Ubuntu DE goes OS-x style

Well, I personally don't like it, but I can understand their approach. And I don't agree that people only buy Macs for their hardware. There are a lot of people who like the stability and UI eye-candy and friendliness. And if you happen to like iPods, IPhones and iPads, well, you'll have a very well integraded system and UI within your excellent hardware.

There are also a lot of *nix users/administrators that appreciate the MacOS stability and *nix like terminal and background without the Linux/BSD issues, keeping them focused on productivity alone, even using it to manage other *nix systems/servers.

But, as I said, I don't like it, I like to thinker my Linux system to my taste and learn from it. But I would recommend it and I can understand those who don't want to lose time with it and Ubuntu trying to reach them. If Ubuntu manages to do it, looks (either copying it or taking hints from the best) and stability, I'm sure it will be a success.

If I may say and go a little off-topic, from my little experience with MACs (my girlfriend has a mac book, her mother, who is a photographer, has an imac for her job and I deal with both their problems) the famous OS-x stability is overrated. I have waited for a non responsive OS in front of windows-PC, a linux-Pc and a MAC and I have had to hard-restart/shutdown them all. I can't doubt that some of the MAC-users are developers or administrators but I know/believe that most of the mac users are all those  that go and buy any fancy icrap and because they are a significant amount of people, ubuntu and windows developers apparently think that this is the correct path to walk in. I can understand the latter but I can't get the former. Finally, just to clear things out, I don't have anything at all against the people that buy staff that are nice or fancy or beautiful (I do that too), but I have a lot against those that they are trying to pass their decisions as the best; and because I sometimes do that, too:

For me, tint2 is the best taskbar/pager/tray application that is out right now and if you combine it with a separate launcher like adeskbar then you are in heaven. I can't think of any better way to have all your open application, at any workspace, ready for use, at any time. No extra moves, like hitting a key or moving your mouse to a corner (to bring up expose).

You can however, make a hot key in openbox to accomplish this

Eheheh... No need to be upset by this. Look, try to step out of your shoes for a moment. Myself I can agree with you. In fact, to most of us who like Linux and #! and spend time here in the forum, I'm sure that we think Linux, #!, Openbox, Xfce, tint2 and/or whatever panel, are the best.

But to a great amount of users, the Design that Apple puts, either in hardware or software, are rated as "the best" and you can find a lot of other companies following their path and their design. Either in hardware or in software. That was my point.

Excuse me, I don't see a real discussion here, just an angry troll bashing the design of a very successful distro.

As soon as a software designer gets a certain amount of public attention, he turns into a moron that thinks he's either John Wayne or some sort of artist. They totally freak out thinking "user friendly" has something to do with "idiot operable" in about 10 years we'll have an interface that has only one button and a backend guessing what we want by the look on our face. It's less features for a higher prize. Yay!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z8zNsUTW … re=related

My appologies if I sounded like a troll...the fact that I don't like os-x DE might have played it's role. Anyhow I would still like to hear your thoughts on ubuntu's DE development.

Well, I used to use tint2 and wbar, and I do like it, but I found it insufficient for my needs. The biggest frustration being many mutli-window applications such as QMMP show up wrong in tint2. The point is that not everything works as well for everyone. So I replaced tint2 with Plasma-Desktop

I actually like more application launchers, one in my task bar, one in wbar, and a right-click menu (plasma can be configured to do that though it isn't common), if I so desire I can make detached launchers anywhere with plasma desktop or attach them to my task bars on all sorts of weird ways. I don't think that the average person needs or wants a setup like mine.

It think the unity DE is much like that, something that some people will really enjoy that probably isn't what everyone wants, so as much as I dislike it, I don't see a problem with it per se.

I've seen unity in action, and I must say I'm impressed. It's just what I was looking for a few years ago. The universal top-bar, the ease of sorting your opened applications, the look, the feel, everythings nice and nifty. The only thing I don't like is the focus on mouse-use.

So it's everything I wanted a few years ago. In the mean time though, I've learned a lot about linux, other WM's and DE's and learned how to operate them. It's because of that that I've ended up with crunchbang: light and nimble and still does everything I want. I'm a big dmenu user and I've made scripts for everything I wanted 'automized'. 
I also realize that not everyone wants to learn how to use a computer (and that's a damn shame, but not something I want to talk about now), they just want to email, use facebook/twitter or browse the web. For them, the computer is a completely different thing than it is for me. And that's fine.

