<s>
Unity	O
is	O
a	O
graphical	B-Operating_System
shell	I-Operating_System
for	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
environment	I-Application
originally	O
developed	O
by	O
Canonical	O
Ltd	O
.	O
for	O
its	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
operating	I-Operating_System
system	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
debuted	O
in	O
2010	O
in	O
the	O
netbook	B-Device
edition	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
10.10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Since	O
2017	O
,	O
its	O
development	O
was	O
taken	O
over	O
by	O
the	O
Unity7	O
Maintainers	O
(	O
Unity7	O
)	O
and	O
UBports	B-Protocol
(	O
Lomiri	B-Device
,	O
formerly	O
known	O
as	O
Unity8	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity7	O
is	O
the	O
default	O
desktop	O
environment	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Language
Unity	I-Language
,	O
an	O
official	O
flavor	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
since	O
2022	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Language
Unity	I-Language
and	O
Unity7	O
Maintainers	O
have	O
started	O
working	O
on	O
the	O
successor	O
of	O
Unity7	O
,	O
UnityX	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
Ayatana	O
project	O
,	O
an	O
initiative	O
with	O
the	O
stated	O
intention	O
of	O
improving	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
within	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
initially	O
designed	O
to	O
make	O
more	O
efficient	O
use	O
of	O
space	O
given	O
the	O
limited	O
screen	O
size	O
of	O
netbooks	B-Device
,	O
including	O
,	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
a	O
vertical	O
application	O
switcher	O
called	O
the	O
launcher	O
,	O
and	O
a	O
space-saving	O
horizontal	O
multipurpose	O
top	O
menu	O
bar	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
GNOME	B-Application
,	O
KDE	B-Language
Plasma	I-Language
,	O
Xfce	B-Language
,	O
or	O
LXDE	B-Language
,	O
Unity	O
is	O
not	O
a	O
collection	O
of	O
applications	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dash	O
:	O
a	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
utility	O
that	O
enables	O
searching	O
for	O
information	O
both	O
locally	O
(	O
e.g.	O
</s>
<s>
Twitter	B-Application
or	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Head-up	B-Application
display	I-Application
(	O
HUD	B-Application
)	O
:	O
Allows	O
hotkey	O
searching	O
for	O
top	O
menu	O
bar	O
items	O
from	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
without	O
the	O
need	O
for	O
using	O
the	O
mouse	O
,	O
by	O
pressing	O
and	O
releasing	O
the	O
Alt	O
key	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dash	O
is	O
a	O
desktop	B-Application
search	I-Application
utility	O
with	O
preview	O
ability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dash	O
supports	O
search	O
plug-ins	B-Application
,	O
known	O
as	O
Scopes	O
(	O
formerly	O
Lenses	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Out	O
of	O
the	O
box	O
,	O
it	O
can	O
query	O
Google	B-Application
Docs	I-Application
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Language
One	I-Language
Music	I-Language
Store	I-Language
,	O
YouTube	B-General_Concept
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
,	O
and	O
social	O
networks	O
(	O
for	O
example	O
,	O
Twitter	B-Application
,	O
Facebook	B-Application
,	O
and	O
Google+	B-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
13.10	O
,	O
online	O
search	O
queries	O
are	O
sent	O
to	O
a	O
Canonical	O
web	O
service	O
which	O
determines	O
the	O
type	O
of	O
query	O
and	O
directs	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
appropriate	O
third-party	O
web	O
service	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
None	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
official	O
derivatives	O
(	O
Kubuntu	B-Application
,	O
Xubuntu	B-Application
,	O
Lubuntu	B-Application
,	O
or	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
GNOME	B-Application
)	O
include	O
this	O
feature	O
or	O
any	O
variation	O
of	O
it	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
the	O
new	O
features	O
of	O
Unity	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.10	O
is	O
the	O
shopping	O
lens	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
it	O
sends	O
(	O
through	O
a	O
secure	O
