You can install Unity 7 desktop on Ubuntu 18.04 without removing GNOME. Unity 7 is the default desktop you found at Ubuntu 16.04 LTS backwards to 11.04. The installation needs only around 50MB of data in less than 5 minutes. After installing, you will see a new option named "Unity" on your login screen under the Gear Icon. Yes, with this, you can continue to use Unity you loved instead of GNOME. Thanks to Unity7 Maintainers Team for providing us Unity 7 on 18.04! Instructions below explains how to do it.
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Read also guides to install Ubuntu 18.04 and to upgrade from 16.04, plus, comparison of their memory usages.
1. Install
Run this command on your Terminal:
$ sudo apt-get install ubuntu-unity-desktop
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| Installation process |
2. Accept Display Manager
Choose the second one, in this case, "lightdm". This is the login screen you were familiar with on 16.04 LTS backwards. If you choose "gdm", that is OK, but it is not familiar to Unity 7 users.
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| Choose LightDM |
3. Reboot & Login
After finishing all download and configuration, now restart your computer. When you face the login screen, first select Gear Icon and select "Unity" instead of "Ubuntu", then login like usual.
The Result
You get a full Unity 7 desktop on 18.04 like what you have on 16.04 LTS or 12.04 LTS. Try the HUD, try the global menu, try the vertical panel, and try the dash. They are all functional like before. Happy working!
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| Have your Unity desktop again! |
Further Readings
If you are interested in Unity 7 continuation on Ubuntu, you can visit Ubuntu Unity development forum and also their Launchpad page. Thanks to them, we still have Unity desktop. Thanks Dale Beaudoin and Khurshid Alam!
This article is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.