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I want to install my first Ubuntu version on my laptop, but I have a big question about that.

I am looking for the 16.04 LTS but I see there is different versions of Ubuntu Desktops (Unity, Gnome, Mate...) and I don't know what version of these is the most appropriate for my laptop. It is an i5 with 8GB of ram and a 240GB SSD, with a 4-cell battery. I am worried about the battery life, and if it works slow or not. Could you help me with this decision? Is it any big difference between these versions?

Sorry if it's a very common question, I cannot find another question which resolve my doubt.

Thanks

Inazio
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  • They both work. They are both free. If you are in doubt, download both .iso, and try both Live environments. Trying before install is precisely what the Live environments are for. – user535733 Nov 13 '17 at 00:32
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    Big differences for me, the user, are Gnome: does not enable root apps such as Synaptic, or even allow Nautilus as root; cannot scale the 4K monitor to user preference; cannot scale many apps to user preference, such as Okular [resulting in microscopic font sizes in menus]; puts the "close app" button back to the right hand side of the monitor; among many other peeves. – rob grune Nov 13 '17 at 01:53
  • The differences go deeper than the user interface (unity vs gnome-shell). In the long run unity will be phased out so if you are new to Ubuntu try 17.10 . Under the hood there are lots of changes (read the 17.10 release notes for details) and wayland is a work in progress, expect growing pains – Panther Nov 13 '17 at 02:27
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    @rob welcome to gnome shell. There are work around to most of what you are having difficulty with. If they do t work file a bug report as neither gnome shell or wayland are going away any time soon. – Panther Nov 13 '17 at 02:37
  • I recommend Ubuntu MATE 16.04 LTS. It is more adequate, than modern GNOME. – N0rbert Nov 13 '17 at 20:11
  • Hi @N0rbert, why is more adequate Mate? Sorry, I don't understand – Inazio Nov 14 '17 at 14:30
  • Just install it and compare with modern shiny GNOME. Or read my message on the mail list for clarification. – N0rbert Nov 14 '17 at 19:05
  • 1/ Thank you to Panther. 2/ (a) Since my post 13Nov, updates now allow users to use "sudo" to access apps that require root, such as synaptic and nautilus. Great! (b) the gnome tweak enables users to place the close-app button to the left top of screen. (c) my system is faster and smoother now than before. (d) but the microscopic fonts for some apps remains a big bug. I am unable yet to determine how to edit the config files for the apps (eg Okular) to force the app to use a specific screen dimension (eg 1920x1080). hope to resolve this soon. – rob grune Nov 30 '17 at 08:24
  • Thanks all of you for your comments. At the end I use different distros for few days and my favourite was GNOME. Mate is a little bit faster than the others, but GNOME desktop is more... intuitive to me. And the battery lives around five hours using TLP so... It's perfect to me – Inazio Dec 09 '17 at 01:58

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