Did you eventually warm up to the Human theme?

[aysiu]

I see a lot of complaints about the "ugly brown" theme that Ubuntu defaults to. I wasn't a big fan of it myself when I started using Hoary three years ago, but I've warmed up to it. It's also warmed up to me (more of an orange-brown now). It's probably a little warming in both directions.

So I'm curious as to how people have grown to feel about the default theme in Ubuntu. Is it actually something that takes getting used to? Or is it just ugly all the time? Or did some people think it has always been pretty to look at?

[billgoldberg]

Did you eventually warm up to the Human theme?

No.

[justin whitaker]

I see a lot of complaints about the "ugly brown" theme that Ubuntu defaults to. I wasn't a big fan of it myself when I started using Hoary three years ago, but I've warmed up to it. It's also warmed up to me (more of an orange-brown now). It's probably a little warming in both directions.

So I'm curious as to how people have grown to feel about the default theme in Ubuntu. Is it actually something that takes getting used to? Or is it just ugly all the time? Or did some people think it has always been pretty to look at?

I've grown to like it.

[Bachstelze]

I'm not a Gnome user so I don't see the Human theme much, but I've always liked it. By the way, is it just me or is it more orange-ish than brown these days? I think it used to be a lot darker.

[tuxxy]

It wasnt too bad but I use one from gnome look anyway.

[fiddledd]

Well, I think I sort of put up with it at first. But to be honest, no I neither like, nor came to like the colours really. However, as a marketing ploy it went rather well, if I think of Ubuntu I immediately think of Brown (Chocolate?) and Orange. :)

[zmjjmz]

Meh, I just download one from gnome-look or something.

[RiceMonster]

Well I used GNOME for about two months when I was still on Ubuntu. Couldn't stand the orange window borders and still can't. Changing the theme's really easy though, so it's not a problem. You don't even have to install/download anything if you want a simple but nice alternative like Clearlooks.

[Mazza558]

I hate it. It's pretty much the first thing I change after a fresh install (along with getting wireless and nonfree drivers working)

[aysiu]

I'm not a Gnome user so I don't see the Human theme much, but I've always liked it. By the way, is it just me or is it more orange-ish than brown these days? I think it used to be a lot darker.
Yes, it has changed to orange from brown.

I've attached screenshots of Ubuntu 5.04 and Ubuntu 8.04.

[Bachstelze]

Yeah, the old one was clearly better to me, but as I said, I'm not a Gnome user :p I guess I could use the Human theme on my EeePC, which is now running XFCE, but it wouldn't fit well with my desktop backround :p

[gunashekar]

I appreciate the Human concept and the need for Ubuntu to have its own theme, color and image. I may choose a different color for my desktop, it is a free world and Ubuntu certainly promotes the freedom of choice as a part of its concept.

[koji042]

I've liked the Ubuntu theme since I started using (a few weeks ago :)); it's bright and friendly. Or at least it seems that way to me.

[cardinals_fan]

Two thoughts:

* I use Xubuntu, which has an awesome gray theme.
* It takes less than thirty seconds to change the theme. I didn't even try to warm up to Human, I just changed it.

[Ozor Mox]

I don't mind Ubuntu's default theme, but I tend to change it to something else that I prefer. I think it has improved from since I started using it though (on Dapper), with Hardy being the best so far. I really like the artistic heron background! The default theme isn't worth worrying about though really as long as it's easy on the eye. It is dead simple to change, and you can't please everyone.

[dizee]

i've always liked the human theme since i started using Ubuntu, i think the hardy implementation is by far the best.

the default theme is easily changed but it's still the first thing people see and whether it's right or not people do judge things based on appearance and first impressions. so it's very important to have at least a theme that people don't mind.

[Methuselah]

I've always liked it but I think my first experience with ubuntu was around Dapper Drake.

[paul101]

at first i wanted to change it




then i saw it looked soooo polished :D

[DGortze380]

The first thing I new on a new install (on my personal machines, and most of the installs I've done for other people) is at least change the background. I have a command line install I use for school, that's all business, but the best part of Ubuntu IMO is that it's straight forward and all business but can still have all the eye candy of other mainstream OSs.

[andrek]

No, it's always been ugly to me, even after using Ubuntu for years.

