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So I am really new to Ubuntu and I just installed 14.04 LTS on my laptop. I'm wondering what GNOME 3 is? what does it do and do I need it? what are your thoughts, let me know. thanks

Augustine
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From wiki:

GNOME is a desktop environment which is composed entirely of free and open-source software and targets to be cross-platform, i.e. run on multiple operating systems, its main focus being those based on the Linux kernel.

GNOME is a desktop environment which is composed entirely of free and open-source software and targets to be cross-platform, i.e. run on multiple operating systems, its main focus being those based on the Linux kernel.

GNOME is developed by The GNOME Project, which comprises both volunteers and paid contributors, the largest corporate contributor being Red Hat. It is an international project that aims to develop software frameworks for the development of software, to program end-user applications based on these frameworks and coordinates the efforts for internationalization and localization as well as for accessibility of that software.

GNOME is part of the GNU Project.

Before GNOME 3, GNOME used the traditional desktop metaphor but in GNOME 3 this was abandoned in favor of GNOME Shell where switching between different tasks and virtual workspaces takes place in a separate area called the Overview. Also in GNOME 3, Mutter replaced Metacity as the default window manager, the minimize and maximize buttons no longer appear on the titlebar by default, and Adwaita replaced Clearlooks as the default theme. Many GNOME Core Applications also went through redesigns to provide a more consistent user experience.

These changes received mixed reaction from the user community, though the outcome is not yet clear. The MATE desktop environment, software forked from GNOME 2, aims to retain the traditional GNOME 2 interface while keeping it compatible with GNOME 3. The Linux Mint team addressed the issue in another way by developing the "Mint GNOME Shell Extensions". This led to the Cinnamon user interface, which attempts to provide a more traditional user environment based on the desktop metaphor, like GNOME 2.

Unity is a great desktop environment and you don't NEED any other desktop environment BUT if you don't like Unity you MAY install gnome.

Raphael
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  • Can you use formatting to show which part is a quote and which part is from you? And can you link your sources? Thanks! – Seth Jun 24 '14 at 03:34
  • hey thanks. I think I will stick with unity. It's all I ever known and I like it – Augustine Jun 24 '14 at 03:36
  • OK :-) ! Did my answer satisfy you? If yes, please don't forget to accept it. Thank YOU! – Raphael Jun 24 '14 at 03:38
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"Gnome 3" is a desktop environment, and like its predecessor "Gnome 2" or another offspring "MATE" they define the look and feel of windows, buttons, menus and icons and how they act together. The "Gnome Shell" or "Unity" further defines a certain default configuration and behavior of your user interface.

Gnome 3, Unity and many new applications are built on the GTK+ 3.x library to handle their Graphical User Interface. Whereas Gnome 2, MATE and many older apps still use GTK+ 2.x. Luckily GTK+ 2.x and GTK+ 3.x can be used together at the same time (just not by the same process). So with Gnome 3 or Unity you can still install and use older apps based on GTK+ 2.0. And with Gnome 2 or MATE you can use new GTK+ 3.0 apps!

To compare different desktop environments you can have installed Unity, Gnome 3 and MATE simultaneously (MATE is planned to come in Ubuntu 14.10). Then you can choose one of it each time you log in. Installing Gnome 3 in Ubuntu 14.04 is explained here: How to get gnome shell 3.12 on ubuntu 14.04

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