Netbook Remix, everything just seemed simpler. I even went as far as installing it on my standard Ubuntu install. I believe it to be a very usable, stable and clean interface. Very intuitive.

Imagine my disappointment when I just upgraded to 10.10. Whilst its very flashy, its not at all intuitive, and the left hand launcher takes up valuable screen real-estate. This is for netbooks... the whole point is to use on small screens! Plus it feels slower to use, with windows taking longer to load.

I would love to know how to revert back to the old setup whilst still being able to benefit from all other updates in 10.10.

Rob

[Hokahey]

Is there anyway to have the launcher dock hide like Apple does with OSX? Seems it would give precious space back on a netbook and still be there when needed..

[Megaptera]

I too completely agree with everything msknight has said! Good point & well made.

[bods]

My first attempt to use those new icons did end up with confusion, but I got there in the end.

However they really do waste screen estate on small screens and now, thanks to them being there, many websites aren't fitting on my netbook screen any more. More and more websites are being built 970px-990px wide - the BBC website for example is 974. It used to fit perfectly on my netbook and now it doesn't.

The old system really did seem more space efficient and when we're dealing with small screens, that efficiency really is key. Which is why I'm really surprised that these icons went there they went. Given most netbooks live in the cloud, it seems to be a fundamental flaw that should be extremely obvious from the start.

[jamat13]

The interface of 10.04 suited many people very well. All the grandstanding in the world does not change that fact. I too want 10.10 features (eg multitouch on an eee) but with 10.04s interface. Nobody who knows seems to be prepared to answer. Muck spelunking to be done ...