Comment 91 for bug 882274

@Reuben

Again and again people forget the "other Ubuntus": Kubuntu, Xubuntu, and -- hopefully soon -- Lubuntu. They are very much supported by the Ubuntu project and by Mark personally. It's curious that when people are disappointed by Unity they turn not to the "other Ubuntus" but to other operating systems entirely.

What is the conclusion? Apparently, supporting alternative "official" Ubuntus is not working well. Either the community doesn't care for these, appreciate them, or just has very low expectations (after being burned by the "main" Ubuntu) and won't give them a chance.

The Ubuntu project may need to do a better job at raising the profiles of these. But, even the ability to use GNOME Shell instead of Unity is often overlooked, and it's right in the box. So, what's the problem?

I tend to think about usability problems in the simplest terms. What would work for me is this: when you turn on your Ubuntu computer, and are ready to login, you are greeted with this screen:

"Welcome to Ubuntu!

Ubuntu comes with several desktop experiences to match the diverse needs of its community of users. You need to pick one now, but know that you can always logout and try a different one. We recommend trying them all, and welcome your feedback on each.

* Unity: If you don't know where to start, try this! It's polished, fuss-free, and can satisfy those who prefer the mouse and also those who prefer the keyboard. Unity does its best to stay out of your way and keep you focused on your work and play. Unity is currently a work in progress, but millions of users consider it done. Please let us know how we can improve it! Note that at this time Unity has limited support for multiple monitor setups.

* XFCE: A friendly variation of the classic desktop. Recommended if you've used computers for years and don't want to change your habits.

* KDE: The most advanced integrated desktop environment in the world. Enough said!

* LXDE: Another lean and mean variation of the classic desktop, optimized for older computers. Also recommended for users seeking the most lightweight desktop.

* GNOME Shell: Another innovative attempt to simplify the desktop paradigm. Very mouse-friendly.

Check this box [x] if you don't want to see this message again. You can always click on [button] to select a different desktop experience when you login."

Of course, I don't expect the base Ubuntu install to include all desktops, but it shouldn't be hard to install them off the Internet when the user selects them. All flavors of Ubuntu could come with this welcome screen, whatever their base desktop experience is.

It's not too easy to accomplish: right now, the desktop meta-packages also pull in a lot of default apps (browsers, word processors, games, etc.), which would make it far too heavy to easily switch. So, there need to be simpler meta-packages that only install the shell and let you keep the apps you are already are using. This will mean more work to maintain them. But, I would suggest that maintaining these packages might be a better idea than maintaining separate "other Ubuntus" officially.

If Ubuntu can deliver such an experience, and make sure that each of the desktops maintains high standards (with consistent Ambience and Radiance themes?), then I don't see why anybody would ever dream of *not* using Ubuntu. For reals.