maladroit4u

Ubuntu and the Leap

2013-04-07

There has been a lot of controversy surrounding Ubuntu and Canonical's choices lately. When the GNU/Linux distribution switched to using the Unity desktop environment, many longtime Ubuntu users were very unhappy. Users complained that GNOME 2 (the previous environment) provided more control for power users. They insisted that all of the setting options were being taken away. A lot of them moved to other distros.

I moved away from Ubuntu partly as a result of these changes. Now, looking back, I see that the changes to Ubuntu are not a ploy to ruin the distro. They're signs of the leap that Ubuntu is making. Canonical doesn't want Ubuntu to be known as a "Linux distro", but as a ubiquitous computing environment, a la Windows at the peak of its market share. And that's okay.

We shouldn't brandish pitchforks and punish Ubuntu. These changes are simply points on Ubuntu's trajectory to bring GNU/Linux to mainstream usage. It may not be best for seasoned Linux veterans that want every setting and tweak at their fingertips (myself included) or those that want to be "cool" and "indie" about with their computers. If you don't like it then switch to a different distro! Just don't be so negative about it. Complaining doesn't help anyone.

Ubuntu's changes are a good thing for personal computers in general, giving everyone more than just 1 or 2 choices for their desktop. These changes put Ubuntu out there as an alternative to Windows and Mac OS. And you can't argue that it wasn't Ubuntu's goal from the beginning.