Literally, the first thing I do on a new installation of Ubuntu is changing gtk theme into Clearlooks or Glossy. They're just better.

[beniwtv]

I always liked the theme. And I like very much how it has improved over the years.

I can't stand much eye candy, eg. Windows Vista is just plain ugly to me, just as Mac OS is ugly to me. Each person has his own taste.

I like really things to be simple and minimalistic. And the human theme is just that. Also, it feels sooo polished, every icon, button, image, program just seem all to be in harmony. Oh, and I have to work 10+ hours a day in front of the computer, so it's nice that it is easy on my eyes.

But at the end, it all comes down to personal preference.

Cheers,

[Sunflower1970]

Have I warmed to it? No. First thing I do is change the theme to a dark theme.

Now, the new dark theme in 8.10 might be something I might like and keep instead of switching themes out...

[RiceMonster]

Oh, and I have to work 10+ hours a day in front of the computer, so it's nice that it is easy on my eyes.

Hmmm, I've always found having bright orange window borders hard on the eyes. Maybe that's just me though.

[LMP900]

I've preferred the default Human theme for quite some time now, however, I've always changed the engine to Clearlooks. I was delighted to see that Human-Clearlooks was one of the bundled themes for 8.04.

[TravisNewman]

I voted that I always liked the Human theme, because that's the closest thing to my opinion.

But in reality, I loved the warm brown of the Human theme in the first releases of Ubuntu, but the more recent harsh orange is too much for me. I would have preferred them changing it to a deeper brown than making it so orange.

[Bachstelze]

+1

[Zeotronic]

I use Xubuntu, so my exposure to the Human theme is limited. I don't like the Human theme in comparison to Clearlooks Classic (my favorite), but if you take away all the Clearlooks imitations (Clearlooks, Human-Clearlooks, not Darklooks however), then I would probably be using it happily.

As for the icon theme, no way man... Tango is the way to go... short of tango I would just be mildly dismayed by the icons.

[Kingsley]

I like the orange more than the brown. When Gutsy Gibbon came it took me about 2 months to switch from the default theme.

[madjr]

I see a lot of complaints about the "ugly brown" theme that Ubuntu defaults to. I wasn't a big fan of it myself when I started using Hoary three years ago, but I've warmed up to it. It's also warmed up to me (more of an orange-brown now). It's probably a little warming in both directions.

So I'm curious as to how people have grown to feel about the default theme in Ubuntu. Is it actually something that takes getting used to? Or is it just ugly all the time? Or did some people think it has always been pretty to look at?

i think that is not that the theme is sooooooooooo ugly

is just that it can't compete with the new generations of looks that Mac and windows are offering, thus what Mark himself said it

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=868046

Heck, it can't even compete with other linux distros in the looks department either (Opensuse for example)

[visionaire]

I like the brown more than orange

[LookTJ]

I grew to like it within my first months of using Ubuntu 6.06 LTS.

[DJ_Peng]

I'm not big on any brown/orange theme, except maybe toward the end of October. I've done a couple of reinstall and one of the first things I do is to change the theme. The funny thing is that I usually install Mac4Lin, which is ironic since I probably wouldn't use a Mac if you paid me an ungodly amount of money to use it. Yet it's always back on my comp within 12/18 hours of starting a reinstall. There's just something about the rather understated color scheme that really appeals to me.

[cardinals_fan]

i think that is not that the theme is sooooooooooo ugly

is just that it can't compete with the new generations of looks that Mac and windows are offering, thus what Mark himself said it

http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=868046

Heck, it can't even compete with other linux distros in the looks department either (Opensuse for example)
Who says it can't compete? I have a lot of respect for Mark Shuttleworth, but since when does he know what kind of look I like on my desktop? I think that, while the Human theme leaves much to be desired, Vista and OS X are vastly uglier.

[madjr]

Who says it can't compete? I have a lot of respect for Mark Shuttleworth, but since when does he know what kind of look I like on my desktop? I think that, while the Human theme leaves much to be desired, Vista and OS X are vastly uglier.

i too didn't choose Ubuntu because of how it looked (i knew i could change the theme so it didn't matter much)

but Vista and OS X are not uglier. Numerous polls have confirmed that.

for the masses Looks sell and marketing it to them is clearly what he wants.

of course am far more interested in other stuff right (QA and standards) now and not only the looks.

