So long, ubuntu!
LinuxMint 11 was released this morning and hopefully in the first couple of weeks of June i am gonna migrate my system from Ubuntu 10.10 Maverick Meerkat to Linux Mint 11 Katya.
I started using Ubuntu since the 4.10 and since then never went to even consider another distribution as my desktop OS(actually got so many people to migrate to Ubuntu from other distros). So what has changed? Well from one perspective, everything and from other, nothing. Lets discuss the second perspective first. Ubuntu has always targetted to be Windows alternate and provide as little migration hurdles as possible. This included adding support for various stuff such as migrating documents and bookmarks from windows, giving option to install restricted extras… the list goes on. The recent step in this regard was to move to Unity, something which most of my windows friends find quite fascinating and even more when they know its not Windows 7 customization pack but linux.
Now comes the other perspective. While Cannonical might be totally justified in their decisions of such rapid changes, i find them hard to adapt to. I am a Linux user and want as much flexibility as much as i can get. In terms of a friend, if i want to shoot myself in foot, OS should allow it by all means neccessary. However to new Linux/Ubuntu users such choices and flexibility might be a hindrance to easily fit with their new OS. So thats why i said Cannonical ‘might’ be justified. But where i am concerned i feel more and more contained inside a shell (not `the shell’), and lets just also admit that while spending more time in doing real stuff on my laptop i am left with no time to learn a new UI. Ofcourse there are other reasons as well.
One can install Gnome and bring back all the old looks to Ubuntu but why bother? One of the reasons that convinced me to try Linux was that most productivity tools come installed out of box. Being a sysadmin i am also probably the laziest guy around. So putting it all together I and new Ubuntu just don’t fit that well anymore. I think its time to break up and do a fresh start.
Why LinuxMint of all distros? A million reasons. I leave the exercise to find some of those on google to the reader.
PS:
WebUpd8 shared this over twitter and i couldn’t agree more: http://i.imgur.com/0oVQR.png
PPS:
The purpose of this article was to express why Ubuntu isn’t suited for me. This might not be the case for you, specially if you are/recently migrat(ing/ed) from Windows. Its an awesome Linux distro and actually the one which got me using Linux fulltime, no denying that.
Tags: cannonical, customization, gnome, katya, linuxmint, maverick, meerkat, natty, ubuntu, unity
How long you will stay with linux mint ? soon or later they will move to new shell (( gnome shell )) and you will have to learn new UI !for me unity is more productive and polish than GS http://vimeo.com/24309066
@foxman:Valid point, i guess by the time they move GS would be stable enough. Also the point holds that GS allow more customization than Unity.
This is also applied to Unity ’cause the target is the next LTS (12.04) where you will be able to use unity with it’s full power, stability and customization .Although it has enough customization option for this cycle .http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/05/confity-lets-you-configure-unity-easily/Unity is more desktop UI than Gnome Shell which looks and behave like mobile UI .And with this list you will not miss Gnome 2 applets :)http://askubuntu.com/questions/30334/list-of-application-indicatorsUnity lenses also add more functionality to the desktop http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/awesome-unity-lenses-ubuntu/And you can help your self more with compiz setting manager :)
hmm, ok. But there is still no hope that i near future i will get the time to learn any interface, when i do i will choose one in the light of your comparison :)
We need this change more than before . If ubuntu want to start compete with windows and Mac OS X , unity is the way to Go .I knew that most people do not understand why “unity” , but believe me in the next LTS you will see the answer .So lets say Change Now or Never !Now to shape our interface and bring more user .We should not wait until ubuntu has much more user .
@foxoman:Well, my life’s 98% depends on a system being stable. I tried unity and its not stable enough at this point to support my day to day tasks so i guess i will have to wait anyway.Also, btw, are you from ubuntu team? you seem quite interested in convincing me :) can’t find another reason why you would :D
“my life’s 98% depends on a system being stable”That’s why ubuntu have LTS for stable release and other minor release to push things and make it stable before the LTS .In 11.04 we have unity , in 11.10 we will have unity with gnome 3 libs just to stabilize them before the big LTS release 12.04 .”are you from ubuntu team?”No, Just a regular user who fall in love with ubuntu and unity :)Beside I hope one day I can join and contribute to Ubuntu :)
@foxoman:Even if your argument holds, there is long time till LTS release and till then i am using LinuxMint, will see if i really need to learn Unity or not by LTS release.PS:I am not against ubuntu, i have been using it for years now and i am one arguing to people over X vs Ubuntu where X could be any other popular distro.
using mint means You will be using Ubuntu After All :)Best of luck friend :)
@foxoman:Very right but to tell you the truth i have been the guy who was against using ubuntu derivatives for so long :)Thanks, you too..