upgraded to 11.10 and i don't want to use unity, i want classic menus

[selimkeskin]

After upgraded to version 11.10 i cant disable unity sidebar.
I don't like it. I can't find any way to turn back to classic start menus.
Because old solutions are not working. Somethings is missing in system settings.
Please help me. I want classic start menus back. Thank you.
Selim Keskin

[3Miro]

Ubuntu 11.04 came with Unity and Gnome 2, so you could pick the old Gnome 2. Ubuntu 11.10 comes with Unity and Gnome 3, so Gnome 2 is gone.

Here is what you can do:
- install Gnome-shell, this is the new default interface for Gnome 3. Some people think it is worse, some people think it is better than Unity.
- install Gnome-session-fallback, this is part of the new Gnome 3 and while it is not the same as Gnome 2, it is pretty close. You basically have gtk3 versions of Metacity and Gnome-panel.
- try XFCE, which is current and very similar to Gnome 2. You can install it by just installing xfce4.
- try KDE or LXDE, those are different from Gnome, but may work well for you.
- you can also go back to using 10.04 or Debian 6, both of those come with Gnome 2 and will be supported for at least couple of more years.

[Cresho]

#sudo apt-get install alacarte gnome-panel

without the # in terminal

then log out and in the gear where you enter the password, click on classic ubuntu or something in that manner, you will log into the classic ubuntu or gnome desktop.

Right now, im having difficulty entering custom icons and launchers as the old 11.04 dont work at all in 11.10 in unity dash. I happen to bounce in here and am running classic ubuntu which seems to be working very well.

[kako13]

I do not like Unity nor GNOME 3. Why Ubuntu is trying to force their users to USE UNITY? Allow them to choose between the classic desktop or unity. That was what Windows XP did in the past!

I cannot work with Unity! I will have to install either Kubuntu or Xubuntu.

"It is no secret that many people do not like GNOME 3. Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, has joined that list of people who dislike GNOME 3."

http://digitizor.com/2011/08/04/linus-torvalds-ditches-gnome-for-xfce/

[jtliii]

Thanks! That did it for me. The update trashed all my launchers but then it does that every time. At least I have my preferred interface back. Thanks for the help.

[Kronalias]

I'm not going to knock Unity - there are plenty of people who like it. Presumably.

Anyway, I've gone to Xubuntu, and I'm trying to make things in Xfce work as in Gnome 2.

Here's a screenshot of the current state...

[robertmf]

I'm not going to knock Unity - there are plenty of people who like it. Presumably.

Anyway, I've gone to Xubuntu, and I'm trying to make things in Xfce work as in Gnome 2.

Here's a screenshot of the current state...

Me too, Kemosabe. I gave Lubuntu a go, but it doesn't seem ready yet for prime time ... so I've now "gone back" to the Lucid 10.04 LTS

[Kronalias]

I've still got a PC on 10.04 running MythTv, but the LTS runs out next April, when I guess 12.04 LTS will kick in.
By then Gnome 2 may well have gone. There again it may well have not gone.
However, if Linus Torvalds has ditched Gnome 3 for Xfce then that's good enough for me...

Hi Ho Silver, Awayyyyyyyy

[lethalfang]

Anyway to get compiz to work in Gnome-classic?
I'm tired of having to deal with a new desktop on every ubuntu release. :(

[MartyBuntu]

...but the LTS runs out next April, when I guess 12.04 LTS will kick in.


Actually, the LTS on the desktop edition is supported until 2013.

[ShapeShifta]

There is a gnome-session-fallback which makes gnome3 look like classic gnome (correct me if i am wrong). Xfce is also a good choice as it is more light weight and gnome themes/icons are compatible.

My personal opinion, I like gnome 3, but default 11.10 gives you none of the packages that allow you to truly customize gnome 3 unless you install a ppa that supply them.

[kako13]

There is a gnome-session-fallback which makes gnome3 look like classic gnome (correct me if i am wrong). Xfce is also a good choice as it is more light weight and gnome themes/icons are compatible.

My personal opinion, I like gnome 3, but default 11.10 gives you none of the packages that allow you to truly customize gnome 3 unless you install a ppa that supply them.

The fallback is like windows in safe mode.

I am happy with Kubuntu. Bye Ubuntu!

[St_Clinton]

After using Unity for about 30 minutes I was so ready to race back to Vista. I think that whomever created Unity should be put into a very small cage nude with a rabid horny pitbull. But luckily I didn't have much on the machine so I did a complete reinstall so that I could have my beloved Classic back.I think that this new desktop will keep people from switching away from the Windows products, as it is way to confusing and has too much of a learning curve for most people. Yes there is some learning to do with Classic, but it is much easier to pick up.

