If you have used Linux for a while you will remember the days where Ubuntu was trying to be self sufficient by making their own version of almost everything. The Upstart init system, the Mir display server, and the Unity desktop. One thing that many people miss about the older versions of Ubuntu is the Unity desktop environment. Many people think that it has died, but it is still alive! I am going to get into how it still around.
I LOVE the Unity GUI. I think it was a carefully and considerately crafted user experience. Lomiri isn’t nearly so well-featured (yet?), but it keeps the design ethos.
The big idea, of course, was convergence… What a really good idea, for so many reasons! I still hope it will become a reality.