On Upgrading to Ubuntu 12.04

I suppose, given enough time, and given some effort on my part, I could learn to tolerate the Unity theme adopted by the newer releases of Ubuntu. And I suppose, given enough time and considerable effort on my part, I could learn to tolerate Gnome 3, and run the new Ubuntu 12.04 release with the “gnome-classic” theme. I suppose. I suppose.
Yet, what the folks at Ubuntu and Gnome refer to as the “gnome-classic” theme is so far removed from the Gnome 2 look and feel, I think it is a fantastic leap of imagination to call Gnome 3 “classic!!” Yet, I suppose I could learn to tolerate either of them. I stop well short of suggesting that I would ever like either of them, given my current state of mind. And, although the Mate project seems to be very promising, “promising” is the key word, here. Yes, it is very promising, but it has a long way to go to achieve the genuine Gnome 2 “classic” look and feel.
But I ask myself, “Why should I try to learn to tolerate something simply because it is new?” “New,” by definition, does not equate to “better!” “New” is simply “different.” The comparative terms are completely subjective. And, in my admittedly subjective opinion, better simply does not apply to either Unity, nor to Gnome 3. And, as I said, Mate simply shows promise.
It has been suggested that I am being somewhat trivial by rejecting Unity, Gnome 3, or Mate just because I don't happen to like the differences between them and Gnome 2. But, consider my perspective. I am nearly 70. I have dressed and worn my hair pretty much the same way for 55 years or so, except for occasional temporary flings into some new trend, always to return to the style which was comfortable for me.
Upon leaving the world of Microsoft for the world of Linux, my first exposure was with the Gnome Desktop on Red Hat 9. I tinkered a bit with KDE, but always left feeling that it was just too “klunky” for my tastes. I mean absolutely no offense to the folks at KDE by that. There is no accounting for individual, personal tastes. Those who adore the KDE Desktop environment feel just as strongly about Gnome as I do about KDE. No offense! That's just the way it is.
So, after 7 + years of the Gnome 2 Desktop, it is just comfortable. It is MY computer. It is, therefor, MY choice which operating system to run on, and MY choice regarding the look and feel of the desktop. So, why should I put forth any effort at all trying to learn to tolerate, if not like, the new themes?
But, Ubuntu 11.04 will no longer be supported after October 2012, and Gnome 2 is no longer supported by any distribution since about October or December of 2011. All of the major distributions have adopted the Gnome 3 desktop. If I choose to stay with Gnome 2, I will have to surrender any possibility of upgrading my system to anything newer than what I have. This leads me to question, what, if anything, would the newer releases offer me that I don't already have with Ubuntu 11.04?
Libre Office (Open Office) can be upgraded independently of the operating system, as can Virtual Box, Firefox, Thunderbird, and Cross Over Office. All can be upgraded independently of the operating system. In addition, I can compile my own Linux Kernels from Kernel.Org, and, in my opinion, they actually perform better than the modified kernels supplied by Ubuntu. However, if I should experience a catastrophe, such as a hard disk failure, I could be in a position of being unable to recover to my trusty Gnome 2. It would behoove me, therefor, to be certain that I always keep a complete and up-to-date backup of everything. I already do this almost fanatically, but I must be certain to continue with it.
At some point in the future, perhaps Gnome 3 will give back some of the adaptability and ability to customize which were removed, namely with the panels. Or, perhaps, Mate will have evolved to more nearly match the look and feel of Gnome 2. Or, perhaps, just as likely, this old carcass will finally give it up, and all of this will be moot!
Until then, I'll happily putter along with what I have. After all, my 53 Chevy never did quit running. The floor boards just rusted out to the point that I feared the seats would fall though to the pavement. No rust to worry about with Ubuntu 11.04, just tired hard drives and weakening power supplies.

owa

Debian will support Gnome 2 at least one year after the next version is released (which will be likely in 2013). Red Hat Enterprise Linux (also supporting Gnome 2), and therefore its free derivatives CentOS and Scientific Linux, ends the life cycle for the current version in 2020. So if you really want to stay with Gnome you can do it.
If you for what ever reason want to stick with Ubuntu you also can change to XFCE, which IMHO is a much better replacement for Gnome 2 than Gnome 3 Classic.