HTTPS	B-Protocol
connection	O
)	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
queries	O
from	O
the	O
home	O
lens	O
to	O
productsearch.ubuntu.com,	O
which	O
then	O
polls	O
Amazon.com	B-Application
to	O
find	O
relevant	O
products	O
;	O
Amazon	B-Application
then	O
sends	O
product	O
images	O
directly	O
to	O
the	O
user	O
's	O
computer	O
(	O
initially	O
,	O
through	O
unsecured	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
argued	O
that	O
anonymity	O
is	O
preserved	O
because	O
Canonical	O
servers	O
mediate	O
the	O
communication	O
between	O
Unity	O
and	O
Amazon	B-Application
and	O
users	O
could	O
trust	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Community	O
Manager	O
Jono	O
Bacon	O
posted	O
"	O
These	O
features	O
are	O
neatly	O
and	O
unobtrusively	O
integrated	O
into	O
the	O
dash	O
,	O
and	O
they	O
not	O
only	O
provide	O
a	O
more	O
useful	O
and	O
comprehensive	O
dash	O
in	O
giving	O
you	O
visibility	O
on	O
this	O
content	O
,	O
but	O
it	O
also	O
generates	O
revenue	O
to	O
help	O
continue	O
to	O
grow	O
and	O
improve	O
Ubuntu.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
argued	O
that	O
since	O
product	O
images	O
were	O
(	O
as	O
of	O
October	O
2012	O
)	O
returned	O
via	O
insecure	O
HTTP	B-Protocol
then	O
a	O
passive	O
eavesdropper	O
—	O
such	O
as	O
someone	O
on	O
the	O
same	O
wireless	O
network	O
—	O
could	O
get	O
a	O
good	O
idea	O
of	O
the	O
queries	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
,	O
Amazon	B-Application
could	O
correlate	O
the	O
queries	O
with	O
IP	O
addresses	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
recommended	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
developers	O
make	O
the	O
feature	O
opt-in	O
and	O
make	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
privacy	O
settings	O
more	O
fine-grained	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
noted	O
that	O
the	O
Dash	O
can	O
be	O
stopped	O
from	O
searching	O
the	O
Internet	O
by	O
switching	O
off	O
"	O
Include	O
online	O
search	O
results	O
"	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
privacy	O
settings	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
7	O
December	O
2012	O
,	O
Richard	O
Stallman	O
claimed	O
that	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
contains	O
spyware	O
and	O
should	O
not	O
be	O
used	O
by	O
free	O
software	O
supporters	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jono	O
Bacon	O
rebuked	O
him	O
;	O
he	O
said	O
that	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
responded	O
and	O
implemented	O
many	O
of	O
the	O
requirements	O
the	O
community	O
found	O
important	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
states	O
that	O
unless	O
the	O
user	O
has	O
opted	O
out	O
,	O
by	O
turning	O
the	O
searches	O
off	O
,	O
their	O
queries	O
and	O
IP	O
address	O
will	O
be	O
sent	O
to	O
productsearch.ubuntu.com	O
and	O
"	O
selected	O
third	O
parties	O
"	O
for	O
online	O
search	O
results	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
Third	O
Party	O
Privacy	O
Policies	O
page	O
informs	O
all	O
of	O
the	O
third	O
parties	O
that	O
may	O
receive	O
users	O
 '	O
queries	O
and	O
IP	O
addresses	O
,	O
and	O
states	O
:	O
"	O
For	O
information	O
on	O
how	O
our	O
selected	O
third	O
parties	O
may	O
use	O
your	O
information	O
,	O
please	O
see	O
their	O
privacy	O
policies.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
of	O
April	O
2016	O
,	O
with	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
LTS	O
,	O
the	O
setting	O
is	O
off	O
by	O
default	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
TV	O
,	O
running	O
a	O
Unity	O
variant	O
,	O
was	O
introduced	O
at	O
the	O
2012	O
Consumer	O
Electronics	O
Show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Created	O
for	O
SmartTVs	B-Device
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
TV	O
provides	O
access	O
to	O
popular	O
Internet	O
services	O
and	O
stream	O
content	O
to	O
mobile	O
devices	O
running	O
Android	B-Application
,	O
iOS	B-Application
and	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
2	O
January	O
2013	O
,	O
Canonical	O
announced	O
a	O
smartphone	B-Application
variant	O
of	O
Unity	O
running	O
on	O
the	O
Mir	B-Language
display	I-Language
server	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	O
is	O
written	O
as	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
