Ubuntu Art Makes Me Depressed

[Andrew Shaw Care]

Please, hire a professional artist to make the default background for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a great operating system, but the dark brown wallpaper is destroying my will to live.

Ironically, the top rated wallpaper for the Ubuntu Art site is, "Ubuntu Alone", also using a dark brown colour scheme.

](*,)

I just want Ubuntu to look as good as it actually is. While Ubuntu has made leaps and bounds in it's window theme and icons, the wallpaper (which is equally important) is still... dark brown.

Also, it doesn't "say" anything about Ubuntu. Sure, it looks "cool", but how does it convey Ubuntu ideals artistically?

One vote for a professional designer.

[dermotti]

Some of my good friends are brown!

[Andrew Shaw Care]

Some of my good friends are brown!
All things considered, I still think the wallpaper needs a redesign. ;)

[Buffalo Soldier]

Ironically, the top rated wallpaper for the Ubuntu Art site is, "Ubuntu Alone", also using a dark brown colour scheme.The people have spoken :)

disclaimer: ubuntu brown (or orange) fan :p

[3rdalbum]

Yeah, as soon as I installed Ubuntu I got rid of the wallpaper. I've now replaced it with a light-blue one.

[bvc]

Ironically, the top rated wallpaper for the Ubuntu Art site is, "Ubuntu Alone", also using a dark brown colour scheme.

While Ubuntu has made leaps and bounds in it's window theme and icons, the wallpaper (which is equally important) is still... dark brown.

One vote for a professional designer.
Ubuntu Alone only has 9 votes so that obviously means nothing.

I don't know what colors it is but a new wall is in the works.

'Professional designer' doesn't necessarily mean professional results now does it?

[adamkane]

I agree that the default Breezy theme is a little boring. Here is a simple human-ish theme that you can find at Gnome Art:

Controls: Pharago
Windows Border: Clearlooks2-Squared
Icons: Tango
Wallpaper: Whatever you want

If you use amaroK, then install kcontrol to change the fonts and colors for KDE.

[Apocalypse]

Try this image:

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/mars/images/mer-image_feature_481.html

Or any of these wallpapers:

http://www.digitalblasphemy.com/dbhome.shtml

But I agree... that brown wallpaper is like being hit in the... stomach...=-|

[IYY]

Just because the wallpaper is brown doesn't make it unprofessional! You don't have to be a designer to load it up in Gimp and change the colours to anything you like. It's a matter of 3 seconds. The same wallpaper looks quite nice in blue, green, orange... you name it.

And anyway, you don't have to suffer for long; dapper's theme is orange rather than brown.

[ace2005]

I just wish a set of colour schemes could be included, the first time i tried a distro i went into gnome, and i never liked its dull colour scheme, but KDE felt nicer with the blue and the nice icons. I think the icons could do with a touch up too. Gnome has xgl and compiz with all these nice effects yet still when you walk into it for the first time its not that impressive. Oh well, i'll stick to KDE, once you try KDE you never feel at home in Gnome, it lacks features, although a Gnome user could call KDE overly complex. Strange world....

At least having a feature and not using is better than not having it at all, you might need it someday

[Mr. Polite]

At least having a feature and not using is better than not having it at all, you might need it someday

Thats called bloat.

[bvc]

Thats called bloat.
Does this mean you do not download and install themes? Hardly bloat...it's a necessity. We all have diff eyes and diff environments we use our computer in. Several color schemes/desktop themes is the only logical conclusion. The other OS's offer it...it's not bloat.

[Andrew Shaw Care]

'Professional designer' doesn't necessarily mean professional results now does it?
Yes, it does.

They're professional designers because they are able to produce 'professional' results. They're experienced designers who excel at their craft.

I understand that Ubuntu is community-driven, but there needs to be certain standards of quality for all facets of the operating system.

We all want Ubuntu to be the best operating system possible, and in order for that to happen we need a strong user base which will attract more experienced contributors.

I can't speak for anyone else, but one of the largest factors for me when I decided to switch to linux was that it looked just as easy to use as Windows (and it was free).

Think about Apple's aesthetic value. I wouldn't say that the majority switched simply because Apple's operating system looked better. OS X not only looks great, but it's an excellent operating system as well. But aesthetics help a great deal for first impressions.

Now brown may work, I'm not saying that I don't like the wallpaper just because it's brown, and it's not that bad in terms of aesthetics. But it's derivative and it doesn't "say anything" about Ubuntu. The Ubuntu logo is just sitting in a big swirly brown background.

