Ubuntu 11.04 Natty Narwal
Pros & Cons of Unity Desktop!!!
We have been waiting for a change in the Linux Desktop world to change the game for a while and Ubuntu 11.04 is one of those answers that we were waiting for. The new Ubuntu is coming with a new desktop environment called “Unity”. It is taking the good sides of of both Mac OS X and Windows 7 and adding some of its own. Right now Ubuntu 11.04 is quite unstable and it is in beta release, but those are not stopping us to keep our hopes high. However those hopes can turn in to bitterness and disappointment in a blink of an eye if the developers and Canonical won’t consider some facts. Of course here are things that I consider revolutionary too and it is still a little early to point fingers.
Below you will find Pros and Cons of the new Ubuntu according to my own judgement.
Cons
Customization of Docks
Yes I know that Unity is still in beta phase and needs some time but customization is a key factor for Linux operating systems. Right now there is no way to customize the docks. Users can not change the location of the dock or change its size. Also it is not possible to get rid of the trash bin or the short cuts -Applications, Files & Folders. It is not possible to add Folders to the dock. You can not place the apps centered or any other way than how it is. One of the things that I was hoping was to group applications in a dock folder but thats not possible yet.
Unity bar
The Unity bar is simply does not work yet as intended. It is useless to have unity bar for instance if you use Libre Office or chrome since the options are in the window itself. As far as I see there is no way to add custom apps to the unity bar as it was previously with gnome.
Evolution & GWibber
Seriously why on earth Ubuntu is stuck to Evolution? I can say that Evolution mail is one of the worst applications that I have ever used. It is unproductive to use it. Besides being ugly it is also very difficult for an basic user to set an account. A user should not be required to click multiple times until setting the e-mail client. A lot of users now days using Yahoo mail or Gmail, how difficult could be to do it in one step. Canonical has to give a decision to create their own application or go with Mozilla’s products if not some other application.
About Gwibber It is simply ugly. It has many buttons on the left that does not makes any sense and crashes a lot. Please people choose something that I would enjoy to use instead of something that I regret to. Also something that actually works.
I know you can say the choice is yours, I can change to whatever I want and whenever I want. How ever I shouldn’t need to feel like that. Choice is something but getting irritated is something else.
Desktop Effects
I was trying for a while to change the desktop effects like I used to do with Gnome the result is “failure”. I don’t know if it is because beta version or they will not include at all. I hope there will be a way to modify the desktop effects rather than compiz.
System Settings
The system settings now is under Power Button, which is a little weird. I guess I just need to get used to it but maybe they should change the place, for instance it can be under the Ubuntu logo at right side.
Full screen
I guess they took this idea from Windows 7. When you drag the window to the top, the screen gets a little red and when you release the window it becomes full screen. The dock on the right disappears and unity bar becomes the frame for the window. I would prefer that when I drag the window it wont give the option to go full screen on me. Maybe some other guys prefer it like this.
Workspace Switcher
There is one problem with workspaces. You can’t add more workspaces. It is not really a big problem, since by default you have 4 workspaces, however I might sometimes want to have more workspaces. Maybe I wasn’t able to find it or maybe it isn’t implemented yet.
Pros
Unity Dock
Finally some innovation (considering to old Gnome). You can access the files, applications and system preferences from the dock, which is cool. As far as I understood, you can add lots of apps and scroll the dock upwards and downwards. It is not for me but I can understand if people actually like it.
Search
The search actually works nicely. When you click the Super-Key (Windows-Key) The user gets an option to make a search or lunch a file directly from the pane.
Ubuntu Software Center
This little application is very promising. Ubuntu Software Center isn’t new in Ubuntu 11.04, but it is worth mentioning. There is one new feature though. Now you can buy applications (or sell) from the Ubuntu Software Center. Thats awesome. I hope the software developers would see the opportunity and contribute. Currently there is only one item for sale -which is a game for $2.99. Sell your things people. Little advice, it would be wise to work on the Ubuntu Software Centers design features and make it a little more tempting.
Applications & File Browser
it is simply good. All the applications are centralized and easy to reach. Apps are sorted according to the users behavior. If there are items that a user uses often, that item is visible when ever you click Applications Browser, makes it very convenient to use. Ubuntu makes it easy to see the installed applications and also the applications that you might be interested to install. Thats awesome. No other operating system does that. Revolutionary.
Files Browser also shows what has been recently added/downloaded or used. You can also right click on them to see the files or applications categorically.
System Settings
This is something which is well thought. All of the system settings are gathered in one window makes the administration of the OS much easier. The person can see the items categorically, makes it easy to find what you are looking for. The only down point is that they have been putting system settings under the power button. It would be wiser to put it under Ubuntu button or find some other place for it.
Workspace Switcher
With Ubuntu 11.04 Workspace selector gets more effective. The user will have his/her spaces dived into 4 when Workspace Switcher clicked. It is really nice to be able to see all you applications at once and actually select the workspace that you would like to work with the application, or move your applications from one workspace to another. Nice job!
Over all nice job. Some adjustments and it will be ready to go. If you have any comments, suggestions, ideas that you would like to share, email me.