My dad, for example, knows how to do 5 things: 'using' word, using IE/firefox, using outlook, scanning a document, and using MSN. Anything else is voodoo to him, and he hasn't the slightest interest in learning about it. And that's fine.

One of my friends, a windows user, wanted to learn linux. Knowing how he uses a computer, I managed to talk him out of it, since while he said he wanted to learn linux, he really  doesn't. He has remembered my shiny compiz-all-the-way-setup from a year or two ago, and he just wants something shiny to show off with. He's not a technical user, he hates to have to figure things out, and he uses his computer mainly for gaming. I don't want to be the one introducing him to linux, I simple haven't the time to spare to teach him everything. So he still uses windows, and is planning to buy a macbook pro in a few months. And that's fine.

Different people have different ways of using a computer. What's a must-have feature for one person is a showstopper for someone else.
I personally think it's great what ubuntu is trying to do. I've used ubuntu when I first started with linux and loved how they took you by the hand. A few years later, I'm annoyed by that same fact, turned my back at ubuntu and am having great fun with crunchbang/debian/my own hodgepodge of scripts and helpers.

There's no one-size-fits-all in OS-land. There's just different ways of doing things. Therefore I don't believe you can say 'Why copy an awful Desktop Environment?', while you actually seem to mean 'Why copy a Desktop Environment that I don't like?'.
I personally see people using facebook and twitter, and having perfectly valid reasons for doing so. I also see people avoiding google, also for perfectly logical reasons.
I don't use facebook/twitter and think they're evil, and I do use google/gmail (while at the same knowing they're also evel. ish.).
Difference is the keyword.

From watching the testimonials section at ubuntu forums, its pretty obvious that they get a lot of their new users from Apple land.

A certain portion of long term OS X users hit a certain point where they want to stretch their legs and grow a bit, so to speak. Some portion of mac users are technically inclined. My friend was like that, and after growing up on OS X, he wanted to experiment(but I am paraphrasing badly). With the Apple culture being what it is, moving towards windows is less than attractive as an option, so why not try out linux the free 'cousin' of OS X?

So I am not surprised that Canonical would move to make those people more comfortable.

I'd like to add that similar to Awebb, I've moved past my need for a hand held experience. The last few years have been a quest for a minimalized desktop. eg: I havent used desktop icons in a long time, so it doesnt make sense to use a WM that supports that.

Last edited by AlanD (2011-06-04 20:49:05)

Just tried Gnome 3 (installed Fedora to get the full effect) and not too impressed. The menu does make it easier I guess for some people. I'd prefer a side panel with all my apps instead of having to go to the left corner, and I hate how when you mouse to the corner as well that you will open up the menu while I'm exploring the web. It also does tend to lag my system being a netbook. I feel it's more bulky than it could have been written. Gnome-Do is allot easier to start apps than messing with gnome-shell.

It was awhile before that that I tried the new Unity Ubuntu came out with. Had trouble installing most programs because it would somehow fail, even went cli to try to solve the problem with no result. Needless to say half my apps didnt work. I tried redownloading the iso for ubuntu to see if my install was messed up with the same results. I don't want to even get into trying to compile programs to work. Linux is supposed to just work, and this made me feel like the linux newbie I was back when Red Hat Linux was popular. After hours of pulling my hair and gnashing of teeth I finally had it and had to get rid of this horrid system. Surprise surprise unetbootin wouldn't install from the repos! Ubuntus iso to thumdrive program would only work for its own system and I couldn't make a bootable usb that way. The only thing that saved me from either being stuck with the system is the dd command. Had to google to get the command right, but I got a working usb of Fedora on there (wanted to try gnome 3 anyways ). I'm using an Acer Aspire 1 Netbook btw with no cd drives. Needless to say after that experience I never want to go back to Ubuntu even if it's to test any changes.

eh, I say the end justifies the means. If it gets more popularity for linux then I'm all for it. Everyone wants more driver, games, n apps support, it's just a start to getting there. Doesn't mean we have to use their system