Sure, though in interests of full disclosure, on a large screen the menu bar is actually "a mile high, and a mile away". Still, global menu on the Mac is probably still at least a wash for all but the most expansive desktops.

With Unity, though, the global menu bar on a large desktop is "a mile high, a mile away, and invisible". You get to guess where you should be aiming.

Are you really arguing that hitting a target you can't see is easier than a target you can see?

All that said, I do prefer Unity over other options on my netbook. The savings in real estate is well worth the marginal cost in usability. I don't use the menu bar much, anyway.

That last bit is probably Unity's saving grace: most apps used by most people are no longer designed with the menus as the primary interface.

Since they're less used, it makes sense to optimize screen use by tucking them away at the top of the screen.

I wouldn't at all mind if the menu bar had an auto-hide mode, though. Actually, what I'd like is a partial auto-hide. Tuck away over to the top left, with only the window widgets and the indicators showing. I'd gain a line or two in any editor or term on the right side of the screen.