[timzak]

I don't have strong feelings for or against it. I'm mildly unattracted to it, but not enough to stand on a soapbox and complain incessantly in the forums.

On my main rig, I have a completely different color scheme (blues, whites and creams), but I do use the Human window decorations (just not the controls or icons). On the garage computer (media player for when I'm working in the front yard or in the garage), I haven't changed the theme at all from the default Human. Just don't use it enough for it to matter.

[cardinals_fan]

i too didn't choose Ubuntu because of how it looked (i knew i could change the theme so it didn't matter much)

but Vista and OS X are not uglier. Numerous polls have confirmed that.

for the masses Looks sell and marketing it to them is clearly what he wants.

of course am far more interested in other stuff right (QA and standards) now and not only the looks.
They are uglier TO ME. I'm a bit more worried about my own preferences than those of the masses.

[hellion0]

Doesn't really bother me, I just use different themes. I prefer either darker ones or light (but subdued) ones. Human's become a bit too bright for my tastes.

[tbroderick]

It wouldn't be as bad if the icon theme had more icons. Human doesn't really match well with a lot of default icons for programs.

[Kingsley]

They are uglier TO ME. I'm a bit more worried about my own preferences than those of the masses.
Then I think it's obvious. Shuttleworth cares more about the preferences of the masses right now than yours or mine. ;)

[blueamcat]

I really don't think its all that bad to look at. I do like the default background in Heron! But, I'm the kind of person who always likes to do my own thing. :-)

[TBOL3]

I love the default theme. There were three main reasons why I switched to ubuntu (from playing around in fedora).

1. Community
2. Apt>Yum
3. The theme. The default blue for fedora hurt my eyes. This is so much more pleasent.

[hessiess]

I don't mind it with a few modifications(replace round corners with square ones)

[dracule]

I remember when i installed 5.04, the first thing i did was nearly gag.


now it is a bit more polished, but i just simply hate it.

[Oldsoldier2003]

Never liked it . In fact I go so far as to change /etc/gdm/PreSession/ to eradicate the ugly brown background while waiting for the desktop to load

[bruce89]

I don't mind the colours, but the theme engine's far too ancient.

[Spr0k3t]

I never really cared either way. The first thing I do is change the icons/images to Tango, load up my own theme and window decorations I made, and be done with the issue.

[phrostbyte]

I hate the colors, but I love the shape. I changed it to blue greenish.

[Tim Sharitt]

I never did like the brown or orange. The colors aren't that bad, but I've grown accustomed to blue after many years in fedora. However, I changed to a black theme a few months back in Ubuntu and when I installed Fedora 9 I found I didn't really care for the blue anymore. I guess I just don't like change, unless I choose to change like I did with the black :) .

[Frak]

I've always liked the brown theme... except in the first versions, it was horrid.

[Joeb454]

It's probably a little warming in both directions.

I blame global warming!!! Ok I don't really...

And I've always quite liked it. Not sure about the color choice, though I prefer human-murrine if I'm honest.

[mysticrider92]

I actually like the Human theme, even the old really brown ones. *goes off to download, thanks for the screenshot*

I can see why some people wouldn't like it, but in my opinion it is a whole lot smoother and more professional than a lot of 'aftermarket' themes availible (don't get me wrong, many of them are very nice). I change out my desktop and try different looks occasionally, but quickly get annoyed with anything flashy and go back to the default look (Mac OS look alikes are cool for a while, then they get hard on the eyes).

[bp1509]

I change themes around but I always come back to Human. In fact, i'm using the Intrepid Ibex theme now with Human Icons, and a modified default wallpaper for hardy.

[Ozor Mox]

Mac OS look alikes are cool for a while

Now there's a default theme I just don't like all that much, the Mac OS X one. That brushed steel look just doesn't do it for me. My most hated default theme ever I think is the Windows XP one. That horrible plasticky task bar along with that hilly background were not nice at all. The Vista default look is much, much nicer. Though I rather like the Human theme, I prefer the blue look of Kubuntu and the grey look of Xubuntu to it, just because I like those colours more than orange.

The results of this poll are interesting. I expected far more people to hate the default theme given how many complain about it, but it seems quite a few people are either indifferent (probably what a default theme should be!) or like it.

