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On Mon, 3 Jan 2011 13:09:03 +0000 Roland Tarver wrote: > http://www.h-online.com/open/features/Ubuntu-and-the-price-of-Unity-1156110.html > > Canonical's decision to go with the Unity shell on GNOME may be a game > changer for Ubuntu, but it doesn't come without risk. Mark > Shuttleworth's declared aims are to unite design with free software. > He hopes to blur the line between the web and the desktop, to create > an intuitive Linux desktop that is a thing of beauty, and to make > Ubuntu and free software popular among the kinds of user who have > never heard of free software before. > > ... I have to say a don't like the look of unity too much; but it > certainly looks real easy for non-geeks. Which is probably a very good > thing when trying to increase Linux use within the general populous? > > roly :-) The thing is, non-geeks will still have had some level of exposure to "other" operating systems (two of them beginning with a W and with an M respectively). Look at what has happened to systems that have gone down the same (or similar) route to Unity - I'm thinking Linpus on netbooks. How many people came away with a netbook running Linpus thinking "wow... this system is so easy to use and blows away anything else that's out there?". What I don't understand with the whole Unity thing is what the problem is. So Canonical are developing a new graphical environment and releasing it as L/GPLv3 licensed software. I don't seem to recall there being a big hoo-har over other such environments. Yes, there was an initial problem of licensing with QT/KDE, but Unity is L/GPLed - where's the issue? Yes there's the issue with Unity and Gnome Shell being pretty similar - and personally I think Unity will be the first nail in Canonincal's Ubuntu coffin - but is it really that much of a problem? I just don't geddit. Grant. -- The Mailing List for the Devon & Cornwall LUG http://mailman.dclug.org.uk/listinfo/list FAQ: http://www.dcglug.org.uk/listfaq