Ubuntu 11.10

[mike0liver]

I recently "upgraded" to Ubuntu 11.10 and can no longer find my way around it or acess my programs or manage my system (e.g. uninstall unwanted software). I was using Version 8 and upgraded to V 9, then didn't use my laptop for a while until I recently installed 11.10 from a disk I was given. Nothing seems to be where it should.

How can I get back to the old setup?

Cheers,

Mike

[ajgreeny]

You would need to reinstall the old system, I'm afraid. There is no going back in any simple manner.

However, you could always add another DE such as KDE or XFCE4 to the current 11.10 system and then choose that from the login screen. The old gnome2 desktop has now gone and is not likely to be available at all very soon, so you will need to consider another DE if you can't manage unity.

Try

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install xfce4

for a minimal install of the xfce4 desktop, or

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

if you would rather add everything that is in xubuntu, as opposed to just the DE itself.

[mike0liver]

Thanks for the quick reply. I'm afraid I am no sort of "techy" - my knowledge of Linux in general and Ubuntu in particular is simply that of a user who got fed up with Microsoft. I've no special wish to return to one of the old incarnations of Ubuntu but I would like to have some clue how to use the V 11.10 GUI. Before installing it, I foolishly assumed it would look and work roughly the same as the previous versions.

Your suggestions might well solve my problem if:
1) I could find out how to access a command line interface to input the code you provide
2) I knew what DEs, KDEs and XFCE4 were
3) I knew what installing "everything" in xubuntu entailed

Is xubuntu another incarnation of ubuntu or something completely different? Is there somewhere I can look at xubuntu before I rush off down another blind alley?[/list]

[towy71]

1) I could find out how to access a command line interface to input the code you provide

press Alt+F2 and type xterm then press enter

2) I knew what DEs, KDEs and XFCE4 were

DE means Desktop Environment and KDE, XFCE are examples of them

3) I knew what installing "everything" in xubuntu entailed

Is xubuntu another incarnation of ubuntu or something completely different? Is there somewhere I can look at xubuntu before I rush off down another blind alley?

Xubuntu is Ubuntu with XFCE DE

http://www.xfce.org/about/screenshots

[mike0liver]

Thanks again for the explanations. Whilst I was waiting, I took a decision. I found a copy of ubuntu linux 10.04 on disk from a magazine. I also had a recovery disk from the original installation so I decided to roll the laptop back to its original configuration and then decide whether to move on to 10.04 after seeing whatever you might say in response to my simplistic questions.

It was a joy to see the old desktop back again and I'm now going to ask you what I think will be the last question of this topic: In your opinion, should I take the plunge with 10.04 or just upgrade to the last version where the old style desktop is available?

Thanks for all your help.

Mike

[nelz]

Neither. Running an old version will become increasingly insecure and difficult. If you don't like Ubuntu's choice of desktop, use a different distro - like Mint or Fedora.

[mike0liver]

It looks like there is a bit of Microsoft emulation going on here: "if you don't like it, go somewhere else". Never thought I'd encounter that attitude in the Linux world. What reassurance do I have that I'll like either Mint or Fedora or that they won't eventually change to something I don't like after I've switched?

I'll persevere with upgrading to Ubuntu Version 10.04 and see what I think. What's is it about Xubuntu's DE that you think might make it preferable to the Ubuntu one?

Sorry - I thought your last response might resolve things for me but it seems I must keep up with the race and not get to feeling comfortable with anything that might strike the tecchies as "old hat" - that's not Red Hat, but Old hat )

Cheers,

Mike

[towy71]

It looks like there is a bit of Microsoft emulation going on here: "if you don't like it, go somewhere else". Never thought I'd encounter that attitude in the Linux world.

It isn't like that at all, it is just that there are many different Desktop Environments and different distributions use ones;-)

What reassurance do I have that I'll like either Mint or Fedora or that they won't eventually change to something I don't like after I've switched?

We can't give any assurances that they won't mess up what you've got used to, but you can always add any number of DEs. I presume that you like the old paradigm of an easily identifiable menu etc.? Well Mint is a spinoff of Ubuntu that tries to maintain that, they say "Mint12 is like Ubuntu used to be, but better" http://www.linuxmint.com/rel_lisa_whatsnew.php

As nelz said using that old version of Ubuntu is not a good option as support for it is now coming to an end, best use an up to date distro

[thenudehamster]

There are several flavours of Linux based on Ubuntu, but not using the default Unity interface; personally, I like the interface but not the severely restricted colour scheme which is pretty depressing. I can't think of any offhand which still use Gnome 2 which was the standard up to U9.10 IIRC.

LXF did put a version of Ubuntu 11.0 with the new Gnome 3 DE on one of the recent coverdisks; you might like to try that. There's also Mint; Mint 12 was on a recent disk too. That uses a customised version of Gnome, but there's also the new Cinnamon desktop available on their repository; it's different way of presenting things in a similar way to Gnome 2 but using more efficient techniques - at least that's what they say. I can't tell any difference in speed against Unity, but it is a much brighter and cheerful interface which is now standard on one of my laptops (which also has Unity, Gnome and KDE, which shows how versatile Linux is).

As for the Microsoft 'like or lump it' thought, it's not that way at all. Linux, being open and free, enables anyone to customise it in whichever way suits them. So, if you're not happy with Unity on Ubuntu, install something else. The basic operating system remains the same; all you're changing is the way you interact with it.

[nelz]

It looks like there is a bit of Microsoft emulation going on here: "if you don't like it, go somewhere else".

Not at all. In fact it is the opposite of Microsoft as there are so many choices of distro. If you don't like one, try another.

What reassurance do I have that I'll like either Mint or Fedora or that they won't eventually change to something I don't like after I've switched?

None at all, just like everything else in life. The key difference is that it costs you nothing to try the alternatives. Nor is there anything else stopping you having more than one distro installed at once.

Unity is Ubuntu's baby, Fedora won't be using it and Mint have stated pretty much the same. Even if they do change to something you like, there are plenty of other distros out there - you are never locked in to picking one distro and sticking with it.

Sorry - I thought your last response might resolve things for me but it seems I must keep up with the race and not get to feeling comfortable with anything that might strike the tecchies as "old hat" - that's not Red Hat, but Old hat )

As a "techie", I certainly don't consider the alternatives to
unity old hat, I don't like Unity myself. Don't restrict your options just because you used a particular distro before, try alternatives and use what suits you. Change your system to suit you, not the other way round.

[wyliecoyoteuk]

All you really need to do is install gnome3 using synaptic (you may have to install synaptic using the software centre), then select "Gnome Classic" at the login screen, and it will be pretty close to what you had before.

[mike0liver]

I installed 10.04 and that sorted out my problem. I can find what I want, adjust my system parameters and generally enjoy Linux again.

Thanks to everyone for helping me on this.

Mike