GNOME.org
 

Re: [orca-list] BREAKING NEWS: UBUNTU SCRAPPING GNOME IN VERSION 11.04!

I agree that this is a serious concern. I always thought that at some point that Ubuntu would become a 
commercial product, after all it's good enough and having a none GPL desktop manager like Unity would mean 
they could stick to the original promise of Ubuntu always being free - but no-one else would then be able to 
use, modify or distribute anything with the Unity desktop. So for me that would mean I couldn't base Vinux on 
Ubuntu - unless I remove the Unity desktop (which I might have done anyway) or they allow people to 
distribute it - in which case there would be no point copyrighting it. Presumably the argument from Ubuntu 
would be that the Unity desktop is what differenciates them from other distros and letting people modify it 
may harm their brand - the same reason you can't use their logos or name etc. I don't think this move would 
be morally wrong, and commercially it makes sense - they could then compete with Apple and Windows on 
portable devices, netbooks and pda's etc. This would be a return on Shuttleworth's investment and it would 
presumably massively boost the number of Linux users around the world. But from an accessibility point of 
view this means we will now be trying to keep up with a multi-touch (3D?) interface, or trying to turn it off 
etc. This may just be an over-reaction - because maybe Canonical's intentions are benign and Luke Yelvich has 
been seconded into the Unity team specially to get the accessibility sorted, so it may have a happy ending - 
but I always feel where money is involved bad things tend to happen. Maybe I am just cynical, Ubuntu has done 
a massive amount to boost the credibility of Linux as a desktop distro and we should turn or backs on them 
before we know the actual implications if any for accessibility and the licences etc.

drbongo
________________________________________
From: orca-list-bounces gnome org [orca-list-bounces gnome org] On Behalf Of Bryen M. Yunashko [suserocks 
bryen com]
Sent: 28 October 2010 10:39
To: orca-list gnome org
Subject: Re: [orca-list] BREAKING NEWS: UBUNTU SCRAPPING GNOME IN VERSION 11.04!

I respect any distro's right to choose their direction, and certainly
Ubuntu has done the same.

What concerns me about Canonical's decision to go with Unity is that
they are requesting that any contributions to Unity development be given
the copyrights to Canonical.  To say that this is a concern is an
undertatement for me, as people need to understand that if they wish to
contribute to accessibility and maintain freedom and copyrights, it
needs to be done directly through GNOME accessibility for which then
Ubuntu can "use" the software.  But if you contribute to Unity for
accessibility instead, then your work becomes the property of Canonical.

Bryen

On Thu, 2010-10-28 at 01:30 -0700, Rob Lambert wrote:

This comes from Linux for Devices:

The "Unity" user interface that debuted in Ubuntu 10.10's Netbook
Edition will be standard on the next version of the Ubuntu Desktop
Edition as well. Ubuntu Desktop 11.04 will replace the Linux
distribution's default GNOME desktop environment in favor of the
multitouch-enabled Unity interface, says Ubuntu sponsor Canonical.

Making the announcement at a keynote Oct. 25 at Ubuntu Developer
Summit in Orlando, Fla., Mark Shuttleworth, Canonical’s founder, said
Ubuntu Desktop 11.04 will swap out the GNOME user interface in favor
of the Unity interface that is now available on the Ubuntu Netbook
Edition (UNE).

"We conceived some work a time ago focused on netbooks that we want to
bring to desktops," Shuttleworth said.

Canonical introduced Unity, the multitouch interface, this month with
Ubuntu 10.10 ("Maverick Meerkat") UNE. Unity gives users 3D graphics
support and better touchscreen enablement. The desktop/laptop version
of Ubuntu 10.10 still has the long-standing GNOME 2.2 interface by
default.






GNOME Shell is the latest interface being developed for GNOME 3.0. It
was delayed to spring 2011 because it wasn't ready. With Canonical
shifting to Unity, GNOME Shell will not be the default when completed.
GNOME would continue to be used as Unity's framework; it’s just the
shell that wouldn't be visible, said Shuttleworth.

"Unity is a shell for GNOME even if it isn't GNOME Shell. We're
committed to the principles and values of GNOME," said Shuttleworth.

Canonical has been maintaining two default user interfaces for Ubuntu
for a while now. The desktop distribution has the familiar tiled
interface reminiscent of Windows, while UNE, formerly called the
Netbook Remix, has a more streamlined look.