[cardinals_fan]

Then I think it's obvious. Shuttleworth cares more about the preferences of the masses right now than yours or mine. ;)
Of course. But his concerns aren't the same as mine :)

[Zero Prime]

It was ugly when I started with Edgy and it's still ugly. Luckily I already knew I could change themes.

[Yuki_Nagato]

I was blown away by the default Ubuntu theme. It shucks "futuristic" look that Apple and KDE tend to gravitate toward. I haven't touched any appearance options.

Thankfully, Windows still has the '95 theme for us outer rim people.

[days_of_ruin]

I am using it right now...with the color changed to #6A9830 green.
Try it with Human-Murrine gtk.It rawks!

[ghindo]

I never understood why the Human theme was such a big screaming deal with the Ubuntu community. It's a theme. Deal with it.

That being said, I can enjoy the Human theme, but that doesn't mean I don't also enjoy toying around with other themes :)

[keiichidono]

I don't have strong feelings for or against the Human theme. I use the Bluman theme and a different icon set entirely. If I was stuck with it or no Ubuntu I could deal with it. It's not too fugly, I'm just no brown fan.

[grossaffe]

I started ubuntuing at Gutsy Gibbon, so I guess I always had the Human theme. Don't have any problems with it.

[mrgnash]

Warm up?? I took it further :P

http://i37.tinypic.com/2hqqqmb.png

That's why I think that the Ibex theme is such aggression... they should be going with more warmth, more coffee, and more orange :P

[dracule]

http://www.headshotgamer.com/gamepics/62_9.jpg


is this really ibex's theme?

my god... what have we done?




Also, I find it funny when people use the windows classic theme on Vista. wtf?

[Frak]

Warm up?? I took it further :P

http://i37.tinypic.com/2hqqqmb.png

That's why I think that the Ibex theme is such aggression... they should be going with more warmth, more coffee, and more orange :P
They should adopt that theme you have here. It's actually good to wake up to.

[ghindo]

Warm up?? I took it further :P

http://i37.tinypic.com/2hqqqmb.png

That's why I think that the Ibex theme is such aggression... they should be going with more warmth, more coffee, and more orange :PYou really ought to upload this theme. I'm sure I'm not the only one who would love to use it.
http://www.headshotgamer.com/gamepics/62_9.jpg


is this really ibex's theme?

my god... what have we done?Nah, that's not Ibex's theme. Ibex doesn't have an official theme at the moment (especially considering it's only at Alpha 2).
Also, I find it funny when people use the windows classic theme on Vista. wtf?Hey, it takes up fewer resources (and looks a hell of a lot better).

[RiceMonster]

I think Vista actually looks nice. I hate that windows classic theme.

Also, nice theme mrgnash. Vimperator makes it even better :D.

[NikoC]

I think I've been using ubuntu for about 3 to 4 years now... and always customized the theme to something NOT brown :lolflag:

[angry_johnnie]

I'm not a big fan of either brown or orange, but I'm ok with the human theme. I guess it's an acquired taste. Older (http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1390/838174657_0775b5c39d_o.jpg) human looks, however, used to be a lot uglier. Hardy was a huge step forward, sexy wallpaper and all... As far as screenshots go, the Ibex theme doesn't look all that attractive but, in the end, I'm pretty sure I'll be quite fond of it, just like I'm fond of the silly animal names. :-)

[pmlxuser]

I love the Brown theme, i just don't like the default icons

[Wolki]

I liked the old, brown themes better - long term the orange is just too alerting, and all the emblems in the human icon set started looking alike with edgy which made them less useful.

[mrgnash]

Thanks for the compliments :)

Here (http://www.sendspace.com/file/ykkxl9) is a package containing the necessary elements for anyone who would like to recreate the look of my desktop on their own system. Obviously I didn't create everything myself -- I mostly just tweaked existing stuff to my liking. Enjoy :)


I liked the old, brown themes better - long term the orange is just too alerting, and all the emblems in the human icon set started looking alike with edgy which made them less useful.

Me too. I have found the move to increasingly high-contrast themes to be a bit irksome... That's why I came up with my own spin on the human aesthetic :P

[Vince4Amy]

When I use Ubuntu I change it to blue.

