I want the Ubuntu 9.04/9.10 back, is there any current similar distro

compizdesktop-environmentdistribution-choicegnomewindow-manager

I was switching to Linux in the optimal time, around Ubuntu 9.04/9.10. I am a programmer, so I don't want to be a "Linux guru", that's why Ubuntu was perfect for me – until Unity/Gnome3.

In latest Ubuntu releases (11.04/11.10), several important things have just disappeared. There's no Compiz-Fusion support, no Gnome2 applets. The position of the panels is fixed. The Unity launcher is "for-dummies", but I'm not. Lots of customisation options are gone. On the computer I've performed distro-upgrade, I've installed LXDE now, it's like Gnome (I've replaced LXDE's file manager with Nautilus), but it does not support Compiz-Fusion.

So, the question is: which Linux distribution is like Ubuntu 9.04/9.10, which I can just install, set up Compiz-Fusion shortcuts, select panel's position, add applets, and it just works?

Should I go back to Ubuntu 10.04 LTS? What about Mint? I don't want to dig too deep into the soul of window managers and desktop environments.

Best Answer

You already pointed out two options that I was going to suggest :) Anyway I think it's worth making clear that you have many options.

  • Stick with Ubuntu 10.04 for now. This is not a long term option, because eventually you will run out of updates (3 years for desktops, 5 years for servers). And who wants to use outdated software anyway, especially when it's free? After that maybe you will find the next LTS (12.04) is usable?
  • Change to another distribution, like Mint. Since Ubuntu 11.04 I have found myself and a lot of my friends getting more satisfaction from Mint. Basically Mint is a modded version of Ubuntu (with Mint 11 being based on Ubuntu 11.04), so compatibility is an obvious bless. Soon Mint will be going after Gnome 3 (starting in the next release, which is somewhere near the end of this year), but I guess Gnome 3 will become more usable by then.
  • Change for something different. Linux gives you many (sometimes too many) choices, so if you don't like something, feel free to take another. Gnome 2 is going to be deprecated so I wouldn't recommend looking for something with it. You can try KDE with Kubuntu, Openbox with Crunchbang, XFCE with Mint and what-not. The destination for choosing a distribution would be DistroWatch.