Unity sucks at the one thing I need most from a desktop environment

A few weeks ago, I switched from Ubuntu’s default Unity desktop to Xfce.

Why? Because hitting Alt-Tab to cycle through windows takes about a 1/4 sec for Unity to register. I cycle through windows literally hundreds of times a day. And that small but perceptible pause was driving me completely bonkers. Mind you, this is on my brand spanking new Core i5 laptop. Unacceptable!

What good are all the cute visual effects, glowing icons, and retracting launcher bars if Unity can’t smoothly perform the ONE function that defines what a desktop environment is supposed to be for: managing my application windows?!

In Xfce, Alt-Tab responds immediately.

There is also the small plus that the laptop battery seems to last a bit longer running Xfce than Unity. It’s not perfect, of course. Switching to and from an external display causes some issues. And I’d like a better volume control widget in the panel. But to me, these are minor annoyances.

2 thoughts on “Unity sucks at the one thing I need most from a desktop environment”

  1. I agree that unity sux. It’s by far one of the worst DE’s Linux has to offer. Just look at how many users left Ubuntu after years of dedication to them. A little bit of web searching will return a whole lot of results on that one. Sure many of them miagrated to variables like Kubuntu or Mint or it’s mother OS Debian. But Unity isn’t a power users delight. Unity is for people who do little more than Facebook, browse the web an check email and listen to mp3s. With the exception of a few office workers that are required to use Linux, at least 99% of Linux users are indeed, power users of one kind or another. If you have many dozens of apps and software programs installed like most Linux users do, it sux even more. That’s something the developers of our frinds at Microsoft didn’t think of when they designed Metro for Windows8, and forced it on desktop/laptop users. Or perhaps they just didn’t careWith that said, I can leave this opinion with one last point (of view.)
    Unity is to Linux what Windows8 Metro is to Windows, and we all know how that turned out. . Unity would be or is great for mobile devices with touch screens like tablets and smart phones. The same is true of Metro. But just as Metro is not for the desktop, so it is with Unity. Very lately it’s become less rumor and more so as evidence that Microsoft will be returning to the start menu for Windows9; (for the desktop/laptop *only* that is.) I hope the guys at Canonical will take a page from Microsoft’s book of oop’s… I always say that, sometimes you can learn more from a fool than you can from a wiseman.

  2. I appologize for any missed letters and missing punctuation with the above post. I am having serious problems with my *new* keyboard. I even had to hit the C key 7 times for in one word. Luckily Best Buy has that lovely 15 day return policy. !t’ll be 14 days tomorrow. I don’t know if it’s just this one keyboard or just this one model but it was a wireless keyboard and wireless mouse combo for only 14.99. I should have known it was too good to be true. haha

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