Using Cairo Dock vs Using Unity

[craig10x]

To begin with, i should mention that though when i initially tried unity when ubuntu 11.10 came out, i wasn't sure i would like it...however, when ubuntu 12.04 arrived i decided to try it again, and give it a fair chance and spend some time working with it..

After about a week, i really got use to it and realized that i did like it and it is actually very nice to work with ;)

In the past, i have played around a bit with Cairo Dock but never kept it on permanently, and have stuck with using unity...

I was considering trying it again, so i was curious to get some input from those that have worked with both unity and cairo dock on ubuntu...

What i would like to know is: which one have you personally found best to use in ubuntu and what are your reasons for preferring one over the other? :)

[monkeybrain2012]

Isn't having two docks kind of excessive? I used Cairo dock in 10.10 but I have no reason to use it now.

[craig10x]

Oh sure...i agree with you on that...but i meant using one over the other....when i was using cairo dock i was using it in the "cairo-dock session" log in on the main ubuntu screen...

In that session, you are only running cairo dock without unity and still can have the global menu and the panel on the top of course...that is the way i was using it...

Not both docks at the same time ;)

[Frogs Hair]

My first dock was Cairo which I found gaudy and bulky and them moved to Awn while it was still being developed. The project lost steam when Gnome 2 was coming close to EOL.

I vowed to use Unity starting with 11.04 and it suites my dock needs and I have tried the Cairo session also. I find Dockbarx with synapse to be a good combination on XFCE session.

[makitso]

I was also using AWN on older releases of ubuntu. However, AWN had some problem on 12.04, and since it is no longer supported I switched to the Cairo dock.

I run the Cairo dock on 12.04 -- but under the Gnome 3 shell. I tried it under Unity and while I could hide Unity, it kept on popping out all the time. With a few plugins for Gnome, it works for me.;)

I also run Ubuntu 12.10 in a VM and use the Unity interface. I am trying to warm up to it.......

[craig10x]

Were you aware that when cairo dock is installed, you can log into the "cairo dock session" at the log in screen of ubuntu?

In fact you can choose between having it with a regular top panel with no global menu or other ubuntu stuff on the top panel, or with the global menu and all the ubuntu stuff on the top panel (it's called cairo dock with unity panel i think)...

When you log into that session, the unity dock is not there at all, so you don't have to worry about it popping out by accident ;)

When i used cairo dock, i used it with the unity top panel so i had all the indicators and notification stuff on the top panel as well as the global menu which i like..

Currently, i am not using it..i did get use to the unity dock and like it, though sometimes i am tempted to try Cairo Dock again...but not sure whether it would be worth bothering with again...

That's why i posted this discussion, as i was curious as to how others went (who tried both) whether they ended up going back to unity or stayed with the Cairo Dock and what were their reasons :p

[zombifier25]

I used Cairo Dock some time ago, and while it makes lovely looking panels, the main dock is too messy compared to good ol' AWN. The icons are mixed up and inconsistent, and it doesn't seem to have the concept of pinning an app, like Unity and AWN.

I use Unity now, but if I have to choose Cairo Dock, I'll remove the main dock and use AWN as it.

[craig10x]

Yes AWN was pretty good...but i get the impression that it is no longer being maintained...Since Zorin Os uses AWN to create the panel on bottom with windows slab menu, i imagine they will eventually need to find something else to use in their distro...

I guess i will likely just stay with unity...i was curious how others were doing with Cairo Dock, though and whether they continued using it or ultimately returned to unity again...

[Jakin]

Oh sure...i agree with you on that...but i meant using one over the other....when i was using cairo dock i was using it in the "cairo-dock session" log in on the main ubuntu screen...

In that session, you are only running cairo dock without unity and still can have the global menu and the panel on the top of course...that is the way i was using it...

Not both docks at the same time ;)

I don't know why, but that setup had never worked for me, it would show Cairo only, with nothing else (i have tried everything, racked my brain, i just have no clue why- nor do i care by now). So i went to KDE, and have kinda set my KDE up with a topbar and global menu, and i use Cairo-dock.
Essentually recreate something similar to your setup, using KDE, and have done so since 11.10.
I do prefur Cairo-dock over any other dock. I don't really make it do alot of special effects, but i do find the few i do use, to be essential to my liking, and other docks cannot do what Cairo can.

[Favux]

Apparently I go for excess because I use both Unity and Cairo. I guess I have a lot of pinned app.s and Cairo lets me have more than what I can fit on Unity.

On my Desktop I just put Cairo vertically on the right side opposite of Unity. I tweaked it to look like the Unity launch bar. Monitor has enough room that it's not a problem although I did shrink the Unity launch bar icons a bit in size. Allowed more pinned app. icons and of course Cairo's the same scale.

At the top of Cairo (opposite of Dash) is the Gnome menu (looks like Dash icon). Basically I have everything I had with Gnome 2 and more.

That's how I came to terms with Unity. As far as I am concerned Maverick with Cairo replacing the bottom panel was the best so far. But this Precise setup isn't bad at all. And I do use Cairo in Gnome shell also.

[craig10x]

Surprised it didn't work for you like that, Jakin...

As soon as i installed it and re-booted i saw the option right on the log in screen when i hit the little "cog wheel" thingee and then it went into it with no unity, cairo dock on bottom and regular global menu/top panel with everything on it just as you see in the normal unity session...

And Favux, no question that cairo dock is a good alternative if one isn't a big unity fan...actually, i would say that in "cairo dock session" you kind of feel like you are running a "poor man's mac" (LOL) with global menu and top panel with a mac-like dock on the bottom!