Ubuntu 11.04, reasons to upgrade? Are there any?

[johnmollaghan]

I have been using Ubuntu for a good while now, since 2007 roughly.

I tried out the live cd for 11.04, didn't really like the Unity interface, prefer Gnome, so sticking to 10.04 for now.

Are there any reasons to update to 11.04, presuming I would using Gnome?

Are people warming to Unity or is pretty much everyone unimpressed with it?

Thanks

[cong06]

I installed from 10.04

- Firefox 4
- Banshee is more stable
- The new UI

Actually, really it's the new UI. I really liked firefox 4, and am currently also enjoying banshee, though.
I guess LibOffice might be another thing.

[jamesjenner]

Well when I first upgraded I have to admit that I was shocked.

However I'm predisposed to trying new things and giving them a chance. I tried it for a weekend and did some research.

The result is that now I love it. I've been using it on an adhoc basis (say 2 hours a night) since it first came out and I find it easy to use. Understanding why they have chosen to do things helped me accept some of the changes.

Oh there are some things that annoy me, but they're only minor and considering this is a .04 release I'm not expecting a whole heap from it. This is after all the bleeding edge, if I wanted stable and predictable then I wouldn't have upgraded.

It's really a question of how you use your DE and how comfortable you are with change. If your purely a mouse person then you may find Unity awkward. That's not a problem for me because I believe in using the keyboard as much as possible (I find I'm more productive that way). I think that the keyboard vs mouse issue is the major reason why I would recommend someone not to upgrade if they're very focused on a mouse. Also if they're resistive of trying new ways to do things then again I'd advise against it (I'm not saying either are bad things, just different strokes for different folks). But those two aside, I'd say go for it.

Good luck with whatever path you choose,

James.

[johnmollaghan]

Thanks for the responses, nothing really that would convince me to upgrade though I'm afraid.

I'll wait and see what the 11.10 offering has.

Thanks again,

John

[mmad]

Thanks for the responses, nothing really that would convince me to upgrade though I'm afraid.

I'll wait and see what the 11.10 offering has.

Thanks again,

John

Simply put, I try to stick with one version unless I am doing a full wipe of the HDD. New versions come with problems, and if one version is working fine on your system then you may as well leave it be. You are making a wise choice :p.

[TBABill]

Thanks for the responses, nothing really that would convince me to upgrade though I'm afraid.

I'll wait and see what the 11.10 offering has.

Thanks again,

John
Probably a wise choice. I wouldn't upgrade unless a new offering had something I actually wanted or needed. If it makes you nervous to upgrade to something unknown and new then it may be best to just sit on the sidelines till you are more comfortable with it or desire the changes. Personally, I've moved back to 10.04 in the form of Ultimate Edition 2.6.1. I liked Unity ok but I felt like I couldn't change much. That's my only complaint because all the themes don't work well with it and my freedom to tweak is minimized. That'll all change with 11.10 and later editions, plus lots of new apps are coming out to better utilize the top Gnome panel. I even saw one that offers a more traditional menu system right from the top panel. Quite interesting...sorta like the older KDE menu with a Gnome look.

Anyway, at least you are taking the time to ask and look around before just jumping in and screaming that you don't like it. No need to upgrade to Gnome 3 or Unity till at least April of 2013 when 10.04 loses support and you can still pull in Firefox 4 and other of the latest apps.

[walt.smith1960]

Thanks for the responses, nothing really that would convince me to upgrade though I'm afraid.

I'll wait and see what the 11.10 offering has.

Thanks again,

John

11.10 will come with Gnome 3 and I think Gnome Shell as a download. I've played with Gnome 3/Gnome shell in Fedora 15. I don't care for Fedora 15 but Gnome Shell > Unity IMO at least right now.

[Tk007LwZFJW5ej]

I tried out the live cd for 11.04, didn't really like the Unity interface, prefer Gnome, so sticking to 10.04 for now.

Are there any reasons to update to 11.04, presuming I would using Gnome?