for	O
Compiz	B-Language
and	O
uses	O
an	O
uncommon	O
OpenGL	B-Application
toolkit	O
called	O
Nux	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Being	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
for	O
Compiz	B-Language
gives	O
Unity	O
GPU-accelerated	O
performance	O
on	O
compatible	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
written	O
in	O
the	O
programming	O
languages	O
C++	B-Language
and	O
Vala	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	O
2D	O
was	O
a	O
set	O
of	O
individual	O
applications	O
developed	O
for	O
environments	O
that	O
Compiz	B-Language
does	O
not	O
run	O
on	O
,	O
such	O
as	O
when	O
graphics	O
card	O
does	O
not	O
support	O
OpenGL	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
They	O
were	O
written	O
in	O
the	O
GUI	O
building	O
language	O
QML	B-Language
from	O
the	O
widespread	O
Qt	B-Language
framework	I-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
default	O
Unity	O
2D	O
used	O
the	O
Metacity	B-Language
window	O
manager	O
but	O
could	O
also	O
use	O
accelerated	O
window	O
managers	O
like	O
Compiz	B-Language
or	O
KWin	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
,	O
Unity	O
2D	O
used	O
Metacity	B-Language
's	O
XRender-based	O
compositor	O
to	O
achieve	O
transparency	O
effects	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Starting	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
,	O
Unity	O
2D	O
replaced	O
the	O
classic	O
GNOME	B-Language
Panel	I-Language
as	O
the	O
fall-back	O
for	O
users	O
whose	O
hardware	O
could	O
not	O
run	O
the	O
Compiz	B-Language
version	O
of	O
Unity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	O
2D	O
was	O
discontinued	O
for	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.10	O
in	O
October	O
2012	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
3D	O
version	O
became	O
more	O
capable	O
of	O
running	O
on	O
lower-powered	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Unity	O
and	O
the	O
supporting	O
Ayatana	O
projects	O
are	O
developed	O
primarily	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
and	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
was	O
the	O
first	O
to	O
offer	O
new	O
versions	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Outside	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
,	O
other	O
Linux	O
distributors	O
have	O
tried	O
to	O
pick	O
up	O
Ayatana	O
,	O
with	O
varying	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Fedora	O
does	O
not	O
offer	O
Unity	O
in	O
its	O
default	O
repositories	B-Application
because	O
Unity	O
requires	O
unsupported	O
patches	O
to	O
GTK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
Unity	O
6	O
has	O
been	O
ported	O
to	O
Fedora	O
17	O
and	O
can	O
be	O
installed	O
through	O
a	O
branch	O
in	O
the	O
openSUSE	B-Operating_System
repositories	B-Application
where	O
the	O
patches	O
are	O
applied	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
openSUSE	B-Operating_System
offers	O
many	O
Ayatana	O
components	O
for	O
GNOME	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
packager	O
abandoned	O
the	O
project	O
because	O
of	O
problems	O
with	O
the	O
then-current	O
version	O
of	O
Compiz	B-Language
,	O
new	O
developers	O
picked	O
up	O
the	O
task	O
and	O
provide	O
packages	O
for	O
openSUSE	B-Operating_System
12.2	O
(	O
along	O
with	O
versions	O
for	O
Arch	O
Linux	O
and	O
Fedora	O
17	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Newer	O
openSUSE	B-Operating_System
and	O
Unity	O
versions	O
are	O
not	O
supported	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Manjaro	B-Application
has	O
a	O
Unity	O
version	O
of	O
its	O
distribution	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Language
Unity	I-Language
uses	O
the	O
Unity	O
7	O
desktop	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	O
was	O
originally	O
unveiled	O
on	O
10	O
May	O
2010	O
during	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
founder	O
Mark	O
Shuttleworth	O
's	O
keynote	O
at	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Developer	O
Summit	O
in	O
Brussels	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
announced	O
as	O
the	O
new	O
interface	O
of	O
both	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Netbook	B-Device
Edition	O
and	O
a	O
then-planned	O
OEM	O
platform	O
