Unity 2D Questions

[Naiki Muliaina]

I searched the cafe and didn't see anythin 2D specific in the plethora of posts and I ain't sure where to post this... Does UF have a unity forum yet? Or does Recurring Discussions count as the Unity sub forum? ^^

I been using Unity 2D for months without realizin (duh duh), and I found today ma beefy ATI 6790 HD cant run Unity 3D without epic tearing. Sooooo!

1. What am I missing using Unity 2D over Unity 3D?

2. Is there a roadmap for Unity 2D?

3. (semi above) Is there a plan to continue Unity 2D forever or will I be losing this option in the future?

4. How come Unity 2D is Qt and not GTK?

5. Am I missing 'Lenses' by using Unity 2D? (not entirely sure what they are, but I get the impression they can be more than just icons on the dock bar thing ^^)

Thankya to anyone who answers ^^

Edit!

Ooo oooo ooo ooo! The Desktop Environments sub forum! Thats where I shudda aimed for. Sorry mods! *removes hands from eyes*

[lovinglinux]

Edit!

Ooo oooo ooo ooo! The Desktop Environments sub forum! Thats where I shudda aimed for. Sorry mods! *removes hands from eyes*

No problem. Moved.

[lovinglinux]

I am new to Unity, since I have been using KDE for the past 2 or 3 releases.

To be honest, I didn't noticed any difference and had to look for a guide on how to determine if I was running 2D or 3D. I looked if the top panel had a shadow or not. :-)

Anyway, looks like Unity, both 3D and 2D are here to stay.

I have been using 3D mostly. It seems to me the 2D has better performance for games, but switching desktops is kind of slow for me.

About the lenses, I will have to log out and check.

[Naiki Muliaina]

First noticeable difference, when on the Desktop of Unity 3D the top bar gives a few menus. Don't have that on Unity 2D. Snot bags. Will have to rummage for a graphics card that can run 3D and do a proper comparison sometime (or find a website listin the differences ^^ ).

Thanks for the reply Loving Linux.

[tomdkat]

Great thread. :) I'm also new to Unity and I'm adjusting like a lot of others, I imagine. :)

From WITHIN Unity, how can I tell if I'm running Unity 3D or 2D?

At first, I didn't like Unity at all. It seemed like a broken attempt at a Mac OS X UI with maybe a "splash" of Windows 7 added in for flavor. After spending some time with it, I've warmed up to it a bit. Some things I miss from the GNOME 2.x UI, some things continue to aggravate me (like Gimp is VERY awkward with Unity), and some things I actually like (like the launcher, when it behaves :)).

If I can work out the kinks I'm currently experiencing, I'm thinking Unity could be a cool desktop environment. My biggest peeve with it is the single application menu bar at the top of the screen, a la Mac OS X. I've used OS X so I'm familiar with the UI and I'm comfortable with it. There's just something about the Unity implementation that seems incomplete or broken.

For now, how can I tell if I'm running Unity 2D or 3D?

Thanks!

Peace...

[Naiki Muliaina]

Two ways of checkin I can see. First is 3D Unity has a shadow under the top bar / panel. Secound is if you mouse over the top bar / panel you get a couple of menus (places and such) in Unity 3D, you don't get any options off the top panel in Unity 2D.

[Naiki Muliaina]

Can also check when you log in of course.... Shudda said that first... In sessions Unity 2D is called Unity 2D. Coulda said that first... #-o

[Joreus]

Can also check when you log in of course.... Shudda said that first... In sessions Unity 2D is called Unity 2D. Coulda said that first... #-o


Was just about to mention that. :)

The big thing for me is the performance boost I get when I use 2D instead of 3D. I know my card can handle the 3D and that's where 11.10 put me when I first installed but it feels like ages for it to fully boot to the desktop. 2D feels like a fraction of that time.

[tomdkat]

Two ways of checkin I can see. First is 3D Unity has a shadow under the top bar / panel. Secound is if you mouse over the top bar / panel you get a couple of menus (places and such) in Unity 3D, you don't get any options off the top panel in Unity 2D.Thanks for the info. I see the shadow under the top bar, so I must be running Unity 3D. :)

Thanks! :)

Peace...

[Frogs Hair]

I just found this . http://askubuntu.com/questions/62001/am-i-using-unity-or-unity-2d

[Naiki Muliaina]

Interesting that on my PC with 11.10 Unity 2D seems to use a constant 1gb of ram when idle. Seems a lot for a basic (ish) desktop. I wonder if it would use the same if you used the alternate minimal installer and stuck with a couple of Qt apps leaving GTK and unwanted fluff out.

The scent of a future Ubuntu respin project?