I thought it was possible to somehow disable the Unity interface and just use something more traditionally gnome-like?

[FormatSeize]

Are there any reasons to update to 11.04, presuming I would using Gnome?
No.


Are people warming to Unity or is pretty much everyone unimpressed with it?
I have read a lot of things about people being unimpressed with it, but they were mostly comparisons to Windows 7, which is even worse because I have to use it at work and it leaves a very nasty taste in my mouth. Personally, I wasn't unimpressed with it, but rather I was terrified by it (it's like opening your refrigerator and finding that it is infested with cockroaches). If someone absolutely must have all those bells and whistles, I think they are better off just taking a normal (yes, Ubuntu 11.04 is "abnormal") Ubuntu distribution and just add bells and whistles over the top of it, like the AWN window navigation thingy, or what have you.

Or, just use Kubuntu. I mean, you can set the windows to explode when they are closed. What more could one want? And then, you get that over a stable system (mostly, there are many occasions when Amarok, the music player in KDE, will immediately crash upon opening when there is a CD in the tray).

But yeah. I didn't like it. It was a record turnaround time for my uninstallation and reinstallation of 10.04. It was almost as quickly as the time I tried Solaris.


I thought it was possible to somehow disable the Unity interface and just use something more traditionally gnome-like?
You can, but I'm not sure how. There's an option for it somewhere, as I recall a thread the other day with someone asking how to re-enable it after they had disabled it.

[hawthornso23]

I installed it on my laptop because I needed some kernel upgrades to get my hardware all working. But I'm using the classic desktop. Unity ? - I tried it. If I wanted an apple Mac I would have bought one. Top panel menus and trash cans make me want to puke. I don't mind the launcher on the left although I know it drives many people wild. And the dash has promise. It is the top panel that gets my particular goat. And it breaks compiz.

Apple gets away with having a completely non-customizable standardized system because apple users are total dweebs and the hardware is all identical. But a general linux desktop environment is supposed to work in situations where people have multiple monitors - all sizes and shapes. And linux users are clever stubborn buggers who expect to be able to customize their desktop environment.

I'm sick of all these so called usability experts who want to ram their ideas of how to use a desktop down my throat and make me do everything their way. Giving me options is one thing. Deliberately taking them away to force me to use a desktop in a way I don't like is something else. They are so convinced they have the ONE TRUE WAY to use a desktop that they've forgotten that people are not all the same. The way you like to work and the way I like to work are different. Without the capacity to customize the environment a whole bunch of people are going to have a perpetual itch they can't scratch which is ... really annoying.

[macetouch]

I personally dont like 11.4 due to lack of effects and stuff. also i find that it is a little glitchy. so i have been thinking of going back to 10.10. I would descerage the upgrade but thats just me... also depending what you use it for

[mixmaster]

.. But a general linux desktop environment is supposed to work in situations where people have multiple monitors - all sizes and shapes. And linux users are clever stubborn buggers who expect to be able to customize their desktop environment.

I'm sick of all these so called usability experts who want to ram their ideas of how to use a desktop down my throat and make me do everything their way. Giving me options is one thing. Deliberately taking them away to force me to use a desktop in a way I don't like is something else...
I agree with this completely. The way you use a desktop is dependent on your work mix and personal preferences and habits. I'm used to using a large monitor or two where multiple windows are visible. I use focus-follows-mouse with no autoraise so that I can work on background windows without disturbing overlying reference material. This sort of arrangement simply doesn't work with Unity. I haven't tried gnome 3 yet but I think I will be moving to Xubuntu or possibly Lubuntu when I have to move up off 10.10.

I can understand the attraction of Unity on portable devices where the screen is too small to run more than one app sensibly but on a larger system having apps full screen and moving between them seems like stepping back 15 years.

[Frogs Hair]

11.04 /Unity installed without issue and runs very well on my computer . I was not surprised by Unity because I knew what was coming . I had used a dock for a year and a global menu PPA for a couple of months , so the only thing that changes was the position of the dock. There also the new kernel and some software changes.