called	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Light	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
originally	O
used	O
the	O
full	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
environment	I-Application
;	O
Shuttleworth	O
cited	O
philosophical	O
differences	O
with	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
team	O
over	O
the	O
user	O
experience	O
to	O
explain	O
why	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
would	O
use	O
Unity	O
as	O
the	O
default	O
user	O
interface	O
instead	O
of	O
GNOME	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
,	O
beginning	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
(	O
Natty	O
Narwhal	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Community	O
Manager	O
Jono	O
Bacon	O
explained	O
that	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
will	O
continue	O
to	O
ship	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
stack	O
,	O
GNOME	B-Application
applications	O
,	O
and	O
optimize	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
for	O
GNOME	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
only	O
difference	O
,	O
he	O
wrote	O
,	O
would	O
be	O
that	O
Unity	O
is	O
a	O
different	O
shell	O
for	O
GNOME	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Canonical	O
announced	O
it	O
had	O
engineered	O
Unity	O
for	O
desktop	O
computers	O
as	O
well	O
and	O
would	O
make	O
Unity	O
the	O
default	O
shell	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
in	O
version	O
11.04	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
GNOME	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
was	O
not	O
included	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
Natty	O
Narwhal	O
because	O
work	O
on	O
it	O
was	O
not	O
completed	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
11.04	O
was	O
frozen	O
,	O
but	O
was	O
available	O
from	O
a	O
PPA	B-Application
,	O
and	O
was	O
available	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
and	O
later	O
releases	O
,	O
through	O
the	O
official	O
repositories	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2010	O
,	O
Mark	O
Shuttleworth	O
announced	O
the	O
intention	O
to	O
eventually	O
run	O
Unity	O
on	O
Wayland	B-Language
instead	O
of	O
the	O
currently	O
used	O
X	B-Operating_System
Window	I-Operating_System
System	I-Operating_System
,	O
although	O
this	O
plan	O
has	O
since	O
been	O
dropped	O
,	O
replacing	O
Wayland	B-Language
with	O
Mir	B-Language
for	O
Unity	O
8	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
want	O
the	O
launcher	O
always	O
close	O
to	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
button.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
,	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
button	O
was	O
moved	O
into	O
the	O
launcher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
third-party	O
plugin	B-Application
that	O
moved	O
Unity	O
3D	O
's	O
launcher	O
to	O
the	O
bottom	O
was	O
available	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
An	O
option	O
to	O
move	O
the	O
launcher	O
to	O
the	O
bottom	O
of	O
the	O
screen	O
was	O
officially	O
implemented	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
,	O
the	O
Unity	B-Device
shell	I-Device
interface	O
developers	O
use	O
a	O
toolkit	O
called	O
Nux	O
instead	O
of	O
Clutter	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity	O
is	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
of	O
the	O
Compiz	B-Language
window	O
manager	O
,	O
which	O
Canonical	O
states	O
is	O
faster	O
than	O
Mutter	B-Language
,	O
the	O
window	O
manager	O
for	O
which	O
GNOME	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
is	O
a	O
plugin	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
January	O
2011	O
,	O
Canonical	O
also	O
released	O
a	O
technical	O
preview	O
of	O
a	O
"	O
2D	O
"	O
version	O
of	O
Unity	O
based	O
on	O
Qt	B-Language
and	O
written	O
in	O
QML	B-Language
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unity-2D	O
was	O
not	O
shipped	O
on	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
CD	O
,	O
instead	O
the	O
classic	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
was	O
the	O
fall-back	O
for	O
hardware	O
that	O
could	O
not	O
run	O
Unity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
public	O
indications	O
emerged	O
of	O
friction	O
between	O
