Non-unity variants of *buntu

[paynek716]

This may be a stupid question but I have to ask it. If the primary difference between Ubuntu, Kubuntu, and Xubuntu is the desktop (i.e., Gnome, KDE, XFCE), isn't there a significant fork with Ubuntu's switch to the Unity desktop?

[nickleboyblue]

That IS a very significant fork, and I believe in the future that, while Unity will remain the main desktop for Ubuntu, there will be, potentially, yet another Ubuntu (Gubuntu?).

In any case, I have checked out gnome 3 and determined that, for my purposes, it is far inferior to Unity at present. I can see real potential with it, but the Gnome developers refused to include support for things like what Unity is now calling "places," things which I consider essential to the future of the Linux Desktop.

I do think Gnome 3 looks flashier, but again, for me, it all comes down to what it supports.

[ratcheer]

I do think Gnome 3 looks flashier, but again, for me, it all comes down to what it supports.

Which is the real difference between the variants, out-of-the-box.

I was extremely pleased with Xubuntu until I realized it used a very different set of applications. I use the Gnome based variant, and again, Kubuntu and KDE have their own set of apps different from Gnome's.

Yes, many of the apps can be installed among the variants, but it entails a lot more effort and, probably, troubleshooting.

Tim

[JC Cheloven]

"GUbuntu" sounds nice, he he.

For me, it's LUbuntu at the time (since unity). It's light and does/runs everything I need.

A final thought: If I were responsible for the deployement of the linux desktop in a big company/agency/university/state I woud be very worried. The next update would necessarily have significant desktop changes, which I would be blamed for. Be it gnome3, unity xfce... perhaps that's why "the year of the linux desktop" never happens?

[akand074]

I'm going to go ahead and say a "Gubuntu" will never happen. Unity is still a GNOME release, it would be redundant to make another GNOME release with everything the exact same except a different shell. 11.10 is running over Gnome 3. Just a matter of sudo apt-get install gnome-shell (~15MB download if I remember) and you are now running gnome-shell. You can switch between Unity and gnome-shell at the login screen or remove Unity/compiz if you aren't going to use them.

And to answer your question, no, there isn't a significant fork to use Unity. It's merely a compiz plugin, that's it. Nothing in gnome has been touched otherwise.

[XubuRoxMySox]

Clicky the "What's the Difference Between the 'Buntus" link in my signature for a summary of the differences. A mod even made it "sticky," so it must be okay, lol.

[koleoptero]

The current ubuntu has a "classic desktop" session that gives you the gnome default UI. The next will probably have the gnome 3 fallback mode too. No need for an extra distro.

[paynek716]

Thanks all for the comments. And DixieDancer, excellent links at the end of your post.

My tiny little pea sized brain says there will eventually be a Gubuntu distribution. Sounds like some folks are also unhappy with some of Gnome's developers too. Haven't used 11.04 but am hearing it's difficult to switch from Unity to Gnome. Just my opinion here, man.

I think I will try the KDE and XFCE variants, might even try Mint or OpenSUSE. I want to find the best distro/desktop for me. Also want to find a lite reliable distro for my aging Baby Boomer parents with old computers and very little computer savvy. The clocks on all their VCRs blink zero zero zero all the time :)

Thanks again for the comments.

[XubuRoxMySox]

You might want to mark this one as [SOLVED] (by editing your original post). Some of us look for that [SOLVED] tag to find out how to fix stuff. It's often alot faster than asking the question all over again, lol.

For your newbie grandparents I would highly recommend Xubu 10.04 or Linux Mint 9 (Xfce edition) for their simplicity, ease of use, and rock-solid stability.

-Robin