Ubuntu 11.10 Released

[DM3K]

Canonical released ubuntu 11.10 today and I have to say I do not like it.
Unity, which I never liked is the only default GUI, to use gnome it had to be installed using sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback. Unfortunately several things disappeared, like the preferences and system menus.
I think I will be switching to mint.

Has anyone else tried 11.10 yet?

Let me know what you think.

[NinkobEi]

Hmm I will look into putting it on my laptop. Think I am using 9.0 right now so it should be a nice upgrade.

[DeAtHWiSh]

I have 11.04 and I'm not to happy about the performance.

Is 11.10 running smooth at least?

Or not even worth the update?

[monte84]

You can always try one of the spinoffs like Kubuntu, Xubuntu, or Lubuntu. XFCE is the way i have gone and I use that on opensuse, for a couple of reasons. 1) I can choose which DE i want to run and have it properly integrated with the system, out of box, all without downloading a spinoff distro, its all on the DVD. 2) I have the choice, out of box. 3)Still uses grub 1 which makes me happy

[digibucc]

today? i thought it came out a week or two ago, i know i have been using unity for about 2 weeks and it was out before i upgraded.

as long as it works i'm happy, it's not my main rig though. if it were i would probably want the gnome interface as well.

[monte84]

There is this odd push to make the desktop work like a tablet gnome3shell, unity, and even the Windows 8 developer preview. The only time i liked unity was on a netbook, where it made sense and was more useful because of the small screen. That was back on ubuntu 10.4 developer preview.

[DM3K]

11.10 seems to run slower than 11.04, but I haven't run any benchmarks.

The one thing I do like is that the software center has been tweaked.

[DeAtHWiSh]

I'm guessing 10.4 is their most stable os right?

Planning to downgrade instead of upgrading to 11.10 due to the os lag.

[techtard]

Running the live"CD" version off a corsair usb thumbdrive right now.
It's ok if you're just browsing the internet.
But I'm not a fan of the new Unity desktop. I guess that's just because I'm too old and don't like change anymore.

Can't say I like the direction that Shuttlesworth is taking Ubuntu. It used to be lean and mean years ago, but it seems to be adding a lot of bloat.

You can't take on Microsoft or Apple in terms of polish when most of your developers are just hobbyists.

Will stick with 10.10 for my daily driver. Maybe switch back to KDE Fedora.

Originally Posted by DeAtHWiSh

I'm guessing 10.4 is their most stable os right?

Planning to downgrade instead of upgrading to 11.10 due to the os lag.

Yes, the even numbered x.04 releases are the LTS versions -- Long Term Support. (10.04, 8.04, 6.04)

Might not have all the bells and whistles of the newer releases, but you should be pretty stable.

I haven't really messed around with 11.04 or 11.10 much, so I can't say if they are slower or faster. I only boot them up and again off thumb drives.

UPDATE
Have been cruising around on the internet for a few hours. Everything has been super smooth for me, no performance issues. I have a pretty modern system though.
Smooth experience so far.
Still don't like Unity though.

[NinkobEi]

How is Wine support? With 9.04 or whatever I use, Java apps run a bit laggy and sometimes stop working completely ;/

[techtard]

Haven't tried WINE yet, been a while. Last time I ran into problems.
Might plug in a spare HDD and install 11.10 just to do some testing. Maybe later this weekend. Gotta cook for the family soon and then sports on TV.

[Easy Rhino]

im moving away from ubuntu. centos for life now.

[techtard]

For life? I personally like to load up thumb drives and test out all the Linux flavors.
Been using Ubuntu for a while because it's installed on the old platter HDD and I am basically too lazy to install a different distro and migrate my data over.
LOL. Stuck with Ubuntu do to laziness!

[Easy Rhino]

i may use mint if i ever use linux as a desktop.

[Drone]

I think I will install Linux Mint Lisa (12). In November I suppose. They said they might make 2 distros one with gnome 2.32 other with gnome 3.2. I think I'll get the the 3.2 one.

[IlluminAce]

Moving away from gnome-shell was probably the most contentious decision in Ubuntu's history, and it shows: there have been mixed reviews for Ubuntu ever since Unity was rolled out in 11.04. The full spectrum of opinion is represented, from those who love the new simplicity and have encountered few bugbears, to those who don't even know where to start with their critiques. One thing's for sure though: Unity was a hugely ambitious, and somewhat industry-leading project. The fact that Ubuntu's contributors managed to roll it into the 11.04 release was quite remarkable. Yet, given the highly innovative and risky nature of the move, what's even more remarkable is that they managed to do so successfully, and for this they deserve some real admiration.

The primary driver behind Unity was always to unite the different Ubuntu flavours into one common offering. Who here remembers the Ubuntu Netbook edition? Those days are long gone, because Unity is delivering on its promises: the provision of one common desktop environment across the entire device range; from tablets to netbooks, laptops to PCs, and extended multi-monitor setups alike. Now, others are following the same unified path, notably including Microsoft. (Let's face it, this is hardly the first time that M$ has taken guidance from the *nix world. *Cough* Powershell *Cough*)

This said, it does have its gremlins. I personally don't care for it. I haven't moved from 10.10, and will probably be migrating a couple of boxes back to Debian rather than progressing into the 11.xx stream. I've recently moved a friend to Mint.