And I just updated Dapper Flight six, and I haven't restarted yet so I hope this goes away, but this "Under Construction" bs is so unprofessional. This reminds me of "Under Construction" web pages. If it's not done, don't add it. It's like a huge visual "bug" that I have to look at every time I use Ubuntu. Please remove it immediately. I'm not complaining as much about the splash graphic because I see it when I restart, but this is ridiculous.

[tribaal]

Pardon me if I didn't get your point, but to me linux is about choice, and that's what you get when you run Ubuntu: the possibility to choose your own wallpaper.
To me, the default wallpaper is just that: a default setting. Changing your wallpaper is as simple as opening firefox and right clicking on something you like...

Who uses the default wallpaper on other OS's anyway?

- trib'

[Andrew Shaw Care]

:mad:

I just restarted, and it's still here!

First off, this is a complete rip-off of OS X's wallpaper, and it isn't even a good one at that. The Ubuntu logo has some sort of filter applied to it that makes it look like a child scribbled in it, and there's this ugly crane on my desktop.

Sorry for being so harsh, but this is a popular operating system! Where's the standards? Why is something like this acceptable, even for a development version?

It looks like someone was playing around with a "Make an Aqua Wallpaper" tutorial, got tired, slapped an Ubuntu logo on it and went to bed.

[-(

[NoWhereMan]

just to suggest a nice ubuntu wall :)
http://www.deviantart.com/deviation/23866865/

[WelterPelter]

Go to the Flickr "explore" pages, pick something out, download it, and use it as your new desktop. Guaranteed to cure default-desktop-induced depression!

[Andrew Shaw Care]

Pardon me if I didn't get your point, but to me linux is about choice, and that's what you get when you run Ubuntu: the possibility to choose your own wallpaper.
To me, the default wallpaper is just that: a default setting. Changing your wallpaper is as simple as opening firefox and right clicking on something you like...

Who uses the default wallpaper on other OS's anyway?

- trib'
Yeah, linux is about choice. Does that mean the default choice is allowed to be viewed negatively by the majority of it's users? I haven't seen one post stating, "Hey, that wallpaper is awesome!!!". I see either suggestions on which one to change to, or arguments for choice. Great, I can change my wallpaper. That's not my point.

Changing wallpaper is very easy, but I'm not really that picky and I don't "want" to change it. I just want a wallpaper that fits. I'm not big into customizing my experience. I just expect that defaults are tailored to the majority. A professional wallpaper shouldn't be too much to ask for.

I use the default wallpaper on any OS I use. I don't care about the wallpaper, provided it fits and isn't horrendous.

[Andrew Shaw Care]

I appreciate everyone's suggestions for a new wallpaper, I really do. This type of help just speaks volumes about the community here.

But my point is that I don't want to change the wallpaper. I want the default wallpaper to be changed. Choice is great, but it's almost as if I'm being forced to choose; either I stick with an unacceptable wallpaper, or I find my own that isn't the default.

There's so much promise with the new theme, I just want a wallpaper to match the development of the nicer icons and window decoration.

[kevin50r]

Well I'm fairly new to linux in general, just over a year, but I really like the choices that linux allows.

I like the way the way OS X looks on my wife's old computer so I just made my laptop look the same. I did a lot of searching and lurking but really it was not that difficult to accomplish.

Ubuntu has it's base theme, but I am using linux because I don't want someone else making my decisions for me.

[bvc]

'Professional designer' doesn't necessarily mean professional results now does it?

Yes, it does.

They're professional designers because they are able to produce 'professional' results. They're experienced designers who excel at their craft.

I understand that Ubuntu is community-driven, but there needs to be certain standards of quality for all facets of the operating system.

We all want Ubuntu to be the best operating system possible, and in order for that to happen we need a strong user base which will attract more experienced contributors.

And I just updated Dapper Flight six, and I haven't restarted yet so I hope this goes away, but this "Under Construction" bs is so unprofessional. This reminds me of "Under Construction" web pages. If it's not done, don't add it. It's like a huge visual "bug" that I have to look at every time I use Ubuntu. Please remove it immediately. I'm not complaining as much about the splash graphic because I see it when I restart, but this is ridiculous.No, they're professional because they get paid. I worked in the graphic/printing industry for 3 years, which is not long, but long enough to know not everyone that claims to be a designer, is, and I certainly do not claim any such thing.

