[Discuss] The next Linux desktop: Ubuntu 12.04

[Tom Metro]

A more in-depth review.
 -Tom


Is Ubuntu 12.04 a Linux Game Changer?

With improvements in Unity, the upcoming Ubuntu release has much to
recommend it.

http://www.datamation.com/open-source/is-ubuntu-12.04-a-linux-game-changer-1.html

...Unity was a neat idea that needed more time to develop.

With Ubuntu 12.04 just around the corner, I was shocked to discover that
Unity now offers a stable and configurable desktop experience.

Power savings

As the kernel stands now in older Linux releases, the power consumption
for notebooks is abysmal. ... Thankfully, this may become less of an
issue due to the new Linux kernel bundled with Ubuntu 12.04. Considering
that all of the great features in the world mean very little when a
notebook loses a lot of its battery life quickly, I'd call this perfect
timing.
...

Making Unity usable

A major hangup I had with Unity out of the box was the lack of
customization that was possible. Recently, though, I've discovered
something wonderful called MyUnity. ... By offering this access to the
Unity underpinnings, I finally feel like I'm the one running Unity
rather than the other way around!

Additionally Unity will now come with the keys to control what shows up
in the launcher, as well as the colors used, transparency in various
areas of the desktop, enable/disable available apps in the dash, plus so
much more.
...

Dual monitor support remains questionable

One area that I disagree with most people is the belief that Unity has
finally dealt with dual-monitor issues. While there are reports of
success in tackling issues within the global menu, the fact that panel
indicators still appear in both monitors is just silly.
...

After weighing out the good with the bad, I think that I will continue
to push myself into using Unity a little bit more. Nothing listed above
would be problematic enough to prevent me from using it, as the Unity
desktop is now faster and more responsive than in the past.

This isn't to say that I'm going to give up on other desktop
environments, rather that I'm willing to spend more time adapting to
what Unity has to offer.
...