unity-2d fork
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Hi all,
imho unity-2d would have been the ideal desktop for trisquel. It's lightweight but still somewhat modern. Sadly it has been discontinued by Canonical.
I want to get a feeling about if it's possible to create a fork based on the code that has been left. Do you think it's realistic?
Greets
Marcus
I use Unity 2D on one of my desktop machines and I agree with you totally that the lightweight version should be continued in some form as a fork. The standard Unity takes up more resources and the effects may require non-free graphical drivers to work correctly. I've been been pushing for a version of Trisquel offering Unity 2D for a while, but it has been ignored. Here is what I see so far:
1. Ubuntu 12.04 and in return Unity 2D are supported for 5 years so Canonical is commited to fix security or performance issues for the 2D version for a while. If the DE is forked, then the fork will have to be aware of any updates by Canonical.
2. If Unity 2D is needed to be used on newer releases of Ubuntu code even though Canonical doesn't support it, the Trisquel or some other team will have to make necessary changes to ensure the DE can work properly with the newer base.
3. The nice thing about Unity 2D being based on 12.04 is that the code itself doesn't include the Amazon spyware in the 12.10 releases and above. You would be starting off with code base that doesn't disrespect your privacy.
4. If Unity 2D is forked completely, then the name would have to be changed like with the Gnome 2 fork being called MATE. That way, the Canonical artwork and any potentially trademarked material can be ripped out and be independent. Like with the MATE reference earlier, I believe the MATE team is integrating features not in the old Gnome 2 and potentially offering GTK 3 support.
I love your enthusiasm and others do share your viewpoint. Many people (including Matt on the Linux Action Show) saw the omission of Unity 2D in newer releases as a bad thing and if a project can maintain a fork of Unity 2D, then I fully support them.
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Unity 2d is not really needed beyond the 12.04/6 release. The systems which are dependent on the 2d portions now will have long been discontinued by the next LTS release. The quality of all hardware manufactured today is poor compared to 25 years ago. I forget exactly when the changes went into force although it was sometime between the late 1990's and 2005. What happened was Europe changed its environmental law to ban chemicals which gave longevity to electronics. A 5 year life span is possible. A 20 year life span is unlikely. Given that, the pace of change (increased hardware requirements), and everything else there is no point to maintaining a 2d unity. By the time the next LTS release roles around the hardware is going to be a dinosaur and inadequate. New hardware that doesn't have free drivers should be able to handle software based acceleration. Not to mention much of the hardware will have failed that might have otherwise needed a 2d solution.
The real solution though is to stop buying hardware dependent on non-free software in the first place.
If that is the case, then Trisquel 6 should have a Unity version with 2d enabled by default and can switch to normal if needed and/or supported. If not, make it easy to install and show up in login.
Why don't Trisquel 5.5 and 6 use the newer lightdm login that Ubuntu uses? Is it hard to setup or copyrighted assets?
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Trisquel isn't using Unity so this really isn't an issue. I'm sure that a Unity version can be done if your able and willing to financially contribute a considerable mount.
:)
Unsure about lightdm.
The issue of unity not showing up in the list of desktop environments at login existed in 5.5 and in the test versions of 6. What is keeping it.from.being used?
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I don't know. I'm sure there is a good reason for it though. Trisquel is basically Ubuntu minus the non-free pieces. If there is an issue I'd bet it can probably be fixed. Unity is free. It is tied into things that could be a problem though. There is nobody to fix it here and since it isn't critical it doesn't really matter. Chance of this being fixed? I'd say zero.
Apparently the reason is LightDM doesn't work with Orca.
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If that is the reason, it is mistaken-- as of Ubuntu 12.04, Lightdm does
work with orca. My understanding of why 3d is not included is about
limited free 3D graphics support. Unity 2D is no longer maintained by
Ubuntu in versions later than 12.04. Those who need accessibility and
plan to use Ubuntu are advised to use 12.04 until the next LTS release.
The choice of login greeter and of desktop should be independent?
-Dave
On 12/21/2012 06:01 PM, name at domain wrote:
> Apparently the reason is LightDM doesn't work with Orca.
Thanks for the correction. That was the excuse for Trisquel 5.5. Not sure about 6 then.
----- Mensaje original -----
>
>
> If that is the reason, it is mistaken-- as of Ubuntu 12.04, Lightdm does
> work with orca. My understanding of why 3d is not included is about
> limited free 3D graphics support. Unity 2D is no longer maintained by
> Ubuntu in versions later than 12.04. Those who need accessibility and
> plan to use Ubuntu are advised to use 12.04 until the next LTS release.
> The choice of login greeter and of desktop should be independent?
>
>
>
> -Dave
>
>
>
> On 12/21/2012 06:01 PM, name at domain wrote:
> > Apparently the reason is LightDM doesn't work with Orca.
>
frankly I am starting to like gnome3 better than unity. It is easier to configure. Amazon stuff is pretty nasty.
I am prepared to say that gnome3 is easier to use (and nicer) than gnome2.
Mark, if you could, do that. I have written why they killed off Unity2D in Ubuntu forums, and the moderators got frothing mad. You can see screenshots of ubuntu without the Unity launcher and the unfortunate top panel here; http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2096358 post 6, and here; http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2089919&page=24 post 240 and quite a discusiion here; http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2095113
Those beggars are acting like Gestapo!
I have dissected Unity and took the Dash to be standalone. You do it too. Only, don't do the mistake I did; writing to the masses about that. For me, there is enough time to dissect Unity and get at the Dash for the coming 14.04, as i don't consider QQ and RR or the unnamed 13.10 as real distros. They are transitional and die off by April 2017.
Shall we make a new OS with this?
You'll have to do it on your own, cuz Ruben won't do it. He still clings to Gnome Fallback instead of giving Unity or MATE a chance.
* GNOME fallback was the logical move from GNOME 2.
* MATE isn't in the Ubuntu repositories.
* Unity is all over the place at the moment. 12.04 has separate 2D and 3D versions, but supporting 2D is basically a dead end. **
Maybe Trisquel 6.5+ could use Unity. That depends on if anyone else wants to work on it. Ruben said that he wants to focus on one version of Trisquel in the future, and other hackers can volunteer to create other editions.
** Unless someone decides to support it in the future, independently of Canonical.
MATE may not be in the official repos, but there is a PPA for it. Plus, the Trisquel repos include packages independent of Ubuntu like Abrowser.
>independent of Ubuntu like Abrowser.
Not so. http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?keywords=abrowser&searchon=names&suite=all§ion=all
Abrowser in the Ubuntu repos is a transitional package that installs Firefox. Trisquel's repos offer a complete unbranded package.
I stand corrected. Sorry for the silly interjection.
(And what a funny thing to have, wonder why they bothered...)
No one has to maintain Unity 2D as it would eb in Precise repos until April 2017. What one has to od is download it and its dependencies and keep them in his/her hard disk. Unity 2D was killed of in QQ and RR for a reason. If you'd like, you'd find the thoughts here; http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2095113
Unity 2D doesn't need any futher maintainence, it'd live as it is, whatever Ayatana and Ubuntu devs would do to it. You don't need to support it, but justdownload it and keep it.
Let's see how Trisquel 5.5 would work with a standalone Dash, but without Unity.
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