[DeMus]

Try LinuxMint 11 and be amazed how great it looks and works. It is just amazing.
See my screenshot of the default desktop.

[KBD47]

I'm guessing that Unity is the best thing to ever happen to xubuntu :-)

[merlinus]

Here is my classic desktop.

[robertmf]

I think that whomever created Unity should be put into a very small cage nude with a rabid horny pitbull.

The naked whomever was let out of the very small cage with the rabid horny pitbull as a reward for creating Unity ;)LOL

[robertmf]

I've still got a PC on 10.04 running MythTv, but the LTS runs out next April, when I guess 12.04 LTS will kick in.
By then Gnome 2 may well have gone. There again it may well have not gone.
However, if Linus Torvalds has ditched Gnome 3 for Xfce then that's good enough for me...

Hi Ho Silver, Awayyyyyyyy

LV did ? ..umm.. that's good info. I'll settle on the 10.04 LTS while I check into this Xfce :)

[robertmf]

Try LinuxMint 11 and be amazed how great it looks and works. It is just amazing.
See my screenshot of the default desktop.


Thanks :D another possibility to check out along with Xfce. What I'm not gonna fight is this new Ubuntu Dash interface & assorted eyecandy.

[alco75]

I'm guessing that Unity is the best thing to ever happen to xubuntu :-)

What a beautiful icon set!

Where'd you get them from?

[drawkcab]

I do not like Unity nor GNOME 3. Why Ubuntu is trying to force their users to USE UNITY? Allow them to choose between the classic desktop or unity. That was what Windows XP did in the past!

I cannot work with Unity! I will have to install either Kubuntu or Xubuntu.


This isn't ubuntu's call. Gnome is discontinuing Gnome 2.x and there isn't anything that Ubuntu can do about it.

I sympathize with you, to be sure, but we all have to move on. Luckily we have some good alternatives like xubuntu to choose from.

[Penguin360]

I shouldn't have upgraded to 11.10!

1. Cannot disable Unity, which I don't like.
2. Network-Manager asks for password every single time! Why it does not remember the connection password as 11.04 does?!!!

Now I am ready to go back to 11.04.

[WorLord]

Try LinuxMint 11 and be amazed how great it looks and works. It is just amazing.
See my screenshot of the default desktop.

The problem is, Mint is beginning the process of abandoning the old desktop and moving to Gnome-Shell as well, starting in release 12 ("Lisa") (http://goo.gl/FyB2M).

The problem you're having? The disappearance of the old desktop style? Thank the GNOME developers for that... they're the ones who've discontinued it. Mint stuck with it for 11, but aren't going to be able to do so for very long (AND keep applications up to date, as they're all moving to Gnome3 libraries).

[KBD47]

After upgraded to version 11.10 i cant disable unity sidebar.
I don't like it. I can't find any way to turn back to classic start menus.
Because old solutions are not working. Somethings is missing in system settings.
Please help me. I want classic start menus back. Thank you.
Selim Keskin

Your best bet is probably going to be Xubuntu. I also like classic menu, and Xubuntu has a classic type interface along with a nice launcher at the bottom. You can configure Xubuntu.
KBD47

[KBD47]

What a beautiful icon set!

Where'd you get them from?

They are Faenza icons. A google search will turn them up, and they can be installed via the terminal.
KBD47

[Penguin360]

Finally, I gave up and switched to Xubuntu.

Gnome developers, please give us a way to turn off Unity. Even in Windows 7, if I don't want those fancy effects, I can disable them to use the old classic Windows interface.

[DeMus]

The problem is, Mint is beginning the process of abandoning the old desktop and moving to Gnome-Shell as well, starting in release 12 ("Lisa") (http://goo.gl/FyB2M).


If you read everything you would also have read they still use Gnome 2.32 as well. They even think about using another system (Mate) to prevent people from having to use Gnome 3.

[merlinus]

Mint 11 looks very good. I d/led the live cd to have a look.

But at the moment I am content with how I was able to customize my desktop, toolbars, etc. in 11.10 using gnome classic.

Also I would have to create another /home as well as / for Mint in order to dual-boot it. The second /home would make things very confusing very quickly!