First, you are not supposed to be using Dapper yet. If you do, it's comes with the understanding that it's WIP. You say 'If it's not done, don't add it'? What if that mentality was used for the OS/kernel and apps? That's not how it works. I told you earlier in the thread a wall is in the works (according to the wiki), so what's the prob? You boast of Breezy but what did it look like in devel? Other than the fact that it was ridding on Warty's coat tale and not a lot changed? What did Warty look like and Hoary? Ever hear of growing pains? If a new wall is in the works why continue demanding, negative post on the subject when you haven't seen it? If Ubuntu hasn't let you down in the past, what makes you think it will in the future? I'd say your rant is over! :p

[mr.champagne]

i made my own bg
using the gimp on some old ms paint drawings
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v237/mr.Champagne/firedragon.jpg

[kaaredyret]

Pardon me if I didn't get your point, but to me linux is about choice, and that's what you get when you run Ubuntu: the possibility to choose your own wallpaper.
To me, the default wallpaper is just that: a default setting. Changing your wallpaper is as simple as opening firefox and right clicking on something you like...

Who uses the default wallpaper on other OS's anyway?

- trib'

It is a default THEME! Its brown, it is boring, it is ugly, it is everywhere. It is hardly professional branding. Perhaps Ubuntu/Linux is about choice, but consider the number of people that do NOT choose Ubuntu because the first impression they get of Ubuntu is "eeew".

[Astinsan]

Thats why there is a area for us to make some... I have submitted a few. Here is one that I submitted I think its pretty cool.
http://www.acesoft.org/ubuntu-chuck.jpg

I have more but thats my fav.

[PrimoTurbo]

I agree, Ubuntu has a really bad color. Brown, wow..They should change it to Blue or even some type of Green.

[kleenex88h]

I agree, Ubuntu has a really bad color. Brown, wow..They should change it to Blue or even some type of Green.

NO BLUE! Blue is way too overdone. ](*,) I agree that the default background could be better, but I've never liked any default background for any OS. It's not possible to have a default background that pleases everyone, or maybe even most people. They've got a background, it goes with the theme, whatever. ;)

[tsrjzq]

in linux, you can configure everything by your hands...

[bvc]

where would apple be with that attitude? ;)

[Raavea]

Oddly enough, I rather like the brown. Anyways, it's the default theme, but is very simple to change. It's one of the first things I took a look at fiddling with in the System>Preferences>Theme menu, though I decided after a few hours fiddling to keep the brown.

It's kind of... Refreshing? Unusual? Is there a word that mixes both those? After the plain grey of Windows... I liked it, anyhow.

Now I know a little more about Ubuntu, I've secksed it up. I think it's a good point about the theme being one that's quite unpopular: It encourages us newbies to learn by trying to change it! :lol:
My scheme atm is this;

[commodore]

The design of Ubuntu rules! Brown is a very beautiful color. Blue is the worst color to use for designing a GUI! If Ubuntu will be blue it will look like anything else (crap).

[solcott]

The design of Ubuntu rules! Brown is a very beautiful color. Blue is the worst color to use for designing a GUI! If Ubuntu will be blue it will look like anything else (crap).

I was just about to post something just like this. The Ubuntu brown looks are gorgeous, it creates a warm, inviting and natural looking environment to work in unlike the cold blue you see everywhere else.

Also, at the college I goto I use my own Windows shellstyle that uses the Ubuntu window decorations and background because Ubuntu's brownness is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen next to the woods that I live in.

[nealklomp]

the brown is ugly. you may like it because of what it represents, what it means, etc. However, if the color was attractive it would be the prime color for cars and pro-sports uniforms. It isn't.
I've installed Ubuntu probably 12 times, every time the first thing I do is install art manager and google a new wallpaper. Within 5 minutes the Ubuntu theme is removed never to return. A girlfriend of mine actually avoided Ubuntu because she hated the color.

[MetalMusicAddict]

For me, I dont hate the brown but it doesnt come across as the most professional color.

Just me. ;)

[solcott]

the brown is ugly. you may like it because of what it represents, what it means, etc. However, if the color was attractive it would be the prime color for cars and pro-sports uniforms. It isn't.
I've installed Ubuntu probably 12 times, every time the first thing I do is install art manager and google a new wallpaper. Within 5 minutes the Ubuntu theme is removed never to return. A girlfriend of mine actually avoided Ubuntu because she hated the color.
Actually I wouldn't care if it represented feces, I like brown because it a beautiful color. It is the color of wood and soil, the two most beautiful materials there are, as well as the color of my house, my car(Subaru Outback) and the trout stream that I fish every day(except during the Winter when it's frozen).

