Scratch

I'm currently in the process of installing Ubuntu Gnome in VirtualBox, and can't wait!
I grew up using Windows, but after a HDD failure lost my Windows XP partition, I got Ubuntu (11.04 Natty Narwhal) to replace it. I fell in love with the interface, until I upgraded to 11.10. Not only did it lag, but it introduced a big dock on the side of my screen, which was already cramped as it was an old, low-res screen. I got Windows XP again, but never completely gave up on Linux.
Next time around, I tried it again, this time in VirtualBox on a more powerful computer. 12.04 and 12.10. They are ugly and impossible to use on a slower computer. Gone was the program list in the top corner, and in was the requirement to search for programs, which is awful when the computer lags behind, taking minutes to navigate to, and then open the program. Sure, maybe the experience would be more fluid on a newer computer, but it just wasn't enjoyable. Where was the GNOME desktop I loved?

Well, it's back. Ubuntu Gnome 12.10. The pictures of it are beautiful, the interface is perfect, and the blue color scheme is far better than default Ubuntu's orange and gray. 
Does anyone else have experience with Ubuntu Gnome? In my opinion it is the best looking flavor of Ubuntu. Unity is awful (see my rant above), KDE is heavy on system resources, and LXDE and XDE are, while lightweight, just lacking a certain pop. XDE (more specifically Xubuntu) seems somewhat dull and lifeless, while LXDE/Lubuntu seems like an old interface trying too hard to look contemporary, like trying to make Windows 98 look like Vista. KDE is basically an over-the-top transparency-heavy Windows-7.

Anyway, I'm excited, and this may even bring me back over to the open side of the force.