Ubuntu
gdm package

Just installed 11.04 and want to switch to "Ubuntu Classic" view rather than"Unity". How do I do that? IMHO Unity is unsatisfactory.

Asked by Rodney

In reading Full Circle Magazine , Issue 49, I found some hope that you can switch the desktop view from the awfull Unity to the Classic View but it does not describe how this is done. Is there a simple way or must I revert back to an earlier release to get the convenience of the old desktop? Any help or suggestions will be appreciated.

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Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure) said : 		#1

Log out. On the login screen, enter you username. As you are being prompted for your password, you will see a drop-down menu in the horizontal bar at the bottom of the screen, where you can select your session type. Change your session type from "Ubuntu" to "Ubuntu Classic" or "Ubuntu Classic (no effects)".

This is remembered, so you only have to do this once.

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Rodney (rciwan) said : 		#2

Thank you Eliah Kagan, worked great. To bad they do not give you the choice in a prominent place.

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Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure) said : 		#3

I agree that it's too bad that the choice is not more obvious. Fortunately, in Oneiric (the development version, which will be released as Ubuntu 10.10), it is clearer how to do it (whenever you are on the login screen, the option is visible). This is actually because Oneiric uses lightdm instead of gdm as its display manager. (I think that if you make gdm your display manager in Oneiric, then the session type is still obscure.)

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Eliah Kagan (degeneracypressure) said : 		#4

...But unfortunately, Ubuntu Classic is no longer available in Oneiric...

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SAM DANIEL (sdcisa) said : 		#5

But now how do we do it then for Oneiric? or is it that we are stuck with unity?

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Mossroy (mossroy) said : 		#6

On Oneiric (and Precise alpha), you need to first install the package gnome-session-fallback
See http://www.webupd8.org/2011/08/installing-using-classic-gnome-desktop.html

Anyway, be aware that Unity is still improving, version after version.
You can of course use Ubuntu Classic if you like, but I would suggest to have a look at Unity when 12.04 will be released.