This shift consolidates the operating system squarely behind one
default interface instead of maintaining two different looks. It will
likely be more attractive for PC manufacturers considering selling
Ubuntu desktops and laptops.

Dell supports this shift, Canonical said. Other OEM manufacturers have
expressed interest in Ubuntu, said Canonical, and supporting a single
user interface across all hardware platforms is a more attractive
option.

The Unity interface has a new application dock and launch bar,
multitouch use of applications, and less clutter of the screen space.
It will accept input via screen hand, mouse, and trackpad. Unity will
be the default desktop experience for "users that have the appropriate
software and hardware," Shuttleworth said.

Users interested in Unity will need hardware that is modern enough to
handle 3D-based graphics. Users running Ubuntu on older machines will
still have to switch to the GNOME interface with its 2D graphics.






The "fairly substantial shift" in the interface "is a significant,
risky step. It will throw people's confidence," said Shuttleworth
during the keynote. He said it was a necessary move because the
current iteration of the GNOME shell did not match Canonical’s vision
of how applications should be displayed on Ubuntu Desktop.

The team behind GNOME had made some technical decisions in how it used
GL graphics and 3D that "we found it difficult aligning to,"
Shuttleworth said. "We took a divergent view on some key design issues
-- where the application should appear, how one searches for
applications and how the applications should be presented -- they
weren't embraced by the designs in the GNOME shell," he said.

While the announcement came as a surprise to programmers and users,
the prevailing attitude appeared to be wait-and-see, as reflected by
an on-going poll on Ubuntu Forums. Asking "GNOME Shell or Unity?"
GNOME Shell was in the lead, with 37 percent. It was not a decisive
lead, as Unity was preferred by 29 percent, and 27 percent said,
"Anything that works."

While some users on various online forums worried about yet another
competitor for GNOME, others pointed out that Linux is infinitely
customizable and it's just a matter of "apt-get install" to slap on a
new interface. There seemed to be a general consensus that GNOME
looked outdated compared to KDE and Xfce, which are other popular
interfaces. Unity was more modern, in comparison.

In the Ubuntu Forums poll, 6 percent claimed they didn’t use GNOME
anyway. Some users pointed out that Canonical's goal has always been
about delivering a simple and easy to use interface for Linux.

"When GNOME served that purpose, Canonical used it," posted a user on
Ubuntu Forums. "When GNOME stops serving that purpose as well as Unity
or any other desktop does, the default desktop should be whatever
serves that overall purpose: Simplicity and ease of use."

Ubuntu has a lot of work to do around windows management on Unity
before it's ready for the desktop, said Shuttleworth. On the netbook,
there is only one application in the foreground at a time, but that is
not the case on a desktop. Users can set up multiple screens and be
able to see all the contents at the same time.

For desktop and laptop users, the new Ubuntu Unity will default
multiple windows and a multi-foreground interface. For netbook users,
Unity will continue to default to a single window with a single
foreground application.

Availability

Unity is expected with the next release of Ubuntu 11.04 desktop, or
"Natty Narwhal," in April 2011.

An Oct. 14 Canonical blog by Gerry Carr on Unity and its "uTouch"
multitouch technology, with video demonstrations, may be found here.


_______________________________________________
orca-list mailing list
orca-list gnome org
http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list
Visit http://live.gnome.org/Orca for more information on Orca.
The manual is at http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/nightly/ats-2.html
The FAQ is at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Netiquette Guidelines are at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/NetiquetteGuidelines
Log bugs and feature requests at http://bugzilla.gnome.org
Find out how to help at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/HowCanIHelp



_______________________________________________
orca-list mailing list
orca-list gnome org
http://mail.gnome.org/mailman/listinfo/orca-list
Visit http://live.gnome.org/Orca for more information on Orca.
The manual is at http://library.gnome.org/users/gnome-access-guide/nightly/ats-2.html
The FAQ is at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions
Netiquette Guidelines are at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/FrequentlyAskedQuestions/NetiquetteGuidelines
Log bugs and feature requests at http://bugzilla.gnome.org
Find out how to help at http://live.gnome.org/Orca/HowCanIHelp
[Date Prev][Date Next]   [Thread Prev][Thread Next]   [Thread Index] [Date Index] [Author Index]