Canonical	O
(	O
and	O
its	O
development	O
of	O
Unity	O
)	O
and	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
part	O
of	O
Unity	O
development	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
developers	O
had	O
submitted	O
API	B-General_Concept
coding	O
for	O
inclusion	O
in	O
Gnome	B-Application
as	O
an	O
external	O
dependency	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Dave	O
Neary	O
,	O
"	O
an	O
...	O
external	O
dependency	O
is	O
a	O
non-GNOME	O
module	O
which	O
is	O
a	O
dependency	O
of	O
a	O
package	O
contained	O
in	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Application
module	O
sets	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
the	O
reasons	O
why	O
libappindicator	O
was	O
not	O
accepted	O
as	O
an	O
external	O
dependency	O
are	O
that	O
"	O
it	O
...	O
does	O
not	O
fit	O
that	O
definition	O
,	O
"	O
it	O
has	O
"	O
duplicate	O
...	O
functionality	O
with	O
libnotify	O
,	O
"	O
(	O
the	O
current	O
Gnome	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
default	O
)	O
and	O
its	O
CLA	O
does	O
not	O
meet	O
current	O
GNOME	B-Application
policy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
Mark	O
Shuttleworth	O
announced	O
that	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
Oneiric	O
Ocelot	O
would	O
not	O
include	O
the	O
classic	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
as	O
a	O
fall-back	O
to	O
Unity	O
,	O
unlike	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
Natty	O
Narwhal	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Instead	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
used	O
the	O
Qt-based	O
Unity	O
2D	O
for	O
users	O
whose	O
hardware	O
cannot	O
support	O
the	O
3D	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
the	O
classic	O
GNOME	B-Application
desktop	I-Application
(	O
GNOME	B-Language
Panel	I-Language
)	O
can	O
be	O
installed	O
separately	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
and	O
later	O
versions	O
through	O
gnome-panel	B-Language
,	O
a	O
package	O
in	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
repositories	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
November	O
2011	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Developer	O
Summit	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Unity	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.04	O
would	O
not	O
re-enable	O
the	O
systray	O
,	O
and	O
would	O
have	O
better	O
application	O
integration	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
ability	O
to	O
drag	O
lenses	O
onto	O
the	O
launcher	O
,	O
and	O
that	O
the	O
2D	O
version	O
of	O
Unity	O
would	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
decoration	O
buttons	O
as	O
the	O
3D	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
planning	O
conference	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.10	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Unity	O
2D	O
would	O
probably	O
be	O
dropped	O
in	O
favour	O
of	O
making	O
Unity	O
3D	O
run	O
better	O
on	O
lower-end	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
meant	O
a	O
family	O
of	O
unified	O
interfaces	O
that	O
could	O
be	O
used	O
across	O
many	O
device	O
form	O
factors	O
,	O
including	O
desktop	O
,	O
laptop	O
,	O
tablet	O
,	O
smart	B-Application
phones	I-Application
and	O
TV	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Shuttleworth	O
explained	O
,	O
"	O
ASUS	O
ran	O
an	O
experiment	O
where	O
they	O
shipped	O
half	O
a	O
million	O
[	O
Unity	O
netbooks	B-Device
and	O
laptops ]	O
to	O
Germany	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
the	O
return	O
rates	O
on	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
were	O
exactly	O
the	O
same	O
as	O
the	O
return	O
rates	O
on	O
Windows	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Microsoft	O
's	O
development	O
of	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
and	O
its	O
Metro	O
interface	O
became	O
an	O
additional	O
incentive	O
for	O
Unity	O
development	O
,	O
as	O
Shuttleworth	O
explained	O
,	O
"	O
we	O
[	O
had	O
to	O
move ]	O
our	O
desktop	O
because	O
if	O
we	O
did	O
n’t	O
we	O
’d	O
end	O
up	O
where	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
is	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
And	O
then	O
you	O
think	O
OK	O
,	O
this	O
is	O
familiar	O
,	O
so	O
you	O
’re	O
kind	O
of	O
