More ideas: Unify the Ubuntu Name

First, I want to thank everyone who gave their input regarding my last post about unifying the Ubuntu brand. You can also read more opinions on Freddy's and Og's blog.

Next, I want to share some of the ideas that were expressed in the comments to my post.

• "Ubuntu Lightweight Desktop edition? Why didn't they make the default edition lightweight enough? How come when I install it, it uses the same amount of memory right after I boot up as the regular edition?
  
  
• XFCE is not lighter than Gnome in reality at all. What you end up with is that people will be forced to install some KDE/Gnome applications because XFCE doesn't provide everything required. That will pull in several environments running simultaneously, and in overall it's far heavier than pure Gnome/KDE. It will lead to some new comers to think "ooh it's LIGHT", and getting really disappointed and moving along to something else. "Light" should NOT be used as a selling point for Xubuntu, ever!
  
  
• You: "You should try Xubuntu"
  Them: "What's Xubuntu"
  You: “You know Ubuntu? Well, this is Ubuntu with Xfce.”
  Why not start with, “You should try 'Ubuntu with Xfce'”
  
  
• People have a hard enough time just trying to remember and pronounce "Ubuntu." Getting rid of all of this Ku-Xu-Go nonsense would be a big step in the right direction. Besides, for all of Microsoft's stupidity, their naming conventions are significantly more memorable and pronounceable than anything Ubuntu or Linux-in-general offers.
  
  
• I personally think there just needs to be one desktop version. Then at the time of installation you have the choice to install either Gnome, KDE ,or Xfce. Much like other distros have been doing for years.
  
  
• Ubuntu is very focused on ease of install, and an old and valid concern is that new users cannot be expected to make an informed choice about their desktop environment.

• A simple drop down list is NOT too confusing for novices, especially if GNOME is the default and the installer recommends using the default. Most users cruise through using default settings anyway.
  
  
• I don't think the names should be unified until the tools are equivalent. I am not talking about the places where GNOME and KDE do things differently - I am talking about the additional tools and wizards that help make Ubuntu as popular and user friendly as it is today. Where is my Proprietary Driver Manager in Kubuntu? That sort of thing. Until that happens, I think that making the other *buntu derivatives part of the same product is asking for trouble.

After reviewing the comments, I am leaning towards a single Ubuntu Desktop version that allows the user to select Gnome (default), KDE, and XFCE during install. Even more importantly, there should be an option under "System > Preferences" that will allow a user to change between those whenever they want.

For an example of how this could be done, look at how OpenSuse handles this question during install. They provide a small screenshot of each option. The problem with this is that people will assume that Gnome is brown and has the "Start" bar at the top, and KDE is blue with the "Start" bar on the bottom. This is untrue, since both version allow you to change the color scheme and position of the taskbar.


I understand that this will add an extra step to the install. I really appreciate what Ubuntu has done to simplify the install process and the reduction in user input. However, I believe that the benefit of having a unified Ubuntu Desktop is greater than the cost of this extra step during install.

As you can tell, I feel that marketing Ubuntu is an important step to achieving mainstream adoption. Because of this, I have recently joined the Ubuntu Marketing Team. If you have any experience in marketing, or if you just have some good ideas, please join this team. Together, we can make a difference!