Ubuntu Rebranding Revealed

[Technoviking]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=blackeubuntulogo.png

A Fresh Look for Ubuntu

The new style of Ubuntu is driven by the theme "Light". We've developed a comprehensive set of visual guidelines and treatments that reflect that style, and are updating key assets like the logo accordingly. The new theme takes effect in 10.04 LTS and will define our look and feel for several years.

Ubuntu has seen a tremendous amount of growth and change since it was conceived in 2004. Back then it was a small project with strong ambitions and a handful of developers passionate about delivering a world class Linux Operating System that can compete on every level with Microsoft and Apple. We adopted a style based on the tagline "Linux for Human Beings", and called it "Human". Six years on we have made incredible progress. Ubuntu is a global phenomenon: we have carved out a pervasive culture of quality and design, thoughtful usability and great technology all fused together in a project that maintains the same commitment to community and collaborative development that we embraced back in 2004.

In 2009, a small team lead by Mark Shuttleworth, conducted a review of our key brand values and identity. Based on that work, a set of visual treatments were produced, and shared with key members of the Ubuntu Art community, spanning the core distributions, derivatives, and aligned efforts like the Forums. Representatives from Ubuntu, Kubuntu, Edubuntu, Xubuntu, Mythbuntu, SpreadUbuntu and more came to London and worked with the Canonical design team to refine the designs and work together. The results of that work are presented here.

Brand Values
The key values we believe are reflected in the Ubuntu project are:


Precision. We ship high quality software, and we ship it exactly on schedule. Our Debian heritage means that the individual components of our platform are tightly defined and neatly arranged. There is no excess, no fat, and no waste in Ubuntu. We are a community that thrives on delivery.
Reliability. We are building Ubuntu for serious use. Whether it is being deployed on the desktop or in the cloud, we care that Ubuntu is secure, reliable and predictable. We deliver updates to Ubuntu that are rigorously tested. When we make a mistake, we learn from it and put in place good processes to ensure that it does not happen again.
Collaboration. Ubuntu is the result of collaborative work between thousands of people, and it is both the beneficiary and the public face of the collaborative work of *tens* of thousands of free software developers who build individual upstream components, or aggregate them in Debian. We go to great lengths to ensure that anybody, anywhere, who is passionate about Ubuntu and competent to participate, can do so. We enable virtual participation in our physical Ubuntu Developer Summits, we use mailing lists and IRC in preference to over-the-cubicle-wall communications, and we welcome contributions from both companies and individuals. Our governance bodies reflect the diversity of that participation, and leadership or permissions are based on proven merit, not corporate employment.
Freedom. We strive to deliver the very best free software platform. Our highest mission is to accelerate the adoption and spread of free software, to make it the de facto standard way that people build and consume software. We celebrate the work of other groups committed to collaborative content development, and open content licensing. While we are pragmatic about this (we ship proprietary drivers when we believe they are a requirement to get free software working well on PC's) we expressly do not include any proprietary applications in the default installation of Ubuntu. We want people to love and appreciate free software, and even though we work to make sure that Ubuntu is compatible with, certified with and iteroperable with popular proprietary software, we do so to facilitate the adoption of free alternatives to proprietary solutions.


While the branding has changed, the freedoms and rights have not: our global community will still maintain access to the resources needed to construct logos that use the branding. We will be providing the new font, images, colour specs, and a set of recommendations for creating branding for websites, t-shirts and the other needs of our community. As before we will protect the integrity of the Ubuntu brand with the Ubuntu Trademark Policy (http://www.ubuntu.com/aboutus/trademarkpolicy).

Light: Ubuntu is Lightware
The new style in Ubuntu is inspired by the idea of "Light".

We're drawn to Light because it denotes both warmth and clarity, and intrigued by the idea that "light" is a good value in software. Good software is "light" in the sense that it uses your resources efficiently, runs quickly, and can easily be reshaped as needed. Ubuntu represents a break with the bloatware of proprietary operating systems and an opportunity to delight to those who use computers for work and play. More and more of our communications are powered by light, and in future, our processing power will depend on our ability to work with light, too.

Visually, light is beautiful, light is ethereal, light brings clarity and comfort.

Historical perspective: From 2004-2010, the theme in Ubuntu was "Human". Our tagline was "Linux for Human Beings" and we used a palette reflective of the full range of humanity. Our focus as a project was bringing Linux from the data center into the lives of our friends and global family.