Professional sports uniforms? You have got to be kidding me, the only things professional sports are good for are supporting the drug economy, and causing fat Americans to get even fatter while they die in front of their televisions. I suppose watching people entertain them instead of entertaining themselves is the American way though. :(

[ubuntu_demon]

Thats why there is a area for us to make some... I have submitted a few. Here is one that I submitted I think its pretty cool.
http://www.acesoft.org/ubuntu-chuck.jpg

I have more but thats my fav.

Are the others available online also ?

The default background is okay. I like dark backgrounds. My favorite background is currently : http://art.ubuntu.com/images/backgrounds/Ubuntu-Ubuntu_Black_1400x1050.png

[Buffalo Soldier]

now now people... calm down. i love brown as much as you guys... but please keep this discussion civilized ok.

[Zdravko]

I think that brown color is a very "natural" color. It never disturbs me. Actually it is a pleasure for my eyes to look at the warm and cosy pastel-like strokes :)
On the other side, I would like a slight "greenish" design in Ubuntu. As my eyes are green, I adore green color. It is also a "natural" color, grass, trees, the whole earth is painted green :) I think, that adding some green will only improve the overall look of Ubuntu.

[mostwanted]

Here's another brown fan.

You know, it's like when I got a new sweater. One of my friends said "Nice, it's a nice chocolate colour" while later the same day another said "It looks like **** colours or something". Just goes to show how different people put colours into different contexts depending on their view of the world. Personally, I think brown is a natural colour and it's not tied to a specific gender (like how pink is more often associated with girls or black with men) which is another good thing. It's also very warm, very human. My hair is brown, nobody tells me my hair looks like ****... unless I'm having a bad hair day.

I agree with the above poster that some green would be welcome as well.

[nealklomp]

Actually I wouldn't care if it represented feces, I like brown because it a beautiful color. It is the color of wood and soil, the two most beautiful materials there are, as well as the color of my house, my car(Subaru Outback) and the trout stream that I fish every day(except during the Winter when it's frozen).

Professional sports uniforms? You have got to be kidding me, the only things professional sports are good for are supporting the drug economy, and causing fat Americans to get even fatter while they die in front of their televisions. I suppose watching people entertain them instead of entertaining themselves is the American way though. :(
The soil and wood are not the only colors of nature, of beauty--although, your statement reflects your appreciation for the metaphor that is brown, as I suggested. There are blues, and greens, violet and whites, brown is underneath, but it isn't just Ubuntu brown, its more sandy brown or dark near black, gray and silver. To say brown is beautiful not for what it represents is counter to general aesthetic truths (and yes, despite certain modern philosophic assertions, there is such a thing).
I draw on cars and sports teams as a simple/cheap way to achieve a sample of relevance; other examples might be: flags, clothing, houses, art, book and magazine covers. Your reply seems to miss the point and assume the worst in an implied ad hominem. I doubt that is your express intention, rather is more of a defensive reflex protecting something that you cherish.
The issue is though, that not all of us cherish it and as this is a community, an automonus-ish endeavor, we continually have discussions about it. There seems to be a reasonable necessity to consider/make a change. (Although a powerful argument against seems to be that the Brown promotes adaptation by individual users, thus Ubuntu Brown is the soil, the root color of life, from which individual Ubuntus erupt.)
My favorite color is a certain dark green (#005C06, or so). It is not superior to our Ubuntu brown, however, it is a significantly more popular, in its representation within the discourse of color throughout human endeavors, particularly more popular as a central theme element. The import being then, in that this is a public discussion of the relative merits of brown as a theme, if brown isn't perhaps the wrong color to promote Ubuntu.
The subject once again properly framed, what do we say? Should we consider a theme that incorporates brown, but is more dynamic, or more vibrant, more of nature. Perhaps my view of the colors of nature is informed by my natural world in North America, perhaps the brown of Ubuntu is apropos - I have never been to Africa - but then the question is where is Ubuntu going and what color(s) should that be themed by?

on guard against foolish consistencies http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/4545/1610/1600/Screenshot.3.png

[commodore]

I don't like the colors for what they represent. I think they look good. Usually people can't create good designs with brown but Ubuntu has done it.

[garba]

Please, hire a professional artist to make the default background for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a great operating system, but the dark brown wallpaper is destroying my will to live.

Ironically, the top rated wallpaper for the Ubuntu Art site is, "Ubuntu Alone", also using a dark brown colour scheme.

](*,)

I just want Ubuntu to look as good as it actually is. While Ubuntu has made leaps and bounds in it's window theme and icons, the wallpaper (which is equally important) is still... dark brown.