getting	O
into	O
it	O
and	O
whack	O
[	O
Windows	B-Application
8	I-Application
is	O
back ]	O
.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2013	O
the	O
plan	O
to	O
use	O
the	O
Mir	B-Language
display	I-Language
server	I-Language
was	O
announced	O
for	O
future	O
development	O
of	O
Unity	O
,	O
in	O
place	O
of	O
the	O
previously	O
announced	O
Wayland/Weston	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2015	O
it	O
was	O
announced	O
that	O
Unity	O
8	O
would	O
ship	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
LTS	O
,	O
or	O
possibly	O
later	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
April	O
2016	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
was	O
released	O
with	O
Unity	O
7	O
,	O
not	O
Unity	O
8	O
,	O
as	O
the	O
default	O
user	O
interface	O
,	O
though	O
Unity	O
8	O
could	O
be	O
installed	O
through	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
software	B-Application
repositories	I-Application
as	O
an	O
optional	O
,	O
preview	O
package	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
an	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Online	O
Summit	O
,	O
Canonical	O
employees	O
said	O
that	O
their	O
goal	O
is	O
to	O
ship	O
Unity	O
8	O
as	O
the	O
default	O
interface	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.10	O
,	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
in	O
October	O
2016	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
18.04	O
LTS	O
,	O
a	O
year	O
away	O
from	O
release	O
at	O
the	O
time	O
,	O
would	O
abandon	O
the	O
Unity	B-Device
desktop	I-Device
and	O
employ	O
the	O
GNOME	B-Language
3	I-Language
desktop	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Upon	O
hearing	O
the	O
news	O
,	O
multiple	O
teams	O
forked	O
the	O
Unity	O
8	O
repository	O
,	O
including	O
Unity8org	O
and	O
UBports	B-Protocol
.	O
</s>
<s>
However	O
,	O
this	O
fork	O
was	O
shortly	O
abandoned	O
in	O
favor	O
of	O
UBports	B-Protocol
 '	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
UBports	B-Protocol
founder	O
Marius	O
Gripsgård	O
announced	O
on	O
7	O
April	O
2017	O
,	O
that	O
the	O
organization	O
would	O
continue	O
Unity8	O
development	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
27	O
February	O
2020	O
,	O
UBports	B-Protocol
announced	O
that	O
it	O
renamed	O
Unity8	O
to	O
Lomiri	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
May	O
2020	O
,	O
Ubuntu	B-Language
Unity	I-Language
,	O
a	O
new	O
unofficial	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
version	O
was	O
first	O
released	O
,	O
using	O
the	O
Unity7	O
desktop	O
as	O
its	O
default	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
became	O
an	O
official	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
flavor	O
starting	O
with	O
version	O
22.10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Some	O
reviewers	O
found	O
fault	O
with	O
the	O
implementation	O
and	O
limitations	O
,	O
while	O
other	O
reviewers	O
found	O
Unity	O
an	O
improvement	O
over	O
GNOME	B-Application
2	O
with	O
the	O
further	O
potential	O
to	O
improve	O
over	O
time	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
With	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.04	O
,	O
Unity	O
received	O
good	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
Dash	O
feature	O
of	O
Unity	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.10	O
generated	O
a	O
privacy	O
controversy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
concluded	O
positively	O
,	O
"	O
Our	O
test	O
of	O
the	O
Unity	O
prototype	O
leads	O
us	O
to	O
believe	O
that	O
the	O
project	O
has	O
considerable	O
potential	O
and	O
could	O
bring	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
value	O
to	O
the	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
Netbook	B-Device
Edition	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
unique	O
visual	O
style	O
melds	O
beautifully	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
new	O
default	O
theme	O
and	O
its	O
underlying	O
interaction	O
model	O
seems	O
compelling	O
and	O
well-suited	O
for	O
small	O
screens.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
an	O
extensive	O
review	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
10.10	O
shortly	O
after	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
October	O
2010	O
,	O
Paul	O
made	O
further	O