[Sand & Mercury]

Always liked it.

[samjh]

I eventually grew to like it.

However, I still prefer grey/bluish themes.

[Chame_Wizard]

Kubuntu stay my official distro [-(:mrgreen:

[BGFG]

I've downloaded a bunch of themes and icon packages, but everytime i change, within 15 secs i go back to human. Maybe it the name, or the colour scheme but i just like it. My desktop feels friendly and i'm at home here. I even have the elephant skin ( at least that is what i think it is ) as my background.

It relaxes me. I don't need some Ultra visual experience anymore. I need a quiet friendly place to work... Now all i need is a LCD that can give me 80 hz at max resolution and my world will be complete...

[dizee]

i've just switched to my own slightly modified version of human in xfce. it's great.

the xubuntu grey default was what i was using but it gets boring after a while. human feels bright and warm or something.

[adamogardner]

Who picked brown? I want a name!

[TravisNewman]

Warm up?? I took it further :P

http://i37.tinypic.com/2hqqqmb.png

That's why I think that the Ibex theme is such aggression... they should be going with more warmth, more coffee, and more orange :P
DO WANT

Seriously, where can I find that theme? :)

[days_of_ruin]

DO WANT

Seriously, where can I find that theme? :)

+1.I have downloaded one similar but that looks better (slightly darker,better shade):guitar:

[days_of_ruin]

Thanks for the compliments :)

Here (http://www.sendspace.com/file/ykkxl9) is a package containing the necessary elements for anyone who would like to recreate the look of my desktop on their own system. Obviously I didn't create everything myself -- I mostly just tweaked existing stuff to my liking. Enjoy :)



Me too. I have found the move to increasingly high-contrast themes to be a bit irksome... That's why I came up with my own spin on the human aesthetic :P

rawk.

[cardinals_fan]

Also, I find it funny when people use the windows classic theme on Vista. wtf?
It's faster and, to me, looks much nicer.

[acelin]

It's faster and, to me, looks much nicer.

You are so right about the fast part- It is like you are injecting it with huge amounts of steroids.

[TheAlmightyCthulhu]

Other opinion.

I like it, but Compiz breaks the title bar, so I use Glossy instead.

[ghindo]

Thanks for the compliments :)

Here (http://www.sendspace.com/file/ykkxl9) is a package containing the necessary elements for anyone who would like to recreate the look of my desktop on their own system. Obviously I didn't create everything myself -- I mostly just tweaked existing stuff to my liking. Enjoy :)Here's a mirror, in case the Sendspace one expires or something:

http://www.mediafire.com/?xdzrfq7snnb

Fantastic, thanks for the upload mrgnash! Would you mind listing the color names (e.g. "#000000") for the colors in your theme?

Also, does anybody know how to install icon themes? Thanks!

[Jarovit]

Usually, replacing the theme - and I mean everything, the splash screen, login screen, desktop theme, wallpaper, icons, along with deleting the examples folder are very high on my checklist for a fresh ubuntu install. I'll have a stable distro, without african politics and the diarrhea-brown theme, thank you very much.

[Old_Grey_Wolf]

I didn't like the Human theme so I picked one I liked. :)

[Mateo]

Still hate it. I always go back to Fedora every once in a while because it's so pretty but unfortunately the package management is junk.

[mrgnash]

DO WANT

Seriously, where can I find that theme? :)

Right here (http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=5447813&postcount=70) :)

[RiceMonster]

Still hate it. I always go back to Fedora every once in a while because it's so pretty but unfortunately the package management is junk.

Why don't you make Ubuntu look like Fedora then? Can't be to hard. Copy the Icon and GTK theme from Fedora onto your Ubuntu install.

[inyoka]

A company picking a colour for your desktop is a proprietors way of promoting brand recognition. I think Ubuntu should ship with NO default colour scheme, or even a randomised one. Why does any distro have to choose A colour.

Free software is about choice, and as such the desktops colour should be irrelevant because it should be easily changeable. Ubuntu continues to make it harder to change the colour and keep a consistent feel throughout the operating system.

My solution would be to slowly migrate to an SVG based theme system throughout. This would make it possible to alter the tones in every graphic used from the login screen to the desktop background and icons through the use of a script.

