Don't count on Canonical changing much. They have all their eggs in the
Unity basket and many original nay-sayers are coming back after enhanced
performance and new features in 12.04 which is approaching feature freeze.

Their numbers show Unity growing in acceptance and no drop in usage of
Ubuntu. It is only die-hards who oppose it.

I am not a Unity fan, but think you won't see much based on what I read.

A couple of points. I myself don't like Unity either, I have tried
10.10, 11.04, 11.10 and kinda waiting for 12.04 but don't expect
to be using it either. I was on 10.04 and I think one of the updates
made my audio quit working.
I am now on Mint 11 and may go up to Mint 12.
Now about Unity that Mike was talking about.
Can't help on number 1.
But on number 2, if you can put the panel back on the top
won't you have the clock/calendar back. Speaking of the desktop
isn't there a setup to allow you to move the launcher around, and
put the panel back.
On number 5 I think you can move the three from the left side to
the right side of the page, like it has always been. I found out
out by doing a Google search on moving the
from left to right. I is some kinda of gnome editor, maybe called
gconfig-editor, the web site has instructions on how to move it.

Just a few ideas to maybe help you get to use Unity. If you
can't find the web page send me an email and I will look in some
notes I have upstairs.

I like the Exit, or whatever it is called, Minimize and Maximize buttons
being in the top left hand corner. It is the File, Edit, View, Tools, Help
menu bar being in the top panel of the screen. It would be better to be in
the window I'm working in.
Some of these things I'll get use to but the previous way was better, at
least I think so. So of the features of Gnome that are missing in Unity,
I'm sure sooner or later will be added either in 12.04 or by a third party
modification. I don't plan on leaving Unity. Some changes I wish were not
made, some I wish were not left out or some I wish were not put in. Hoping
on 12.04.

Ok, on what I had forgotten I saw on Unity, yes on the file, edit and
so on at the top of the panel. That confused me also, made me wonder
what application I had brought up to work in, thinking I hadn't that I
knew of, then I found the way to take Linux down from there.
I never did find out how to get into the System Administration to
set up the update manager, or to use Synaptic Manager. I didn't use
11.10 very long before I decided to go back to 10.04.
Unfortunately on the reload of 10.04 and then bringing it up to date
somehow the internal wifi got confused and would only work about 1 out
of 4 restarts and the audio wouldn't work at all. So I am now back to
Mint 11. Where the networking connects faster and the audio works on
the internal speakers, but doesn't work on headphones. I have found
any distro that will work on the switching of audio from internal
speakers to headphones for this PC, so I have one of those USB sound
cards to use for use with headphones.

I hope you get used to Unity. If my hardware worked better
with Ubuntu, by that the networking/audio issues, I think I would have
stuck with it too. I will try out 12.04 when it gets released soon just
to see though.

When you are in or on the Desktop the Menus in the Top Panel are those of
Unity itself. Clicking on Help there is a fair amount of help. Everyone
needs to go through that. While I feel it falls way short of being a good
help it is better than nothing but barely. It should same a lot of time and
frustration.

To get Synaptic you need to download and install it. The best way to do
that is go to the Launch bar on the left, click the Terminal window and
enter Synaptic. You will be told how to DL and install it.

The System Administration is now the gear overladed with a Crescent wrench
icon.

In the past if there was a restaurant and I didn't like it that restaurant
was in big trouble. Say what you may but I don't like Unity as it is now,