observations	O
on	O
Unity	O
,	O
noting	O
that	O
"	O
Unity	O
is	O
highly	O
ambitious	O
and	O
offers	O
a	O
substantially	O
different	O
computing	O
experience	O
than	O
the	O
conventional	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
desktop.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
March	O
2011	O
,	O
writer	O
Benjamin	O
Humphrey	O
of	O
OMG	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
criticized	O
the	O
development	O
version	O
of	O
Unity	O
then	O
being	O
tested	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
on	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
grounds	O
,	O
including	O
a	O
development	O
process	O
that	O
is	O
divorced	O
from	O
user	O
experiences	O
,	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
response	O
to	O
user	O
feedback	O
,	O
"	O
the	O
seemingly	O
unbelievable	O
lack	O
of	O
communication	O
the	O
design	O
team	O
has	O
,	O
"	O
and	O
a	O
user	O
interface	O
he	O
described	O
as	O
"	O
cluttered	O
and	O
inconsistent	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
14	O
April	O
2011	O
Ryan	O
Paul	O
reviewed	O
Unity	O
as	O
implemented	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
beta	O
,	O
just	O
two	O
weeks	O
before	O
its	O
stable	O
release	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
noted	O
that	O
,	O
in	O
particular	O
,	O
"	O
random	O
packages	O
from	O
the	O
repositories	B-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
presented	O
as	O
applications	O
that	O
are	O
available	O
for	O
installation	O
in	O
the	O
launcher	O
,	O
are	O
distracting	O
and	O
largely	O
superfluous	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Paul	O
concluded	O
,	O
"	O
There	O
is	O
still	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
room	O
for	O
improvement	O
,	O
but	O
Unity	O
is	O
arguably	O
a	O
strong	O
improvement	O
over	O
the	O
conventional	O
GNOME	B-Application
2.x	O
environment	O
for	O
day-to-day	O
use	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
very	O
detailed	O
assessment	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
and	O
Unity	O
published	O
on	O
12	O
May	O
2011	O
,	O
Paul	O
further	O
concluded	O
Unity	O
was	O
a	O
positive	O
development	O
for	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
,	O
but	O
that	O
more	O
development	O
had	O
to	O
be	O
invested	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
work	O
right	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
25	O
April	O
2011	O
,	O
the	O
eve	O
of	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
,	O
reviewer	O
Matt	O
Hartley	O
of	O
IT	O
Management	O
criticized	O
Unity	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
the	O
"	O
dumbing	O
down	O
of	O
the	O
Linux	O
desktop	O
environment	O
is	O
bordering	O
on	O
insane	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewer	O
Joey	O
Sneddon	O
of	O
OMG	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
was	O
more	O
positive	O
about	O
Unity	O
in	O
his	O
review	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
,	O
encouraging	O
users	O
,	O
"	O
Sure	O
it	O
's	O
different	O
—	O
but	O
different	O
does	O
n't	O
mean	O
bad	O
;	O
the	O
best	O
thing	O
to	O
do	O
is	O
to	O
give	O
it	O
a	O
chance.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
Canonical	O
Ltd	O
.	O
founder	O
Mark	O
Shuttleworth	O
indicated	O
that	O
,	O
while	O
he	O
was	O
generally	O
happy	O
with	O
the	O
implementation	O
of	O
Unity	O
,	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
there	O
was	O
room	O
for	O
improvement	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
I	O
think	O
the	O
bulk	O
of	O
it	O
has	O
worked	O
out	O
fantastically	O
—	O
both	O
at	O
an	O
engineering	O
level	O
(	O
Compiz	B-Language
,	O
Nux	O
)	O
and	O
in	O
the	O
user	O
experience.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
reviewing	O
Unity	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.04	O
on	O
9	O
May	O
2011	O
,	O
Jesse	O
Smith	O
of	O
DistroWatch	O
criticized	O
its	O
lack	O
of	O
customization	O
,	O
menu	O
handling	O
and	O
Unity	O
hardware	O
requirements	O
,	O
saying	O
,	O
"	O
There	O
's	O
really	O
nothing	O
here	O
which	O
should	O
demand	O
3D	O
acceleration.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
More	O
criticism	O
appeared	O
after	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
November	O
2011	O
