[cs702]

velodrome: FWIW, the transition from Gnome 2.x to Unity was neither quick nor easy for me, as I'd been a full-time Gnome user for years prior to the switch.

However, I find that I'm more productive now, with Unity, than I ever was with Gnome. In no particular order, I love how Unity (1) gets out of my way (I've set it to hide); (2) maximizes my usable screen real estate; (3) allows me to use complex apps like GIMP and Inkscape without having to remember their menu structures (!); and (4) lets me to do everything (including window placement) very quickly with the keyboard.[1]

Yes, Unity is different, but IMO it's also much better. Give it a six-month try!

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[1] Here's a comprehensive list of shortcuts: http://askubuntu.com/questions/28086/what-are-unitys-keyboar...

[velodrome]

I was on gnome classic for a couple of months. I am trying unity for the next few weeks. I think the major issue for me is:

https://bugs.launchpad.net/unity/+bug/1027949

Basically, the unity bar is crowded due to apps on other workspaces. Also, switching between windows of the same app is slower (I think I can deal with this issue though).

Performance-wise, gnome3 is snappier than unity (compiz kind of sucks).

[cs702]

velodrome:

You can make the Unity launcher (i.e., the sidebar) less crowded. Just run "Appearance" (<Super><A>, "appea", <Enter>) and change Launcher Icon Size to 32. I had to do this myself for the same reason.

You can also switch quickly between all windows of the currently focused app -- just tap <Alt><`>. (The <`> key is right above the <Tab> key on US keyboards.)

Also, note that the little triangular pointers on the launcher are different for applications running in the current workspace versus those running in other workspaces.