[ubuntu-za] Configuring Ubuntu 11.10

[Peter Nel]

On Wed, Dec 21, 2011 at 12:02 PM, Jan Greeff <jan at verslank.net> wrote:
> Hi Peter,
>
> Many thanks for all the help.
>
> I now have 11.04 running as a backup drive with all my e-mails and documents
> (e-mails thanks to the skills you taught me - cannot believe how easy it
> is!) and do not have the time nor the inclination to mess around with 11.10
> and its Unity screen again. I would prefer to wait and see what Ubuntu does
> with further upgrades given the resistance to Unity in the forums and to
> then consider my options, which may include learning to live with Unity or
> to try Fedora.
>
> Kind regards,
>
> Jan
>

Jan,

I know we've been reading very vocal opinions against Unity, and it
pains me that so many negativity have been spread around it.

Unity in 11.10 was actually voted most popular in one of the latest polls:
[Poll Result: 15,900 votes Cast; Unity Named Most Popular Desktop]
http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2011/11/poll-result-15800-votes-cast-unity-named-most-popular-desktop/
Results look substantially better than earlier polls, so it seems
people are warming up to the idea.

Certain people are so against change that they actively spread Fear
Uncertainty and Doubt (FUD) to force some agenda, whether by
sensational blog articles to pull ad-clicking revenue-generating
viewers, or in forum comments.
Rest assured, they are the minority, who tend to contribute very
little to the community.


I totally understand that you just want to get on with your day, and
stop worrying about whether your computer is working,
but then we wouldn't have had these fun conversations :-)

It's very unlikely that Unity is going away. It will stay, and is
getting better with each release.
12.04 (Precise Pangolin) Alpha 1 is already released (1 Dec 2011) and
has Unity. Also, 12.04 is an LTS (Long Term Support) - release date 26
April 2012, my birthday :-) and it will be supported on the desktop
for five years.
Ubuntu desktop versions were previously only supported for 3 years;
so, it's clear that Canonical is serious about Unity. They're even
committed to getting Ubuntu on tablets, smartphones, TV's, etc. by
14.04 -- won't that be cool?!

I, unlike some of my contemporaries, would actually recommend Unity,
to both new and veteran users.

Luckily this is linux, and if you really, really, REALLY don't want
Unity - you may want to try distro's closer to home, like Lubuntu,
Xubuntu, or Kubuntu

Kind Regards
-- 
Péter Nel