You don't actually need to use Unity to have all the goodness of Ubuntu. Things like Xubuntu or Kubuntu all use the same Core as Ubuntu but with a different User Interface; they are part of the Ubuntu family. You have stable, long term support versions like 12.04, and you have the versions with the latest applications like 13.04 and 13.10. And you can always add a PPA if you want an updated application. You are definitely not stuck using stale Apps.

You don't lose anything by using them. You get access to everything that Ubuntu offers, including the Software Center, Kernels, Drivers and Updates. Actually if for some reason I HAD to use a different distro, it would be either Debian, whick can absolutely use newer Apps using a different Repo; or OpenSUSE.

Xubuntu
Edubuntu
Kubuntu
Lubuntu
Ubuntu GNOME
Ubuntu Kylin
Ubuntu Studio
OpenSUSE

Problem is that it is not just going to be Unity that divides the Ubuntu camp. With Mir it is going to be even harder for the different DE spin-offs to stay consistent with the main - Xubuntu has already stated it is going to forge a different path, and Gnome and KDE look to be investing heavily in Wayland instead. So it might just be better to try something new and bite the change bullet now then see how the cards fall with the Ubuntu derivatives in the next few years.

Quoting: n30p1r4t3

Quoting: Quote from rick01457Manjaro. It's arch on easy mode.

+ 100000000000000


And Fedora is a pain when it comes to Nvidia/Wifi drivers etc due to their "free software" stance.


If you wanted bleeding edge Debian, go with Linux Mint Debian. Stability, Updates (not unstable ones), and rolling release in one little Debian package. That's the only time I'll ever recommend Mint (just personal taste).

I wouldn't recommend Mint Debian actually. The Mint team has really bad track record with releasing updates in a timely manner. The last update I believe was released back in March. If you want something like Mint Debian, I'd go with SolydXK as it takes the concepts from Mint Debian and executes it much better, with updates being released every month.

Also, SolydK, which is their KDE version (SolydX uses XFCE) comes with Steam prepackaged. Just launch it from the menu, let the installer install Steam, and then start downloading and playing your Steam games. Works great for me. I love to play Half-Life 2 on it.

EDIT: It appears that they just recently released and update pack for Mint Debian. Still, took them since around March to release it.

Quoting: SpeedsterMint is not considered bleeding edge-ish, which is original poster's reason for considering something other than debian

It's based off ubuntu so its as up to date as ubuntu is, you can also add ppa sources very much like you can with ubuntu. I also thoroughly recommend Mint, great distro much like ubuntu only when it used to be good.

Forum post only 4 .... huh! Thats weird.

Honestly, I game on a totally different setup than what I do my work on.  Gentoo has been my home for programming and productivity, and for gaming, I boot stock Ubuntu 12.04 LTS.

I find the Unity DE quite fine for the purpose of launching a single game, playing it, and leaving it alone;  or I might even fire up a second game afterward!  Just not for trying to get any real work done :)

It makes it dead simple for me to keep my (currently dismantled) gaming rig running as "supported" a configuration as possible (though, now I'm finding some games wanting to run better on 13.04, so we'll see).

It's pretty clear to me that Canonical is trying to converge touch-based computing and desktop computing, which is a completely daft idea, but the result is a DE tailored for media consumption as opposed to content creation or productivity.  To that end, as long as it doesn't get in my way for the duration of time needed to choose which game to play, it's suitable to me.  This, of course,could change in a heartbeat, and the next move is Canonical's.

Quoting: RustyboltsForum post only 4 .... huh! Thats weird.

I thought so too, until I realized that it is only counting forum posts on the forums proper... not article submissions, nor article comments.  Actually, come to think of it, I still think it's weird, even understanding that. :)

Quoting: s_dIt makes it dead simple for me to keep my (currently dismantled) gaming rig running as "supported" a configuration as possible (though, now I'm finding some games wanting to run better on 13.04, so we'll see).

Hm I think I picked ubuntu 12.04 for the pre-installed partition on my recently-ordered gaming rig, due to Unity3D official support. Maybe I'll need 2 ubuntu partitions again plus gentoo. Which games are starting to want 13.04?

Regarding Unity the-desktop-environment, I tend to skip it for xfce on ubuntu.