Unity is now the default shell interface used in Ubuntu 11.04, so Gnome is no more the default desktop on Ubuntu, but its applications are there. If you are using Ubuntu 10.10 (Maverick Meerkat) or 10.04 (Lucid Lynx), then you may want to try Unity Desktop (shell). Unity has a lot of new and exciting features- so you must give it a try, if you don’t like it, then just come back to your favorite desktop – Gnome (2.3 or 3.0, Try Gnome 3 on Ubuntu 10.10-10.04) or KDE. Unity has a nice left panel bar, a launcher for your favorite Apps. Unity was first shipped with the Notebook edition (Now, desktop and notebook edition has been merged together, in version 11.04) of Ubuntu.
If you are using Ubuntu 10.10/10.04 for experimental purpose, then you can also try Ubuntu 11.04; on the other hand, just install Unity , with existing desktops like Gnome 2.3 or 3.0 or KDE. This post will explain, how to install Unity shell on Ubuntu 10.10 / 10.04 from command line (Don’t be panic, it’s a simple command, you just need to copy the command from this post and paste in terminal) /Shell.
Features of Unity
- it’s simple to use
- it has beautiful look and icons
- Unity is specifically optimized for small and touch devices
- A lot of 3D effects is enabled by default
Installing Unity on Ubuntu 10.10 – 10.04
Open Terminal (Hit CTRL+ALT+T) and type the following command(s), (followed by your login password; then enter yes, when you get an confirmation message).
sudo apt-get install unity
That’s All..Now, logout from the current session and select Unity desktop/shell at login prompt, and login again. Enjoy ..ubuntu with Unity..Let me know if you got any error while installing Unity, through comments.