Install Gnome Desktop

There was quite a strong opposition against using Unity desktop environment on Ubuntu ever since it came out. I was also used to the good old Gnome desktop that has served me well and I knew what to do, where and how can I find whats needed. Opposing to this with Unity I am not so confident and I am willing to go back to using Gnome.

Now however Unity comes as the default desktop for Ubuntu 12.04 Precise Pangolin, this doesn't mean that users can't replace it. Hey, Linux is all about customizing, right?
Please refer to images.

Installing from the Terminal

This is the easiest way to go, simply run

sudo apt-get install gnome 

Note that the installation requires 484 MB of space on your hard drive, make sure there is space for it. Follow the process on your screen and wait for the installation to finish.

 

Installing from the Software Centre

Open the Software Centre and search for "gnome". Simply click install and wait until it finishes. Honestly, by the time you start Software Centre, search for Gnome and click install, you would be done by installing it from the terminal.

Enabling Gnome

Either way you did the install now it should be done. To use your new gnome desktop you will have to log out from your system and on the login screen choose Gnome from the options. Use your password and login as normal.

Welcome to your Gnome desktop!