I detest the minimalistic scrollbar design (I have ever since I read about the concept during its development) - it saves almost no space, yet makes it infinitely harder to navigate documents. The new icon-based menu bar isn't configurable enough, and simply isn't practical given my workloads. Plus, it often pops out and obstructs one's vision when it isn't wanted. There are, as of yet, too few GUI configuration windows for the interface. I have an extensive Rhythmbox library, yet the facility for migration to Banshee isn't comprehensive. And why, oh why, is Nautilus still the default file manager?

With all that slanderous hyperbole off my chest, it's time to admit I've severely overreacted. If desired, one can revert to Gnome shell with consummate ease, thereby rendering the majority of my gripes irrelevant. The fancy new scrollbars are quick and easy to disable. GUI configuration options will definitely improve over time, and Rhythmbox to Banshee migration is a one-time inconvenience, which isn't compulsory anyway, but is worthwhile (Banshee is actually quite nice). As for Nautilus, well... installing another file manager isn't exactly rocket science.

It's worth remembering that, whilst Unity intends to cater for all and sundry, it originates from a netbook background, and so will take time to adapt to fit multi-monitor desktop environments quite as nicely. This is what we're witnessing. Whilst I personally don't find 11.xx quite to my taste, I recognise many others do: indeed, some of my friends were singing its praises from the outset, whilst I perched on the sidelines, arms crossed, sporting a sceptical expression. A couple of days ago I attended a LUG where 11.10 was receiving quite positive reviews, and for a moment I was somewhat won over.

For those who find the Unity experience a little underwhelming or unsuitable for the time being, Mint is a solid alternative. However, I would add, many of the mainstream distros are these days: most streams of Linux are becoming a lot more user-friendly and less geek-centric. This is all good stuff, for there's never been a time when the majority have had so wide a choice of suitable Linux distributions.

And whilst 11.10 may still be a little rough around the edges, let's not forget there are a lot of really big positives there too. Window docking for widescreen monitors, simpler compositing over compiz/ccsm, a generally easier-to-use interface for beginners (yet again lowering the bar for participation), fantastic cloud integration (again, leading the way - we'll see more of this in Winblows 8), the menu "lenses" (which are really starting to shine), a common interface across devices, really spiffy looking graphics, Thunderbird as the default mail client (finally), Firefox 7, the integrated menus (this was another project I followed at the development stage, but this one really did look promising, and in my opinion it's working out wonderfully), a really superb software installation app, easier searching, the 3.0 version kernel... I could go on.

Whilst I may be moving some of my main boxes back to the "geekier" distros - I'm very much a command-line guy anyway - I'll still be running Ubuntu. It's here to stay, and so is Unity. It's a nice idea; very ambitious, and executed pretty well considering. Come 12.04/12.10 when it's matured a little, I can see it being a very popular platform. This is innovative stuff which has already improved a lot since the initial 11.04 release, and will only get better. Give it time

[eightclicknine]

Originally Posted by DM3K

Canonical released ubuntu 11.10 today and I have to say I do not like it.
Unity, which I never liked is the only default GUI, to use gnome it had to be installed using sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback. Unfortunately several things disappeared, like the preferences and system menus.
I think I will be switching to mint.

Has anyone else tried 11.10 yet?

Let me know what you think.

Its ok. I agree, i have no good thoughts about unity. I found it interesting that in the previous release, the menu system so closely resembled the finder on mac.
i severely dislike how they are trying to make it look/function like a tablet. Lets just say i will be sticking with 10.04 LTS.

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

11.10 in my opinion seems to be better then 11.04 as far as unity goes. It does seem to run a little slower but hardly noticeable. I should state that my Linux machine is a socket A system ( Epox 8krai kt880 board, Athlon XPm 2500+ @ 2.4 ghz, 2 gb Crucial pc3200) With that said is does run quick and smooth for being ran on older hardware.

[Easy Rhino]

hrm, still havnt bothered with ubuntu since unity. maybe ill fire up a vm...

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Now on 11.04 you can just log in under Ubuntu classic to get the gnome desktop. With 11.10 you have some packages to download then you can use the fall back mode to get the classic desktop.

[eightclicknine]

Originally Posted by ThE_MaD_ShOt

Now on 11.04 you can just log in under Ubuntu classic to get the gnome desktop. With 11.10 you have some packages to download then you can use the fall back mode to get the classic desktop.

This is a nice feature

[ThE_MaD_ShOt]

Tell me about it. I didn't care to much for unity at first but with the release of 11.10 it just seems and feels better.

Originally Posted by eightclicknine

This is a nice feature

[kaser123]

Installed it when released. Dump it and switch back to Ubuntu 10.04. I really dislike the Unity interface.

[Easy Rhino]

yea, unity is pretty lame. it really lags my mini pc.

[mstenholm]

This was my first Linux install (dual-boot) but since I can't get my USB dongle (3G network) to work I gave up. What to do? Remember that I'm a 100% virgin when it comes to Linux.