Robert	O
Storey	O
writing	O
in	O
DistroWatch	O
noted	O
that	O
developer	O
work	O
on	O
Unity	O
is	O
now	O
taking	O
up	O
so	O
much	O
time	O
that	O
little	O
is	O
getting	O
done	O
on	O
outstanding	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
bugs	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
a	O
distribution	O
that	O
is	O
not	O
as	O
stable	O
or	O
as	O
fast	O
as	O
it	O
should	O
be	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
!	O
</s>
<s>
conducted	O
a	O
non-scientific	O
poll	O
that	O
asked	O
its	O
readers	O
"	O
which	O
Desktop	O
Environment	O
Are	O
You	O
Using	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
11.10	O
?	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Of	O
the	O
15,988	O
votes	O
cast	O
46.78	O
%	O
indicated	O
that	O
they	O
were	O
using	O
Unity	O
over	O
GNOME	B-Language
Shell	I-Language
(	O
28.42	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
Xfce	B-Language
(	O
7.58	O
%	O
)	O
,	O
KDE	B-Application
(	O
6.92	O
%	O
)	O
and	O
LXDE	B-Language
(	O
2.7	O
%	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Developers	O
of	O
Linux	O
distributions	O
based	O
upon	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
have	O
also	O
weighed	O
in	O
on	O
the	O
introduction	O
of	O
Unity	O
in	O
early	O
2011	O
,	O
when	O
Unity	O
was	O
in	O
its	O
infancy	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Stephen	O
Ewen	O
,	O
the	O
lead	O
developer	O
for	O
UberStudent	B-Application
,	O
an	O
Ubuntu-based	O
Linux	O
distribution	O
for	O
higher	O
education	O
and	O
college-bound	O
high	O
school	O
students	O
,	O
stated	O
,	O
"	O
Unity	O
's	O
design	O
decreases	O
both	O
visual	O
and	O
functional	O
accessibility	O
,	O
which	O
tabulates	O
to	O
decreased	O
productivity.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Ewen	O
also	O
criticized	O
Unity	O
's	O
menu	O
scheme	O
as	O
much	O
less	O
accessible	O
than	O
on	O
GNOME	B-Application
2	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
said	O
,	O
"	O
means	O
that	O
the	O
brain	O
cannot	O
map	O
as	O
quickly	O
to	O
program	O
categories	O
and	O
subcategories	O
,	O
which	O
again	O
means	O
further	O
decreased	O
productivity.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jesse	O
Smith	O
of	O
DistroWatch	O
said	O
that	O
many	O
people	O
,	O
like	O
him	O
,	O
had	O
questioned	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
's	O
direction	O
,	O
including	O
Unity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
But	O
with	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.04	O
he	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
puzzle	O
pieces	O
,	O
which	O
individually	O
may	O
have	O
been	O
underwhelming	O
,	O
had	O
come	O
together	O
to	O
form	O
a	O
whole	O
,	O
clear	O
picture	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
HUD	B-Application
means	O
that	O
newcomers	O
can	O
find	O
application	O
functionality	O
with	O
a	O
quick	O
search	O
and	O
more	O
advanced	O
users	O
can	O
use	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
to	O
quickly	O
run	O
menu	O
commands	O
from	O
the	O
keyboard.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Jack	O
Wallen	O
of	O
TechRepublic	O
—	O
who	O
had	O
strongly	O
criticized	O
early	O
versions	O
of	O
Unity	O
—	O
said	O
"	O
Since	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.04	O
was	O
released	O
,	O
and	O
I	O
migrated	O
over	O
from	O
Linux	O
Mint	O
,	O
I	O
’m	O
working	O
much	O
more	O
efficiently	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
considered	O
the	O
HUD	B-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
several	O
excellent	O
improvements	O
that	O
had	O
helped	O
to	O
make	O
Unity	O
"	O
even	O
better	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
12.04	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
We	O
identified	O
several	O
key	O
weaknesses	O
in	O
our	O
last	O
two	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
reviews	O
,	O
some	O
of	O
which	O
still	O
have	O
n't	O
been	O
addressed	O
yet	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jack	O
Wallen	O
of	O
TechRepublic	O
,	O
in	O
reviewing	O
the	O
changes	O
scheduled	O
for	O
Unity	O
in	O
Ubuntu	B-Operating_System
16.04	O
LTS	O
,	O
concluded	O
,	O
"	O
Ubuntu	B-Language
Unity	I-Language
is	O
not	O
the	O
desktop	O
pariah	O
you	O
once	O
thought	O
it	O
was	O
.	O
</s>