[david gettle]

I'm not a fan of the 11.10 default desktop either, my brother-in-law attempted to load the unity desktop in 10.04 and it locked up his computer. he had a difficult time getting it to boot into the classic desktop so he could actually use the machine. I'm going to try out the gnome3 desktop and see what I think, since I don't use linux much I may just go back to using Microslop *******.

[Nezing]

Add another disgruntled "Unity" disliker.In the past I have used KDE,XFCE,X11,but somehow always gone back to Gnome.Maybe "Toys R US" were called in ;) for this?
Will keep for now until I decide on an alternative.Early days,it might grow on me.

[agillator]

If anyone from Canonical is reading this thread (or particularly cares since the corporate decision has apparently been made) I am one of those who switched to Xubuntu from Ubuntu because of Unity. Gnome 3 was also a non-starter for me. There are a few things I don't care for in xfce, but there would be with anything and they are relatively minor nitpicks. And, by the way, I'm glad I looked at Xubuntu because I was beginning to look at other distributions. That's how much I dislike Unity (and Gnome 3).

[ellis rowell]

I am still using Ubuntu v10.04 LTS on my main laptop, I am experimenting with Mint 11 on the secondary laptop. If that goes over to Untiy or Gnome 3 then I shall be looking at other distros. I feel that Unity has done more damage to the Linux fraternity than any mis-information circulated by non Linux users.

[jimbo99]

I do not like Unity nor GNOME 3. Why Ubuntu is trying to force their users to USE UNITY? Allow them to choose between the classic desktop or unity. That was what Windows XP did in the past!

I cannot work with Unity! I will have to install either Kubuntu or Xubuntu.

"It is no secret that many people do not like GNOME 3. Linus Torvalds, the creator of the Linux kernel, has joined that list of people who dislike GNOME 3."

http://digitizor.com/2011/08/04/linus-torvalds-ditches-gnome-for-xfce/

Even though they won't admit it, probably to keep a smiling face on Ubuntu and Linux, but gnome and Canonical have been at war for some time now neither side giving in and both being uncooperative. Canonical wants to win and so does Gnome, but they don't understand that we don't want either.

[WorLord]

If you read everything you would also have read they still use Gnome 2.32 as well. They even think about using another system (Mate) to prevent people from having to use Gnome 3.

...hence the statement, "BEGINNING the process". ;)

[snakeplizzken]

1. I am running Ubuntu 11.10 in Virtualbox and installed Avant Window Navigator and then added the applet Cairo Main Menu.
And there you have it... menus.

2. The global menu can be disabled.

3. But I really want to get rid of the ugly totem pole on the left side.
How do you do that?

4. Will probably stay on 10.04 as long as possible as the main working environment and then choose between Linux Mint or Xubuntu.

[grahammechanical]

To quote


I shouldn't have upgraded to 11.10!

How true. Then why did you do it? This is what I am wondering.

You have all known this was coming for six months. Yet how many posts on this forum and on askubuntu are there where the posters says something like:

I just upgraded to 11.10 - where is this gone? Why can't I do that or this? I don't like Unity. How do I get rid of this?

It seems to me that a lot of the early up-graders are people who should have stayed with 11.04. Why upgrade to something that you know you are not going to like because you did not like 11.04 with Unity?

[punyhuman22]

Sorry to say, but I will be leaving Ubuntu altogether. Started a couple years ago at something like 6.4 or 6.10, and it was great; improvements each and every distro making Ubuntu the master Linux distro it has become. Sadly though, Ubuntu seems to be going in a direction I can't follow. I don't like the eye candy if it makes my user friendly experience less friendly, or if my machine threatens to break. For instance, in the last 48 hours since I loaded it,
- Can't make trackball scroll (happens every time I update to new Ubuntu, usually a few quick tweaks fixes it, but not this time),
- I don't care for unity
- Gnome 2, 2.3 and 3 don't work well, I don't know how to fix'em, why should I anyway?
- no way to put menubars on side of screen
- no shutdown menu available
- I have to shutdown hard if I use them. (why should I have to fix them?)
- refuses to recognize my external drive, just gives me an error message
I don't like change just for change sake, especially if it means I need to reinstall something else just to get going again. I lose time on my system. So little things like this are telling me I have less and less choice over how my machine operates, and if I don't like it I can leave. So, hello Fedora 15, so long Ubuntu. I'll check back from time to time.
Regarding "Why upgrade to something that you know you are not going to like because you did not like 11.04 with Unity?", I hoped that 11.10 would follow the progression of Ubuntu and be stronger than it was, not regressive and oppressive. That's why I upgraded. end