Canonical stopped their support of Unity8 in April 2017. The desktop environment is now developed by the UBports Community. * Unity8 website * Code * Project Management Development of the Mir display server is continued by Canonical.

The Unity 8 Desktop (Preview)

Introduction

The Unity 8 Desktop Preview is the new Unity 8 desktop shell running on the Mir display technology. It's called a preview, because it's a pre-release view of technology and designs that are not yet ready for general consumption as a full desktop experience. It's there for developers, and anyone else who is interested, to test and review how the Unity 8 stack works in the desktop experience with an eye to full Ubuntu convergence.

Getting the Unity 8 Desktop Preview

The Unity 8 desktop preview is available as an add-on package. To install it, open a terminal and type:

sudo apt install unity8-desktop-session

After finishing the installation, simply log out and then select the Unity 8 session at the greeter prompt.

What to test

Try installing applications, using things, check out the store and scopes, etc.

Limitations

Unity 8 uses Mir display technology. Proprietary video drivers do not yet offer the required level of support for Mir, so your experience if you're using the binary block nVidia or AMD drivers will be somewhat disappointing.

Reporting issues

Issues should be reported on launchpad, using the appropriate component. In doubt of what component is to blame for the issue, file the bug against unity8-desktop-session.

Known issues

See Also