Also, it doesn't "say" anything about Ubuntu. Sure, it looks "cool", but how does it convey Ubuntu ideals artistically?

One vote for a professional designer.

if you think that ubuntu art sucks, than you should take a look at the artwork for kubuntu dapper, it's likely you will be going to commit suicide as soon as the login screen kicks in:mrgreen: :mrgreen:

[skippy81]

Well I personally think the dapper artwork is awesome. The most important thing is that artwork is consistent and original. The 'human' theme goes together well, and gets around the whole crappy "lets look like windows' thing that other distros go for. It also reflects the whole African vibe about ubuntu - I mean with a name like ubuntu I don't think it should be electric pink or whatever :D

I do agree that there should be at least a few different themes included though, but I think it would be a real shame if the human theme was removed completely.

[vyruss]

Just my 2 cents...

I, too, find the dark brown background depressing so I made one of my own (shameless plug) with brighter colours, which ties in better with the new orange stuff and makes me feel warmer inside :)

9454

However, I do not for a second think that something like that would be accepted by the artwork team and have not submitted it. After all that's just my taste in backgrounds. I suppose most users that are used to dark background stuff would cry out in pain and say it blinded them.

You can't please them all... ;)

[gitargr8]

Too lazy to actually read through all the posts in this thread, so forgive me if this is a repost, but www.caedes.net (http://www.caedes.net) had tons of cool wallpaper all for free.

[CrashOverKill]

Very simple
Open gimp make your own Grub boot screen
install it per instructions found on this site and if you need more help from google.

Open gimp make your own Usplash screen great instructions here and debian on how to build and install it.........thow I messed mine up LOL

Open gimp OR visit http://www.gnome-look.org And build or download the theme/splash work of your choice.

I did all this and made mods to what I did download in a couple hours and I SUCK at doing pretty work.

Congrats and cudos on a job well done to the team here at ubuntu for a great and stable desktop OS

Ive been into IT/Puters for about 15 years and used many different flavors of unix/linux and to be honest so far im impressed with ubuntu. It makes a excellent desktop linux environment. Server.......Ill stick with the big boys Unix machines OR CentOS for now. Ive included my themes and splash images in this post.

[Carrots171]

I didn't like the default brown in Breezy... but I love the orange/caramel color in Dapper. It's bright but so bright that it's distracting, it's pleasing to the eye, and it's something more consistent than the colors in Vista and something more original than the blue in OSX.

[garba]

I love the gdm login screen, i also like the gnome login splash screen, both look VERY professional. What I can't stand is the boot splash. For what concerns the icon theme, there are so many icons still missing that it's simply unusable.

[vyruss]

I love the gdm login screen, i also like the gnome login splash screen, both look VERY professional. What I can't stand is the boot splash. For what concerns the icon theme, there are so many icons still missing that it's simply unusable.

I don't mean to upset you, but the gdm login screen is the same as in Breezy as far as I can tell, and what is so professional about the gnome splash's "Ubuntu Dapper Beta" in huge ugly font?

[aoupraxay]

Dark background wallpaper + Light foreground text/font color with bg transparency = beautiful and easy for the eyes

[PingunZ]

Just checking, what about a FULL skinning howto ? :)
Grub splash, uSplash, Login, splash, Wallpaper, window borders, theme , icons, ...

For some of them : how to make
For the rest : How to install
Or is there no need for such HowTo ?

Grtz PingunZ

[bvc]

Dark background wallpaper + Light foreground text/font color with bg transparency = beautiful and easy for the eyes
It's a given that dark backgrounds and light fonts are very bad for the eyes and is very annoying for a desktop, when you go to the internet or open something bright. You won't find it in any default, professional, anything, anywhere, for good reason.

When the icons and gtk went orange, I thought surely the dark wallpaper was next because a dark wallpaper is just wrong. Oh well, wishful thinking........

[Almighty]

All the complaints about the Ubuntu art is warrented in my opinion, but if anything changes could we PLEASE have a dual 1600x1200 wallpaper as an option. There is NO place around with nice dual monitor 1600x1200 art around.

It almost makes me want to go back to a single monitor with a low resolution.



















Ok well maybe not but its irritating.

[LateNighter]

Please, hire a professional artist to make the default background for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a great operating system, but the dark brown wallpaper is destroying my will to live.

Ironically, the top rated wallpaper for the Ubuntu Art site is, "Ubuntu Alone", also using a dark brown colour scheme.

](*,)

I just want Ubuntu to look as good as it actually is. While Ubuntu has made leaps and bounds in it's window theme and icons, the wallpaper (which is equally important) is still... dark brown.

