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I naively updated to Ubuntu 11.04; in the past I never had problems with Ubuntu updates. But 11.04 totally messed up my desktop.

  • My task bar at the bottom is missing
  • The bar at the top mixes up window titles and menus
  • The new bar at the left constantly disappears and i need to pull the mouse 3 to 5 times against the left border to show it again, extremely annoying to switch windows
  • I don't see how to keep it visible
  • I don't see how to pull that bar to the bottom
  • I don't see how to open two terminal windows, it just actives the existing window
  • The upper half of the first icon random flashes up on the screen when I do things not related to that bar
  • I don't see how to start programs without typing in the name. okay, there are videos saying that is is a super cool feature, but I'd still prefer the menu.

How do I get a working desktop environment back? Preferable the gnome environment i had before the update.

RolandiXor
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suerice
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  • The term "usable" is extremely subjective. – jrg May 28 '11 at 19:17
  • This called Unity. There are several questions on this site dealing with how to get back to standard GNOME. A simple search would have helped. – RolandiXor May 28 '11 at 19:17
  • All this topics that you brought up you can find either on AskUbuntu or OMG!Ubuntu. And if I may suggest before upgrading wouldn't it be wise to read a little? – Wojciech May 28 '11 at 21:16
  • This is probably a dupe of this: http://askubuntu.com/questions/28050/how-do-i-switch-to-the-classic-gnome-desktop – Jorge Castro May 30 '11 at 18:44

2 Answers2

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Click the power button in the top right corner of the screen. Click "System settings". Select "Login screen". Unlock it. Change the "default session" drop down menu to "Ubuntu classic". Restart.

But there are things that I want to say about Unity:

  • The task bar is replaced with the Unity launcher.
  • Yes. This was made to save screen space, you'll get used to it, trust me.
  • That is weird, it usually does that from the first time. You can also try pressing the Super(Windows) key + W, which gives a view of all windows.
  • There is no need to keep it visible in my opinion - it saves screen space.
  • Yet again, I don't see a reason why - actually, I see a few reasons why not. One of them is that it would pop up when using a scroll bar.
  • File -> Open Terminal (Shift + Ctrl + N) while focused on the terminal window.
  • This means that the application wants attention - e.g. you received a message in your IM client.
  • Press the Super(Windows key) or the Ubuntu logo in the upper left corner of the screen. Click "More Apps". You will see the box where you type in to search. In the right side of it you will see a drop down menu with all the categories.
nickguletskii
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1

Unity is different and modern. Watch a few vids such as http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fAcdFd0MmH0

You can return back to the Classic interface by

  1. Log out from Ubuntu
  2. At the log in screen, select Classic GNOME (it's one of the options on the bottom bar).
  3. Log in to your system. You get the Classic Ubuntu interface, which is called Gnome Panel.

The system will remember these settings. You can follow the same steps to switch back.

Unity is new, and it was designed to be easy to use to newcomers. Experienced Ubuntu users may take time to get used to it. It helps tremendously to watch a few Youtube videos that explain Unity.

user4124
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