Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

[Prescience]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Once all of the Gnome distros switch to Gnome Shell and/or Unity, we may see a new, bigger wave of KDE users. I wonder what would happen if Kubuntu surged in market share. I think it would be awesome if Ubuntu switched to using Kubuntu as their flagship operating system. They could simply work with KDE to create netbook and tablet operating systems because KDE is already working on it.

[charles052]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Well, I finally tried Unity through the Ubuntu 11.10 cd and gave it a shot. It was nice as a simple change, but after about 10 minutes of fiddling with it, I soon got a bit agitated on how difficult it was to find programs and load them, among other things.

I could see it as an alternative to Windows, but it's certainly not for a power user like me. I like my OS to fit my needs and KDE does just that.

Unity is neat, but that's as far as it goes for me.

[notabug]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

I don't consider myself a power user, but I usually have several windows open at any one time. Using the new Unity interface just doesn't work for me. I like having a panel/taskbar to switch between open windows rather than alt/tab or other task switcher. I've been a long time KDE user and I guess will remain so for the indefinite future.

I notice that most of the other major distros are also moving to Unity and/or Gnome 3. I still think this is a mistake except for the most novice of Linux users. It is bound to fizzle out eventually or as the thread title portends "driving it's Ubuntu users towards Kubuntu".

[PaulW2U]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

The problem that I have with Unity is not the look and feel of it but that it is simply a compiz plug-in. And not a very stable one at that.

Earlier this evening I was playing with the Compiz Config Settings Manager (CCSM). I changed one setting and Unity crashed. The two windows that I had open lost their top bars and max/min/close buttons and Unity's top panel and launcher disappeared too. Fortunately I played with Unity a lot before I switched to Kubuntu so I know exactly how to restore Unity to its default with just a few simple commands. I've seen several posts on the main Ubuntu forums where new users are wanting to re-install as they think their desktop is so broken that it can't be fixed. At least when my Kubuntu desktop crashes it usually manages to restore itself and a restart or reboot always does.

On the whole I've found Unity to be quite stable, it's when you try to change things that it crashes. No wonder the CCSM is not installed by default and new users get frustrated and annoyed.

I don't know whether Unity is driving Ubuntu users towards Kubuntu or elsewhere but in a 24 hour test last weekend I used both Xubuntu and Lubuntu. They're both much simpler than Ubuntu but rock solid and Xubuntu is where I seem to see frustrated Unity users being directed to.

[Telengard]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/11...nome_refugees/

I get the idea that many who jump ship from Ubuntu now are headed to Debian and Mint.

[Detonate]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Yes, this same discussion is active on the Linux Mint forum. Also noted is that on Distrowatch hit rankings Linux Mint has replaced Ubuntu in the number one slot.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

..... on Distrowatch hit rankings Linux Mint has replaced Ubuntu in the number one slot.

When I was running PCLinuxOS 2007 (and a couple releases before that) it, too, was ranked #1 by the Distrowatch page hit ranking scheme. It held that position for about a year. BUT, PCLOS didn't have anywhere near the downloads or installs that Ubuntu had. And, there were frequent requests in the PCLOS forum, not by the forum hosts or TexStar, to go out and click on the Distrowatch PCLOS page. I saw the same requests in the Mandriva forum, too.

Basically, I give Distrowatch PHR's zero credibility. One could use Google Trends and learn that Internet page searches favor Ubuntu 5:1 over Linux Mint. Linux Mint and Kubuntu are neck and neck.

[Detonate]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Yes, the hit list at Distrowatch does not reflect usage or downloads, but it is interesting.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Speaking of Distrowatch and their page hit rankings, this is a rather fascinating collection of statistics.

If PHR reflects interest, the reality is remarkably different.

[geoaraujo]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

The first GNU/Linux distro I used was Ubuntu 10.04. I've really liked, but after installing it, I've also tested almost all the most used distros as well as most desktop enviroments around on a virtual machine. When I saw that Unity was going to be adopted, I quit Ubuntu 10.10 and replaced with Kubuntu 10.10. I'm really satisfied with KDE, sure it has some flaws, but it's improving.

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

....
If PHR reflects interest, the reality is remarkably different.

Wow, and how!!!

IF these statistics were used to form an opinion on market share, i.e., like NetApplications does, one could say, with equal alacrity, if not hubris, that Windows has 46%, Linux 45%, Apple 5% and Others 4%..

That the majority of page hits are done by 18 million users of Windows XP and NT suggests a lot of curiosity, if not a desire, by those folks to find a different OS. But, 18M is only 8% of the 224 million PCs in use in the USA. Even so, it would be like all the PC users in Brazil looking for a replacement OS.

There is one OS that is noticeably missing from that listing of the various kinds of Windows users visiting DistroWatch. I find it unbelievable that NO users of Win8 visited that site, which is less than 41 users of Win3.x that visited that site. I see NT (3.5 & 4.0 ??), W2K and VISTA, but no Win8. There is something wrong with those statistics, considering all the complaints one reads about about when visiting Win8 help forms.

[SteveRiley]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

IF these statistics were used to form an opinion on market share, i.e., like NetApplications does, one could say, with equal alacrity, if not hubris, that Windows has 46%, Linux 45%, Apple 5% and Others 4%..

It's likely that Distrowatch's data will be skewed somewhat, given its audience

There is one OS that is noticeably missing from that listing of the various kinds of Windows users visiting DistroWatch. I find it unbelievable that NO users of Win8 visited that site, which is less than 41 users of Win3.x that visited that site. I see NT (3.5 & 4.0 ??), W2K and VISTA, but no Win8. There is something wrong with those statistics, considering all the complaints one reads about about when visiting Win8 help forms.

It's because of how Windows browsers report their user agents. "Windows NT" means any version of Windows built from NT, which includes XP, Vista, 7, and 8. Here's a list of the various platform tokens:

• XP 32-bit: Windows NT 5.1
• XP 64-bit, Server 2003: Windows NT 5.2
• Vista: Windows NT 6.0
• Win 7: Windows NT 6.1
• Win 8: Windows NT 6.2

My guess is that Distrowatch's reporting tool knows to translate "Windows NT 5.1" into Windows XP, but hasn't been updated to understand the others, so they're all lumped together as "Wndows NT."

[Detonate]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

Another take.

http://www.linuxinsider.com/rsstory/73750.html

[GreyGeek]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

.....

• XP 32-bit: Windows NT 5.1
• XP 64-bit, Server 2003: Windows NT 5.2
• Vista: Windows NT 6.0
• Win 7: Windows NT 6.1
• Win 8: Windows NT 6.2

My guess is that Distrowatch's reporting tool knows to translate "Windows NT 5.1" into Windows XP, but hasn't been updated to understand the others, so they're all lumped together as "Wndows NT."

Ah, that explains it. Thanks!

[craig10x]

Re: Is Unity driving its Ubuntu users towards kubuntu?

I have Ubuntu 11.10 installed for several weeks now and i love it...including Unity
After reading lots of hate stuff in the ubuntu forums and other places about it, i didn't think i'd like it but once i gave myself a chance
to get use to something a bit different, i really began to appreciate it...

Also, Ubuntu 11.10 is very smooth running, and has a very polished look with beautiful theming, fonts, etc....it's one of the nicest looking gnome systems i have seen...almost a nice as kde...and that really surprised me

A bit more customization would be nice....but i am sure that will come in time...it is very young after all...but i had checked it out in 11.04 and it's much better in 11.10...they have really smoothed it out quite a bit...