Also, it doesn't "say" anything about Ubuntu. Sure, it looks "cool", but how does it convey Ubuntu ideals artistically?

One vote for a professional designer.

While yes I agree that the Ubuntu Wallpaper is to say the least lacking.
I can see why I look at it as it represents the Simplicity of Ubuntu in General...

I got a little tired of the Wallpaper as well so I went looking at different Linux Sites for Wallpapers that are made by others, that you can FREELY download, and add to your Collection to brighten up your Desktop.
There are a bunch of them but 2 of my favoirites are:

www.gnome-look.org

www.kde-look.org

Here you can find a WHOLE BUNCH of Wallpapers, Splash Screens, Icon Themes, Cursor Themes, and the like. To Spice up your Desktop.

And if your real adventerous make Some of your Own, I have while I wouldn't want to Publish most of them they look good to me.

I hope this helps.8)

[LateNighter]

Well I personally think the dapper artwork is awesome. The most important thing is that artwork is consistent and original. The 'human' theme goes together well, and gets around the whole crappy "lets look like windows' thing that other distros go for. It also reflects the whole African vibe about ubuntu - I mean with a name like ubuntu I don't think it should be electric pink or whatever :D

I do agree that there should be at least a few different themes included though, but I think it would be a real shame if the human theme was removed completely.

AGREED more choices would be nice, but there are other ways of Changing the looks on your OWN.
If thats your forte.

Why don't we help them out by making some of OUR OWN backgrounds with Pics of our own, and submit them to Ubuntu for a Download Site or inclusion in the next release, Let's face it if we want them to change things like this.
Let's Help them, by freeing up their programers to better Ubuntu's other Programs.
And Show them what we like as well. "Just a Thought":-k

[Dralt]

While yes I agree that the Ubuntu Wallpaper is to say the least lacking.
I can see why I look at it as it represents the Simplicity of Ubuntu in General...

I got a little tired of the Wallpaper as well so I went looking at different Linux Sites for Wallpapers that are made by others, that you can FREELY download, and add to your Collection to brighten up your Desktop.
There are a bunch of them but 2 of my favoirites are:

www.gnome-look.org

www.kde-look.org

Here you can find a WHOLE BUNCH of Wallpapers, Splash Screens, Icon Themes, Cursor Themes, and the like. To Spice up your Desktop.

And if your real adventerous make Some of your Own, I have while I wouldn't want to Publish most of them they look good to me.

I hope this helps.8)

It would not hurt to think about people who run Ubuntu on widescreen displays either. :)

I starve for nice 1280x800 wallpapers.

[jibé]

Please, hire a professional artist to make the default background for Ubuntu.

Ubuntu is a great operating system, but the dark brown wallpaper is destroying my will to live.
I just want Ubuntu to look as good as it actually is. While Ubuntu has made leaps and bounds in it's window theme and icons, the wallpaper (which is equally important) is still... dark brown.

I agree. The first thing I do after an Ubuntu installation is dispose of background and themes for something more clear. I'm fed up with gray, black and other sad colors. On the other hand the folks backing candies colors or flashy orange get me afraid…

The worst of the ubuntu art tale is that there is no regards to harmony : bad transitions, unrelevant glossy effects, strange colors mix…

I presently use d3a which is both clean, neutral and avoiding depressions ;). Default Ubuntu theme should, in my sense, give to the user the same feelings…

[Pwn*]

I personaly love the brown for how it looks and what it represents, not to mention that but i like the startup jingle :D it would be a real shame if they got rid of it completely, like not even as a an extra theme

[Ann667]

(I didn't read the entire thread, so I'm commenting on the first few pages, especially the original post.)

It's a matter of personal preference. I happen to like deep, earthy tones in just about everything, so I rather like the default desktop background. Actually, when I opened up Ubuntu for the first time, the deep brown was rather soothing for me. Nice and organic. I ended up changing the background later on, to another dark, earthy theme, which was easy enough to do.

As someone mentioned earlier in the thread, it's a default theme. It's easy to change. Also, in my opinion, as a default theme, I think the simplicity is most appropriate.

As far as "professional" artists always producing professional, and therefore better, art; I can't say I would agree to that as an absolute. True, an educated artist is aware of color theory and composition and the like, but that doesn't necessarily guaranty talent. Someone could know technically what colors to use together, but the piece can still look bad. (I went to an art school years ago. Some of my fellow students were talented and others just made a mess.) And there again, it's personal preference. There are pieces that I've seen that I like, and some I think are really bad. But someone else may think that what I don't like is brilliant, and what I like is horrible.