I believe its either redhat or fedora that have a standard background but with slightly different colours for different times of the day. Imagine having three primary colours used for every image throughout ubuntu, and being able to change them according to your taste, the time of the day, the relative light level of your room, or depending on the predominant colour in the application you are using.

Ubuntu could be known as the rainbow distribution where colour really is irrelevent, which could really mesh well with its people centric image. I hope somebody reads this post who has the potential to make this happen, because I am getting excited just thinking about the possibilities.

[rockstarrem]

Well when I first started using Ubuntu it was 6.06 at the time and I thought the theme was awesome because I was a complete idiot and hadn't seen anything other than Windows. After I got used to it I thought it was pretty boring, now I just love it for some reason. Don't know why, but I do! Can't wait for the new theme in Ibex though.

[mrgnash]

A company picking a colour for your desktop is a proprietors way of promoting brand recognition. I think Ubuntu should ship with NO default colour scheme, or even a randomised one. Why does any distro have to choose A colour.

Free software is about choice, and as such the desktops colour should be irrelevant because it should be easily changeable. Ubuntu continues to make it harder to change the colour and keep a consistent feel throughout the operating system.

My solution would be to slowly migrate to an SVG based theme system throughout. This would make it possible to alter the tones in every graphic used from the login screen to the desktop background and icons through the use of a script.

I believe its either redhat or fedora that have a standard background but with slightly different colours for different times of the day. Imagine having three primary colours used for every image throughout ubuntu, and being able to change them according to your taste, the time of the day, the relative light level of your room, or depending on the predominant colour in the application you are using.

Ubuntu could be known as the rainbow distribution where colour really is irrelevent, which could really mesh well with its people centric image. I hope somebody reads this post who has the potential to make this happen, because I am getting excited just thinking about the possibilities.


Yep, that's Fedora.

[cardinals_fan]

Yep, that's Fedora.
And Mandriva as well now.

[madjr]

A company picking a colour for your desktop is a proprietors way of promoting brand recognition. I think Ubuntu should ship with NO default colour scheme, or even a randomised one. Why does any distro have to choose A colour.

Free software is about choice, and as such the desktops colour should be irrelevant because it should be easily changeable. Ubuntu continues to make it harder to change the colour and keep a consistent feel throughout the operating system.



you should create anonymous OS, heck don't even call it linux...




My solution would be to slowly migrate to an SVG based theme system throughout. This would make it possible to alter the tones in every graphic used from the login screen to the desktop background and icons through the use of a script.

I believe its either redhat or fedora that have a standard background but with slightly different colours for different times of the day. Imagine having three primary colours used for every image throughout ubuntu, and being able to change them according to your taste, the time of the day, the relative light level of your room, or depending on the predominant colour in the application you are using.

Ubuntu could be known as the rainbow distribution where colour really is irrelevent, which could really mesh well with its people centric image. I hope somebody reads this post who has the potential to make this happen, because I am getting excited just thinking about the possibilities.

i like your ideas on the SVG

i think there was a brainstorm on that

[MagisterJoe]

Never have. However, I run Xubuntu on my laptop, and I usually boot my file server with X disabled and just log in to a terminal, so I haven't seen the Human theme in a long time, save for official Ubuntu websites.

[Mateo]

Why don't you make Ubuntu look like Fedora then? Can't be to hard. Copy the Icon and GTK theme from Fedora onto your Ubuntu install.

Is it possible to change the Ubuntu startup screen?

[Jason-X]

I really like the brown/orange theme, always have. Much more warm and relaxing on the eye and very polished.

I have little moments now and then when I try out a load of themes from gnome-look but always end up back with Human.

[wersdaluv]

I started to like the human theme when the Murrine version was released. I'm loving the NewHuman theme now. It just has to be polished.

[Barrucadu]

I always liked it - but that's not to say I don't like other themes much more.

[dominiquec]

I switch the background to black, and replace the login manager theme with Dark Clean Linux.

[chris4585]

I love the default Ubuntu Human theme, the Icons, I don't like so much, the Oxygen Refit are pretty good, they come in many colors, red, white, orange, blue, green, haven't seen a purple yet, but I think that would be a good idea for Ubuntu to pick up on, after installation asking the user to choose the color at least.. and have it changeable (of course) at any point of time.