[More info and images at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand]

[TuckLive]

Very cool! :p

[TuckLive]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand

Your link is broke

[The Toxic Mite]

TTM APPROVES!i!

[Technoviking]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand

Your link is broke
Fixed. Thanks

T-V

[virusiidx]

Nice! I like it.

[Shpongle]

its a step in the right direction , looking forward to seeing some concepts implemented :-)

[lisati]

So much for the logo on the lanyard and t-shirt that I have! :)

[Madspyman]

Kinda looks like Shiki meets Dust meets Leopard. Definitely a better default than Human though. Best thing about Human was the Humanity icons, they only had one release to shine, shame to see them go. RIP Humanity.

Edit: To clarify I meant the icons in the Gnome-Panel, very happy to see Humanity's icons in the window manager.

[Islington]

Someone submit the wiki page on digg.

its already on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/b8uy2/

[fatality_uk]

Anyone notice the ASUS PC? Link up on the cards?

[Keyper7]

Kinda looks like Shiki meets Dust meets Leopard. Definitely a better default than Human though. Best thing about Human was the Humanity icons, they only had one release to shine, shame to see them go. RIP Humanity.

What are you talking about?

The theme screenshots both show Humanity and there is nothing on the page stating that Humanity will not be used anymore.

Where did you get this information from?

[Madspyman]

The theme screenshots both show Humanity and there is nothing on the page stating that Humanity will not be used anymore.

Oh sorry I meant the panel icons though that they were a new icon theme based on the OSX icons.

[Miguel]

Thumbs up for the new font!

I'm glad to see ubuntu set some defined goals. I feel some clearer definition of target user is still needed, but overall it seems good (albeit a bit cloudy, may I add)

[yoasif]

When is this dropping? I want to play with it! :)

[Sand & Mercury]

Looks like the design team is starting to throw their weight around.

These new designs on the wiki look absolutely beautiful, I think most of us will agree that Ubuntu is long overdue for a facelift.

[Mykle87]

Someone submit the wiki page on digg.

its already on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/linux/comments/b8uy2/

Submitted
http://digg.com/d31KXR8

[orlox]

Very nice work!

Will additional branding for kubuntu be revealed, or for now only ubuntu and xubuntu branding has been redone?

[Nickedynick]

Huge rethink in design, and I have to say that on first impressions I very much like it! I'm not 100% sure about buttons on the left side of the window, but I'm sure it'll grow on me.

I think newcomers are going to be inevitably drawing comparisons with OSX now. Not that it's necessarily a bad thing, but it's bound to be more prevalent.

Also, will we be getting a purple version of the current login screen now? :P

[The Toxic Mite]

New design for UF, maybe?? :P

[Tristam Green]

I can dig the new logo. It's definitely less "childlike", if the term fits.

[Keyper7]

Oh boy, brace yourselves for the avalanche of "how can they say it's lightware if it includes X, Y and Z by default blah blah blah" posts...

[Technoviking]

When is this dropping? I want to play with it! :)

The new GTK themes will do in the next few days in Lucid alpha, the font will not be ready till mid/late March.

T-V

[Technoviking]

New design for UF, maybe?? :P

We will be look at that over the next few weeks.

T-V

[NightwishFan]

Wow, this looks epic. I knew they had something up their sleeve this time around.

[TheLastDodo]

Oh boy, brace yourselves for the avalanche of "how can they say it's lightware if it includes X, Y and Z by default blah blah blah" posts...

Well, it's a valid point, wouldn't you say? Open Office can hardly be called light under any circumstances, for example.

[magneze]

Looks great!:D

[Keyper7]

I can't help but think that the combination of colors, the top panel and the overall window look have a certain.... familiar... feeling to them.

Don't get me wrong, I think the new theme is beautiful. But it did scream "Leopard" to me at first sight.

[Technoviking]

The name of the "purple" tone is aubergine.

[Tristam Green]

The name of the "purple" tone is aubergine.

"eggplant"? really? forgive my laughter, but LOL.

[Nickedynick]

Just realised - there's no lower panel in these screenshots. Are we losing that for something else?

[Madspyman]

I can't help but think that the combination of colors, the top panel and the overall window look have a certain.... familiar... feeling to them.

Don't get me wrong, I think the new theme is beautiful. But it did scream "Leopard" to me at first sight.

Agreed, for me it's mostly the placement of the window buttons, and the eerily similar Gnome panel icons.

[IkeLewis]

OK, I have to say, the boot loader in 9.10 did not really excite me at all. But I love the boot loader for 10.04. It is really awesome.