Regardless, I'm just really happy to have an OS that works wonderfully! And the simple, default theme was nice and clean, which I liked. My opinion about it, anyway.

[WorLord]

I'm another one that likes the default Brown/Orange theme. But more than that, I HATE blue in an OS. I hate blue more than I like the Brown. I'd rather go outside, into a public area, and shoot myself in the face with a high-powered handgun than have yet another blue-based OS.

And, blue is also my least favorite color.

Ubuntu Calm is nice, though. Olives could work instead of brown.

[CarpKing]

I like the brown theme. In Dapper, the orange got to me so I put it back to "Legacy Human." The Dapper icons look better, but I now use the Breezy ones because they go better with the brown.

Even with the shift to orange, though, i think the default wallpaper was darker than Breezy; perhaps it could be made somewhat lighter. The tree background in Dapper is a good step foreward. I do agree the themes could be improved, but I think it should keep with the earthy spirit. Perhaps it could incorperate some more non-brown earthy colors (I am especially a fan of green). I definitely think that blue and grey are overdone in other operating systems.

[uBo]

The themme in Ubuntu is great! It is stylish and cool.
Why all these blue fans?

The default wallpaper sucks, but i changed it 2 min. after ever using Gnome to "Dawn of Ubuntu" (which I think is awesome!) and am the happiest user ever.

[srunni]

Check this out for a brighter theme: http://www.taimila.com/orange-look.php

[earthen.summer]

I actually like the default overall brown colour. It's different compared to other OSes.
To me the colour gives an impression of maturity, stability and calmness.
That's probably just me, though.

[Ann667]

maturity is a good word to associate with the browns.

[anasofiapaixao]

Why in the world has everyone a fetish with blue?... Be a part of the blue to retirement group! How can people not be tired of it?...

Yes, I am not too keen on the brown theme either, and don't exactly love the tango icon set. I would go for a yellow/orange theme... my combination of smooth-mech with metabox window borders plus dropline-nuovo (REALLY complete, neutral and nice iconset and last but NOT least... SVG) gives (I think!) a light and warm feel to the desktop. No screen as I am right now eye-candying my mum's pc in an overall sea-green tone (with turtles on the BG).

[JohanSwe]

The pre-dapper theme that is discussed in the beginning of this thread was not good, and I would say that was not a matter of taste. It looked >10 years old when computer design was far behind other areas of design.

But with Dapper this has changed. The design is clean, tastefull and in harmony. And still it works fine with the spirit of Ubuntu.

[Buffalo Soldier]

I love the color blue, in the real physical world. Nearly all of my favourite t-shirts are blue. Heck, even during my first few days of using Ubuntu I was shocked by the choice of brown. But after a few weeks I began to fall in love with it.

If anyone had asked me two years ago whether I would have chosen brown as the general color of my desktop theme; I would gave a straight out NO.

[JohanSwe]

When I think of blue I think of design ment to be artifical..

But maybe an alternative (not default) blue theme in Ubuntu could be possible to combine with Ubuntu's african background if used in a way so that it reminds of the sky or water, elements "in the real physical world"?

[LateNighter]

I said it earlier in this thread that if you don't like what they put in it.
Then Change it.](*,)

I go along with the Color of BROWN being the default for Ubuntu it entices into the True Spirit of Ubuntu.
But if you don't like it Change it make one of your Own.
I have...

After all thats the FUN of Linux you can change it in anyway that works for you as well as to Suit your taste.

And if your not into DIY then there's plenty of Places where you can go to get something else for your Gnome Desktop.

www.gnome-look.org Is one of many that jumps to mine.

As far as the Idea of "BLUE" if I want Blue on my Desktop then I'll use friggin Wind:twisted: ows....:twisted: :twisted: :twisted:

When I set up my Desktop I'm running Linux.
And not Micro$haft...

I don't even like it to look anything or run anything like Wind:twisted: ws.

But what Do I know????
Thats just my 2 cents and YES I give Change...;)

[bobbybobington]

i think a nice picture of an african sunset would be perfect. Some browns from the ground and yellows and oranges from the sky.

[Crypty]

I kinda like the ubuntu colors. The blue/green in XP and OSX are just soooo tired, and only going to get older with Vista's teal/blue/green scheme.

[muz1]

Hmmmmmm.
Not to mean any disrespect, however I think you may have missed the point.
If people like brown, then they use brown. If people like blue then they use blue. Ubuntu is so highly configurable that you make it become what you want.

