In case I boot from an Ubuntu 12.04 LiveCD, am I going to see Unity 2D, standard Unity ("3D") or does it depend on my hardware?
2 Answers
As with an installed system,
/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test
will be used to determine whether the system is capable of running Unity 3d. If it is not, logically Ubuntu 2d will be started.
/usr/lib/nux/unity_support_test -p
returns a nice little overview that tells you more about the hardware capabilities of your GPU.
The live session will attempt to run Unity 3D. If your system is not capable or lacks necessary hardware drivers, it will run Unity 2d.