Canonical's decision to go with the Unity shell on GNOME may be a game changer for Ubuntu, but it doesn't come without risk. Mark Shuttleworth's declared aims are to unite design with free software. He hopes to blur the line between the web and the desktop, to create an intuitive Linux desktop that is a thing of beauty, and to make Ubuntu and free software popular among the kinds of user who have never heard of free software before.

Jeff Waugh expressed the view of GNOME developers: "Unity as default shell == brand before community, differentiation before collaboration." Unity is a replacement for the GNOME Shell, and is being developed by Canonical without the blessing or input of the GNOME community.