Great work guys...

[Keyper7]

Well, it's a valid point, wouldn't you say? Open Office can hardly be called light under any circumstances, for example.

Focusing on specific software is missing the point. The idea is that in Ubuntu you won't find things like "Norton 30-day trial" or "HP Help and Support".

And my main point was that we are sure to see posts like nowadays we things in the line of "Ubuntu claims it's for humans but I am a human and my installation is buggy SO THEY aRE LYING AND ShOULD CHANGE THE SLOGAN BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S JUST FALSE MARKETING LIKE EVIL MS DOES!!!!!".

Now we will see "MY MINIMAL INSTALL WITH LXDE AND XTERM IS MUCH MORE LIGHTWEIGHT SO CANONICAL IS BLATANTLY LYING!!!!111!!! WAAAAHHH!"

A lot of people simply can't see the difference between "trying to be as X as possible inside reasonable limits of pragmatism and acessibility" and "trying to be as X as possible regardless of any circunstance and consequence".

[IkeLewis]

Just realised - there's no lower panel in these screenshots. Are we losing that for something else?
I currently don't use the lower panel. It adds some more room to my desktop, and I think it looks a little more simplistic.

[IkeLewis]

Focusing on specific software is missing the point. The idea is that in Ubuntu you won't find things like "Norton 30-day trial" or "HP Help and Support".

And my main point was that we are sure to see posts like nowadays we things in the line of "Ubuntu claims it's for humans but I am a human and my installation is buggy SO THEY aRE LYING AND ShOULD CHANGE THE SLOGAN BECAUSE OTHERWISE IT'S JUST FALSE MARKETING LIKE EVIL Ms DOES!!!!!".

Now we will see "MY MINIMAL INSTALL WITH LXDE AND XTERM IS MUCH MORE LIGHTWEIGHT SO CANONICAL IS BLATANTLY LYING!!!!111!!! WAAAAHHH!"
Very funny, and true...

[Penguin Guy]

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=blackeubuntulogo.png
Looks great, although personally I'd prefer just "ubuntu", without the CoF.

[Shpongle]

Just realised - there's no lower panel in these screenshots. Are we losing that for something else?
i noticed this too maybe its hidden ?

[Yes]

Focusing on specific software is missing the point. The idea is that in Ubuntu you won't find things like "Norton 30-day trial" or "HP Help and Support".

Just because an OS doesn't come with bloatware doesn't automatically make it light.

IMO, I wouldn't consider Ubuntu "light" software. If this rebranding leads to a lighter OS then fine, but currently it's not light.

[Madspyman]

I currently don't use the lower panel. It adds some more room to my desktop, and I think it looks a little more simplistic.

Agreed the lower panel was a real pain in the oss, it's the first thing to go after a fresh install, glad it's no longer a default.

[Nickedynick]

I currently don't use the lower panel. It adds some more room to my desktop, and I think it looks a little more simplistic.

No, me neither - the first thing I do is remove it and install Gnome Do or Docky. That lower panel has always made Ubuntu's default look like a 90s OS for some reason. Maybe it's because of my memories of Win95, etc.

[Post Monkeh]

i prefer the old logo, but everything else is nice

[Tristam Green]

No, me neither - the first thing I do is remove it and install Gnome Do or Docky. That lower panel has always made Ubuntu's default look like a 90s OS for some reason. Maybe it's because of my memories of Win95, etc.

It reminds me of what the DE is supposed to be. GNOME.

[Keyper7]

Just because an OS doesn't come with bloatware doesn't automatically make it light.

IMO, I wouldn't consider Ubuntu "light" software. If this rebranding leads to a lighter OS then fine, but currently it's not light.

You said it well: in your opinion. The problem is that "light" is a subjective term and does not have a formal, scientific definition set in stone.

Policing Canonical to make sure they contradict their own definition is more important than arguing about the definition itself.

"But, but... then you are saying that 'light' is a vague term and not a well-defined technical assurance of anything!"

Yes. This is called "marketing". For those who didn't know, welcome to the real world.

PS: the last part is not directed specifically at you, Yes.

[frankbooth]

amazing!

[IkeLewis]

You said it well: in your opinion. The problem is that "light" is a subjective term and does not have a formal, scientific definition set in stone.
Well, with Karmic booting up and starting a browser in 40 sec: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88aal60AqBs, I would say it is relatively light and agile...

[ikt]

Not a huge fan of the metacity theme, however everything else looks amazing!

Good job all!