Personally I think the brown sucks to. It takes me a total of 2 minutes to change the system to what I want so I am happy.

I am a web developer and am also a graphic designer. There is a saying 'function over form'. In other words, it it looks good but doesn't work, then it doesn't work.

So basically, get in there and start designing. As soon as I get my work out of the way, I will be doing nuts designing new (original) stuff for Ubuntu.

To all the development teams, a big THANKS. You guys (and gals) rock. You make computers fun again. You bring life back into the industry. Your unity and vision is both awesome and inspiring.

Anyway, bigtime cheers and propz

muz

[LateNighter]

Hmmmmmm.
Not to mean any disrespect, however I think you may have missed the point.
If people like brown, then they use brown. If people like blue then they use blue. Ubuntu is so highly configurable that you make it become what you want.

Personally I think the brown sucks to. It takes me a total of 2 minutes to change the system to what I want so I am happy.

I am a web developer and am also a graphic designer. There is a saying 'function over form'. In other words, it it looks good but doesn't work, then it doesn't work.

So basically, get in there and start designing. As soon as I get my work out of the way, I will be doing nuts designing new (original) stuff for Ubuntu.

To all the development teams, a big THANKS. You guys (and gals) rock. You make computers fun again. You bring life back into the industry. Your unity and vision is both awesome and inspiring.

Anyway, bigtime cheers and propz

muz

A valid point with if someone Likes Blue they'll use it, the same with Brown, Orange, etc. Even Black...

But you hit the same point I've been trying to say for along time, If you don't like it then Change it.

Most Linux OS unlike Wind:twisted: ws is So configureatale that, theres "NO EXCUSE" to have something you don't like.

One other point I forgot to bring up before now.
Unlike Micro$haft Linux gives you all the tools to change it with.

In Short jump in get your hands dirty, and "HAVE FUN"...:mrgreen:

[graabein]

I agree with the "don't like it change it" mentality but also remember that a pre-installed complete and polished theme with wallpaper and icon set is often times much nicer than something you mix and match yourself. And it's less work.

I wonder if Red Hat, Novell or other major distros' themes are copy-protected? Are these available from art.gnome.org (http://art.gnome.org/)?

[muz1]

I agree with the "don't like it change it" mentality but also remember that a pre-installed complete and polished theme with wallpaper and icon set is often times much nicer than something you mix and match yourself. And it's less work.

I wonder if Red Hat, Novell or other major distros' themes are copy-protected? Are these available from art.gnome.org (http://art.gnome.org/)?

Good question. One thing that is for sure, the onset of GPL version 3 will definently take your question and scream it from the rooftops. One of the main aims of the GPL and most of linux is to defy copyright. It is not that Copyright is bad. It is more so, why was that copyright created??? Standards should always be more important than copyright. Check out Creative Commons license which has an interesting view on copyright. Also the GPL ver 2 and its modifications as it moves towards ver 3. A great article in Linux Format June 2006 edition pg 66.

In short, if distros are going to start going nuts getting into fights over Intellectual property, Copyright and Patency, we may as well just brace for Microsoft 2.0.

Cheers
muz

[alecjw]

I love the brown colour scheme!

[VirtuAlex]

People who like light blue are pathetic and should have installed SuSE. Just close this thread, or move it to the backyard.

[Concrete]

Really people, I don`t know why are u discussen in this (nothing personal to autor of this thread) stupid thread, whit this stupid subject matter of default wallpaper, and why is brown!?

My presonal opinion is that... that Borwn deafult wallpaper in Ubunut, represent a some kind of usable, light, easy, natural, human... this all attribute presents a Ubunut-one word for that all!

Greeting from Serbia!

[VirtuAlex]

Really people, I don`t know why are u discussen in this (nothing personal to autor of this thread) stupid thread, whit this stupid subject matter of default wallpaper, and why is brown!?

My presonal opinion is that... that Borwn deafult wallpaper in Ubunut, represent a some kind of usable, light, easy, natural, human... this all attribute presents a Ubunut-one word for that all!

Greeting from Serbia!
No, it just represents its african origin, so it should stay brown forever, and let Kubuntu and Xubuntu be blue. We are discussing it not because it is pointless, but because it is fun and we have nothing better to do.

[Concrete]

Maybe... ;) That was my personal opinion!

We are discussing it not because it is pointless, but because it is fun and we have nothing better to do.

Thats the right answer bro :)

Enjoy

[Concrete]

Maybe... ;) That was my personal opinion!

We are discussing it not because it is pointless, but because it is fun and we have nothing better to do.

Thats the right answer bro :)

Enjoy