darxus | Ubuntu has seriously lost it

I just installed Ubuntu Quantal beta 2 (in a virtual machine), using their Unity user interface just long enough to reinstall the gnome classic UI (sudo apt-get install gnome-session-fallback), and trying to get to their GUI package manager, I type in "packages" (because they don't have a menu system to find programs anymore), and I get a screen full of CDs it wants me to buy.

I may actually need to stop using Ubuntu.

Opened a bug.

Screenshot.

I'm so angry I'm shaking.

This has been popping up NSFW images, which Ubuntu says they won't fix.

Slashdot discussion.
"When your chosen revenue generator removes value, users go elsewhere. And especially in an open source environment, you're fooling yourself if you think you can remove value and get away with it. Mint exists because many Ubuntu users perceived Canonical as removing value from Ubuntu by moving away from GNOME 2. If Mint didn't already exist, putting ads in Ubuntu would result in its creation tomorrow morning."

"What's that you say? Ubuntu: the darling of so many Linux fans only in third place? Yep. It's in third. Why? Well even though I like its relatively new Unity interface, a lot of other people really don't." - http://www.zdnet.com/the-5-most-popular-linux-distributions-7000003183/

I'm thinking either Mint (based on Ubuntu), or Debian (on which Ubuntu is based), both of which I have not used in a long time.

Update 2012-10-31: The EFF doesn't like it either: 'What EFF Wants From Ubuntu ... Disable "Include online search results" by default. ....'

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Well, that's a dismaying surprise. I've been on 10.04 as my desktop workhorse for two years, about to move to 12.04 and this is the first I've heard that Ubuntu is moving away from Gnome. Mostly I get my information from arstechnica.com and there's very little discussion of the Mint problems there.

Seems like it should be easy to revert to Gnome and avoid this issue ... is that right? That's what I plan to try, anyway.

Alt-tabbing between applications in the gnome classic session doesn't work: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-panel/+bug/971051

I really need to request that be added to the release notes for Precise.

And there are workarounds for that, mentioned in the bug. I haven't tried them.

But other than that, yes, it should be easy to revert to the gnome 2 desktop.

A big part of the problem is upstream dropped support for gnome 2 in favour of gnome shell, which is very similar to Unity.

What "Mint problems" are you referring to?

Mint is a linux distro that is based on Ubuntu that has been around for a long time, and apparently gained substantial popularity as a result of Ubuntu's Unity desktop replacing gnome 2. They have been maintaining a default desktop similar to gnome 2, called cinnamon. The gnome folks were looking for a new maintainer of gnome 2... I don't know why that didn't end up being Mint. It has ended up unfortunately fractured.

And for your title - as much as I disliked Unity, I tried to be understanding of them trying something new. Change is often good. Stagnation is bad. Maybe I just didn't get it, yet, or something. But the ads I really can't have anything to do with.

I tried Unity, myself, for something like 6 months or a year, maybe more. I just couldn't stand it, couldn't get used to it.

GNOME 3, on Fedora, really isn't any better. I like the fact that they brought Alt-` to cycle between just this application's windows, but I'm too used to Alt-Tab to cycle between all windows, not just switch between applications. And even if I forced myself to get used to it, I've still got to use Windows at work.

I'm currently running a Debian (testing) desktop. I installed Debian (stable), and it was great--none of the retardation I saw in Fedora--except for hardware support (sound, in particular). By the time I updated to testing, everything else was working great, but the sucky interface was back, and at some point I realized that was GNOME 3. Choosing "GNOME classic" in the display manager took care of that problem, but at this point, I still have to switch from nouveau to the official Nvidia drivers, as acceleration isn't working.

Don't even get me started on the Iceweasel bullshit. I was thinking I might switch back to Firefox, but when the Google folks make it so easy by providing a repository that I can just drop in place...

At this point, I'm seriously considering going back to Mint, or maybe Mint Debian Edition.

Ubuntu has seriously lost it

if it ain't broke, don't fix it

Re: if it ain't broke, don't fix it

no subject