The New 'Pure GNOME' Ubuntu Linux Is Coming This Fall

Earlier this month fans of the good old GNOME 2 desktop environment got some exciting news when it became clear that a version of Ubuntu Linux featuring the classic desktop was in the works.

Now, plans for that new Ubuntu flavor are beginning to take form, and it looks like we can expect its arrival in October.

There's now what looks like an official Web page for this new GNOME Ubuntu--called GNOMEbuntu in its URL--and a Muktware report on Thursday uncovered numerous details about the forthcoming release. Here's a quick rundown of some of the highlights.

1. The Name

While initially it sounded like GNOMEbuntu would be the name of this new Linux flavor, developer Jeremy Bicha has apparently said that the GNOME Foundation Board won't permit it, according to Muktware.

In a recent Quantal Quetzal-focused thread on the Ubuntu forums, both GNObuntu and Gnubuntu were being discussed. No final word yet, as far as I can tell.

2. The Apps

Along with Compiz, the new GNOME Ubuntu will reportedly use the Rhythmbox music player as well as the Epiphany browser, Evolution for e-mail and workgroup functions, the Abiword word processor, and the Gnumeric spreadsheet package. Neither Firefox nor LibreOffice will be preinstalled, according to the report.

3. The GNOME Goodness

As part of its goal of offering a “pure GNOME” experience, this new Ubuntu flavor will of course not include the mobile-inspired and controversial Unity desktop interface. According to the Muktware report, it also won't include cloud service Ubuntu One.

Perhaps even more intriguing, it sounds like there will be customized Ubuntu settings that let users make their GNOME experience in the operating system even more pure.

4. Still Up in the Air

Besides the name of this new Ubuntu flavor, a number of other features are reportedly still under discussion as well, including both the file manager and the display manager that will be used.

After all the controversy that has been generated by both Unity and GNOME 3, I'm so excited to see this classically flavored Ubuntu becoming a reality. The emergence of like-minded efforts such as MATE and SolusOS shows there's a real need.

An alpha version of the new GNOME Ubuntu will reportedly arrive soon. I'm betting there will be quite a crowd waiting to check it out.

Coming soon: GNObuntu, a 'pure GNOME' Ubuntu Linux

With 'GNObuntu,' serious GNOME fans can now look forward to an Ubuntu flavor of their very own

By Katherine Noyes

August 19, 2012 09:06 AM ET

Source: http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/261723/the_new_pure_gnome_ubuntu_linux_is_coming_this_fall.html

PC World - Linux fans in general and Ubuntu users in particular are already well acquainted with the many desktop environments that are available for distributions of the free and open-source operating system.

While Ubuntu Linux has embraced the Unity desktop in recent iterations, there have long been derivatives based on KDE, Xfce, and LXDE, for example.
Now, it looks like fans of GNOME may soon get a community flavor of their very own.
"At the Ubuntu Developer Summit in May, several of us that work with GNOME in Ubuntu discussed the need for a Ubuntu community derivative similar to Kubuntu, Xubuntu and others but which will try to ship a relatively pure GNOME experience," explained Ubuntu developer Jeremy Bicha in a recent post on the GNOME mailing list.

"We'd Like to Use GNObuntu'

The naming of this new Ubuntu flavor is what's been drawing discussion over the past few days.
"The traditional Ubuntu naming convention for these alternate flavors is 'Gubuntu,' but it seems that could cause confusion with the pronunciation of Google's internal distribution Goobuntu," Bicha said.
"We'd like to instead use GNObuntu," he added.
Other naming possibilities proposed since Bicha's Aug. 13 post include Ubuntu GNOME, Ubuntu GSR (for "GNOME Shell Remix"), GNUntu, UbuGNOME and uGuntu.

Coming in Ubuntu 12.10?

Though GNOME 2 is the longstanding favorite of many Linux fans, the GNOME 3 desktop series -- like Unity -- has been highly controversial.
The GNOME Project, meanwhile, recently revealed plans to create a GNOME OS.
When will we see the arrival of this GNOME-based Ubuntu? Bicha's message doesn't specify, but a Muktware report suggests it will be part of the forthcoming Ubuntu 12.10 "Quantal Quetzal," which is due in October.
In related news, support for Unity 2D is reportedly being dropped from that upcoming release as well. I'll post an update as soon as I learn more.

Source: http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9230631/Coming_soon_GNObuntu_a_pure_GNOME_Ubuntu_Linux?source=rss_operatingsystems&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+computerworld%2Fs%2Ffeed%2Ftopic%2F122+%28Computerworld+Linux+and+Unix+News%29