Re: [orca-list] Looking for a good Windows-like Ubuntu

[Glenn <glennervin cableone net>]

Thanks Alex,
On the Mate, is that just an install into Ubuntu, or is that the complete 
distro?
Glenn
Original Message:

Usually, when people ask for "windows-like" this or that, they mean that 
they want the interface to resemble as closely as possible the one they are 
used to using.  Things like source code openness and underpinnings rarely 
come into it unless the person is a more advanced sort of user.  The biggest 
concern for most folks is finding something where they will have to make as 
few changes as possible to the way in which they perform day to day tasks. 
This is quite doable in Linux for a good many GUI-based packages.  This is 
the reason for the existence of things like Icewm, for instance.  Someone 
wanted a desktop environment that reminded them of Windows 95 but they 
wanted it in Linux.  The KDE folks have a windowsish interface which 
accounts for KDE's popularity in some corporate environments.  You reduce 
training costs significantly when you provide people with something that 
works similarly to Windows because there are fewer things for them to learn 
how to do.  It just sucks
 from an a11y standpoint if you're applying for a job somewhere where that 
desktop is the one in use and you depend on a screen reader.

Now then, to his question:

If the windows environment which you wish to come closest to is Windows XP, 
then something like Gnome-fallback, Gnome-classic, and Mate may give you 
what you need.  All the application menus are found in the application 
window itself, there is an analog to the start menu when you hit alt+f1, and 
there is a desktop analog which you can use to set up launchers to your 
frequently-used applications.  Nautilus has an interface which is quite easy 
to learn by someone coming from Windows Explorer and the System Settings 
area in use these days isn't too terribly dissimilar to the windows Control 
Panel for someone to experience a high learning curve.

Hope this helps,
Alex M