You think people will not switch to ubuntu because there is a "start" menu? Something that has been present in windows since 1995?
I've said this before, but there are bigger problems than the UI of the main desktop. I think gnome2 is a surprisingly usable desktop , I remember when it was an infact that it was slow and buggy but the hard work has paid off and overall it's one of my favorite UIs on any platform due to it's speed and flexibility.
I don't think learning gnome2 would be a big put off for many people anyway, since it's similar enough to Windows XP which more people have experience with than newer UIs anyway.
Imagine if the time and resources spent developing Unity had been spent instead on more thorough hardware testing, fixing remaining issues in gnome2 or creating new applications for users that would make a Linux desktop a compelling choice.
I don't see what unity does that helps me be able to recommend Ubuntu it to less technical family & friends.
I would like to add. It's not only those who are not so tech savy that have problems.
I DO NOT WANT to spend time learning how a desktop UI works. I have more interesting things to do than getting used to new UIs and whatnot when the ones I use already allow me as productive as I can with a UI.
Personally all I want is a taskbar, and an application launcher. I like the combination of openbox+tint but I a lot of the application I use depend on gnome libraries anyway.
Glossy chrome elements and wobbly windows are meaningless in terms of usability, that's my opinion. Why would we want to break something that works fine?
Why trashing old but reliable technology?
I would guess it's more about shipping a fancy glossy looking product than anything else.
Agreed but I don't think Unity is particularly pretty anyway. Big ugly text and too much purple in the default Ubuntu setup.
If bling is your thing then you can do enough with compiz and desktop themes to make pretty much any desktop look however you like.
I think making the compiz settings manager more visible and easier to use would be quite a big win here, as it's often not obvious what most of the plugins do until you activate them and the whole "resolve conflicts" thing is a total mess that needs simplifying.
I've said this before, but there are bigger problems than the UI of the main desktop. I think gnome2 is a surprisingly usable desktop , I remember when it was an infact that it was slow and buggy but the hard work has paid off and overall it's one of my favorite UIs on any platform due to it's speed and flexibility.
I don't think learning gnome2 would be a big put off for many people anyway, since it's similar enough to Windows XP which more people have experience with than newer UIs anyway.
Imagine if the time and resources spent developing Unity had been spent instead on more thorough hardware testing, fixing remaining issues in gnome2 or creating new applications for users that would make a Linux desktop a compelling choice.
I don't see what unity does that helps me be able to recommend Ubuntu it to less technical family & friends.