14 DAY TRIAL // Unity 8 is coming to the Ubuntu desktop and it's bringing with it the Mir display server, Qt implementation, and a host of other core modifications. That doesn't mean that traditional GTK+ apps won't work anymore and there is proof of that.
The stable and complete transition from Unity 7 to Unity 8 is a major one, but that applies more to the inner workings of the desktop environment. The main interface we all know and love (or hate) will remain pretty much the same, with some improvements that will translate from the phone. It will be very interesting to see how the phone scopes will land on the desktop.
In any case, a video put together by Popescu Sorin shows GTK+ apps running on Unity 8, in Ubuntu 15.04. As you can see, there are some delays and it takes a while until the apps actually open, but that's understandable. This is very early work and Unity 8 won't be available by default for another two years.
As it stands right now, Ubuntu 15.04 (Vivid Vervet) will launch with an updated version of Unity 7. Some of the improvements will likely be backported to Unity 14.04 LTS, but nothing major will happen. Also, users will have access to a much more friendly Unity 8 version, which has improved greatly in the past few months.
You can download the Ubuntu 15.04 Next version, with Unity 8, from Softpedia. Please keep in mind that this is still under construction and it's not stable at all.
