My previous post on Unity being the end of Ubuntu attracted attention, and it made me realize I didn't do nearly as much constructive writing as I should have on the subject. I didn't expect anyone to read my stupid blog. I should have known better. So here I go:

Don't like the new Unity interface in Ubuntu 11.10? Here are some reasonable alternatives:

GNOME Shell

apt-get install gnome-shell

The default interface for GNOME 3 is GNOME Shell. Like Unity, it appears to be designed with tablet computers in mind, so there are going to be a lot of similar annoyances to Unity: no taskbar, single-focus for each running application, low (almost nonexistent) customizability, and a lot more clicking or keyboard shortcutting to switch applications or desktops.

There is a way to add a taskbar to GNOME Shell, though, and that might get you through the day if you can't take the time right now to stop and install other DEs or distros:

apt-get install tint2

Then run tint2 from the command line to start the taskbar.

GNOME classic in Ubuntu

If you install GNOME Shell, you also get the old GNOME "fallback" session, which has GNOME 2-like menus and a taskbar. Unfortunately, your old GNOME applets are gone and never coming back, and forget about customizing any meaningful part of the interface. What you see is all you get.

Again, this might be a good temporary alternative to messing with other DEs or distros in the short term. To use it, install GNOME Shell as explained above, then log out and choose the gnome-fallback item from the session list in the login screen

KDE

Download and install Kubuntu as a replacement; or from Ubuntu 11.10:

apt-get install kde-standard

KDE was once the ideological enemy of GNOME. Originally it was Windows-like where GNOME was Mac OS-like, and in its default configuration it still uses the same Start menu paradigm as Windows 9x/Vista. However, in recent years KDE4 has become highly customizable, and contains many of the same kinds of applets and widgets (more, maybe?) as GNOME 2.

It's probably easier to switch to KDE and spend a half hour customizing it to your preferences than it is to suffer through Unity on a computer with a keyboard.

Xfce

Download and install Xubuntu as a replacement; or from Ubuntu:

apt-get install xubuntu-desktop

Xfce is less resource-intensive than GNOME or KDE, while still being a complete desktop environment. It works with GNOME applications quite well, and bears a slight resemblance to GNOME 2's interface. I have little experience with it, but from what I have read, seen, and heard, I think Xubuntu is going to be my Ubuntu replacement for my netbook.

LXDE

Download and install Lubuntu as a replacement; or from Ubuntu:

apt-get install lubuntu-core lubuntu-icon-theme lubuntu-restricted-extras

Like Xfce, LXDE was designed to be lightweight and resource-efficient. While Xfce is a shadow of GNOME, LXDE is a shadow of KDE. Since I'm personally GNOME-inclined, I don't think I will try this out, but I wouldn't discourage anyone else from installing and using it.

Linux Mint

Linux Mint is based on Ubuntu (there is also a version based on Debian; not much difference from a desktop perspective), and has the ability to replace Ubuntu while keeping your /home directory intact. I tried this with Linux Mint 11 and Ubuntu 11.10, and I ended up with a strangely distorted desktop that needed quite a bit of configuration-fixing before it was usable. Eventually I abandoned the effort and switched to another distro. However, from a clean installation, Mint works just as well as Ubuntu, but requires less messing with repositories to get proprietary extras, and is still on GNOME 2 as of this writing. However, Linux Mint 12 will ship with GNOME 3.2, which uses Shell as the default interface. According to this suggestion with a quote from the Linux Mint project leader in the comments, GNOME 2 support will remain in this release, and there are plans to support the GNOME 2 fork project (MATE) in the future. So at least you're safe if you switch to Mint.

openSUSE

This is among the oldest extant Linux distributions, and uses unique hardware and software configuration and control frameworks. openSUSE has always standardized on KDE, but also has excellent GNOME support. Unfortunately, the default GNOME configuration is the "slab" menu, which I've always hated, but it takes literally 5 minutes of configuration work to convert the default theme into a traditional GNOME 2 interface.

Once you add the right package repositories, you've got all of the right applications, drivers, and codecs you need. I was actually shocked at how capable and bug-free openSUSE 11.4 was for me, and the default theme is quite attractive. I think I'm going to keep this one on my home desktop computer; this is where I do a lot of XML editing work, remote server administration, music-listening, and sometimes some recreational writing.

Other distros

I called out Linux Mint and other Ubuntu derivatives because you can switch to them without having to learn a new package manager or worry about software or hardware compatibility problems. openSUSE was the exception because it's been around a long time and has an excellent GNOME 2 implementation, and if you're going to make the switch to a non-Ubuntu-based distro, that's my top recommendation.

Next in the list is, of course, Debian GNU/Linux, which is what Ubuntu is based on. Same package manager, but not as much pre-configuration as Ubuntu. If you're already an advanced Ubuntu user, it will be easy to switch to Debian, and you may find that you like it better because it gives you a little more control.

Beyond that, there are many, many other distributions. Most of them are specialized to certain tasks, computers, or computing paradigms. Take a look at Distrowatch to learn about the top distributions that others are using, and try some out for yourself if you've actually read this far into the article and haven't seen any viable options.