What distributions are like ubuntu, but don't use the hated gnome 3 interface?

virtuousmachine · 12-04-2011, 05:17 PM

I am going to create a multi-boot laptop, and I want to include Windows 7, inferno, freeBSD, and we were originally going to include Ubuntu, but feel as though it would be a bad idea because of its notoriously bad interface. Is there a stable, good distribution of Linux, like ubuntu, that does not use the gnome 3 interface?

jhwilliams · 12-04-2011, 05:19 PM

Well, Debian.

snowday · 12-04-2011, 05:38 PM

What about KDE, Xfce, or LXDE?

TobiSGD · 12-04-2011, 05:42 PM

You can use any DE on Ubuntu (by the way, Ubuntu uses Unity by default, not Gnome 3), so there is no pint in not using Ubuntu just because of the DE.

jhwilliams · 12-04-2011, 06:01 PM

@TobiSGD: valid comment, but note that there is not an official backport of Gnome 2.x for recent Ubuntu releases (that I am aware of.) So in practice, using a different DE is non-trivial, and switching to a different distribution is the faster path to success. Myself, I'm sitting with Gnome 3 eating my humble pie until someone else does the work.

@snowpine: KDE4 is seemingly just as ill received as Gnome 3.x, so Kubuntu is out. Xfce and LXDE are probably closer solutions, but would still probably feel like a step backward to someone coming from Gnome 2.x.

TobiSGD · 12-04-2011, 10:51 PM

If you want to have Gnome 2 then you have to go with one of the distros with long term support: Debian, RHEL and derivations, Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, or you try Mint 12, it comes with MATE and a Gnome 3 that comes closest to Gnome 2.

JimBrewster · 12-13-2011, 01:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jhwilliams

KDE4 is seemingly just as ill received as Gnome 3.x, so Kubuntu is out.

Have you tried it, or is this based on what you've read/heard? A nice thing about linux is choice. When I get tired of KDE I can switch over to XFCE or LXDE. When I'm really tired of point-and-click, it's time for RatPoison!

You can always test-drive [A-z]ubuntu on a LiveCD, but keep in mind performance will be much better in the HD install.

fair_is_fair · 12-15-2011, 12:30 AM

Don't like Unity or gnome 3. Why not install gnome-shell in ubuntu and use gnome classic? Gives you the nice new gnome with the (almost)classic interface we all love. And you can still dabble with gnome 3 and unity. You can enjoy all the software and convenience ubuntu has to offer.

DavidMcCann · 12-15-2011, 12:03 PM

If you like Ubuntu, you will like Mint. But if you want a stable system with more than a year of support, look at CentOS, Mepis, SalineOS, Salix, or Vector.

sgosnell · 12-15-2011, 12:11 PM

The OP seems to be actually asking about Gnome2, not other desktop environments. Pretty much all the available distros offer different desktop environments, such as xfce, lxde, kde, etc. Xfce is actually very much like gnome2, but not quite the same. Debian Squeeze still uses gnome2, and Ubuntu is a fork of Debian. If you really want gnome2, then Debian Squeeze is a good choice. Note, though, that Debian Wheezy (Testing) and Sid (Unstable) already come with gnome3, and Squeeze has older software versions, not the latest. What I did was stay with Debian Sid, but abandon Gnome and go with xfce. I'm not so much opposed to the gnome3 interface, but it runs so slowly that I just couldn't use it.

dugan · 12-15-2011, 12:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by virtuousmachine

Is there a stable, good distribution of Linux, like ubuntu, that does not use the gnome 3 interface?

Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Lubuntu?

oldlord · 12-15-2011, 12:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DavidMcCann

Bjut if you want a stable system with more than a year of support, look at CentOS, Mepis, SalineOS, Salix, or Vector.

Why dont try opensuse 12.1 ? You'll be surprised

Ion Silverbolt · 12-16-2011, 10:08 AM

Just use Xubuntu. If for some reason you miss some of the Gnome extras, you can still install them from the software center. Nautilus works just fine in Xfce for example, as well as other Gnome apps.

beachboy2 · 12-16-2011, 11:23 AM

Code:

Why don't you try opensuse 12.1 ? You'll be surprised.

You certainly will, if Dedoimedo's recent reviews of 12.1 are anything to go by:

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/o...-high-end.html

http://www.dedoimedo.com/computers/o...1-low-end.html

He comments, “I think it's fair to say this is the worst release in the last five years”.

I currently use Ubuntu 10.04 LTS, using Gnome 2, and it suits my needs perfectly as a desktop user. Support for 10.04 LTS will end in April 2013, so I have plenty of time to test several possible desktop replacements (excluding all OSs which use Unity or Gnome 3, which simply make my life a lot more difficult by slowing me down).
Kubuntu, Xubuntu and Linux Mint Debian Edition (with Xfce) have all been tested on a spare PC and currently LMDE/Xfce leads the way:

http://www.linuxmint.com/download_lmde.php

I also like the fact that this a rolling distribution, which hopefully avoids repeat fresh installations.
I will be sad to see the back of old Ubuntu-G2 which has served me so well but I will be very pleased to see the back of “Unibuntu”, as will thousands of other former Ubuntu users.

FredGSanford · 12-16-2011, 03:39 PM

Debian Squeeze...can't go wrong! But Gnome2 will be EOL sometime, so install another environment while you use G2. Maybe try Xfce4 and/or LXDE.