[Technoviking]

"eggplant"? really? forgive my laughter, but LOL.

Eggplant, it is good for the body, good for the bones.

T-V

[golusweet]

Will humanity icons be replaced with new ones? :p


Nice new look.

[Yes]

Well, with Karmic booting up and starting a browser in 40 sec: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88aal60AqBs, I would say it is relatively light and agile...

But it takes 10 minutes on my <insert old computer>. Therefore it's heavy and bloated!

Boot times are irrelevant and aren't a good indication on how light software is.

And I still disagree that Ubuntu is light. That doesn't have to be a bad thing mind you, just as long as it isn't huge and bloated (which it isn't). If Ubuntu is still supposed to be targeting new Linux users, I'd even argue that you wouldn't want it to be a light distro. A light distro sacrifices newb-friendliness for lightness, which goes against the point of Ubuntu.

[IkeLewis]

But it takes 10 minutes on my <insert old computer>. Therefore it's heavy and bloated!

Boot times are irrelevant and aren't a good indication on how light software is.

And I still disagree that Ubuntu is light. That doesn't have to be a bad thing mind you, just as long as it isn't huge and bloated (which it isn't). If Ubuntu is still supposed to be targeting new Linux users, I'd even argue that you wouldn't want it to be a light distro. A light distro sacrifices newb-friendliness for lightness, which goes against the point of Ubuntu.
Very true... and I would agree with you on the "lightness" aspect, but maybe not being bloated does help the responsiveness etc... I don't know, In my experience it has done fine even with good old 8.04 on my ancient machines.

[katie-xx]

Guess Ill have to wait for server load to diminish. I cant get to the wiki to see it.

Kate

[SomeGuyDude]

Much better than Human. Much.

[SomeGuyDude]

Very true... and I would agree with you on the "lightness" aspect, but maybe not being bloated does help the responsiveness etc... I don't know, In my experience it has done fine even with good old 8.04 on my ancient machines.

Bloat is subjective. It just means "does this have stuff I don't want". If you want everything a given OS comes packaged with, then it ain't bloated.

To some, Ubuntu is light, to others it's heavy. All depends on what ya want. Hell, there are users who say anything that uses X is too heavy!

[IkeLewis]

Bloat is subjective. It just means "does this have stuff I don't want". If you want everything a given OS comes packaged with, then it ain't bloated.

To some, Ubuntu is light, to others it's heavy. All depends on what ya want. Hell, there are users who say anything that uses X is too heavy!
Good point...

[t.rei]

Looks good.

Now if the suspend and the video will get to "working properly" we can call it a system. (Currently nvidia and generic kernel wont work, and the pae kernel wont work with plymouth... *sigh*) Also Suspend/Resume stable would be a blast to get back. ;)

But the rebranding shure looks nice.

[DownTown22]

I think the whole team behind this deserves a big Thank You!

This new artwork, font, etc makes things look more professional.

I'm really liking how artwork for various things (in general, not just Ubuntu) is becoming more simple. Makes everything look..elegant. We don't need icons, artwork, logos, etc that look busy and with too many colours (that's right..it has a 'u').

[DownTown22]

Am I correct in assuming that we'll see website changes across the board when 10.04 comes out as well? (Ubuntu, Ubuntu Wiki, Ubuntu Forums,etc)

[Regenweald]

Wow, this looks epic. I knew they had something up their sleeve this time around.

When the SABDFL said he was going to take a more hands-on approach to the desktop, I expected great things, but the new look is gorgeous. The 10.10 cycle is going to be really fun :)

[londonali1010]

Guess Ill have to wait for server load to diminish. I cant get to the wiki to see it.

Kate

I grabbed a couple screenies from the wiki and posted them on my blog, if you can't wait :) </offtopic>

[HomoGleek]

The new system theme(s) is/are absolutely horrible! The change over from right-side window controls to left side was completely unneccessary and goes against everything I've ever learned about HCI......
......
.....
stop being such mac fans (optionally, you can replace the word "fans" with a word meaning "cigarettes" in British English).

I think overall the new light concept is liked, over human anyway. Have to agree about the window controls.

Now now, you had a nice argument to put forward and then you ruined it

[Giant Speck]

I love the new logo. It's much more professional looking than the previous logo.

However, the new default theme leaves much to be desired. To me, it looks like a haphazard combination of Shiki, Human, and New Wave with window controls that are too reminiscent of OS X for comfort.

It's plainly obvious that Ubuntu's default theme still relies on the Murrine GTK+ engine; however, from the looks of it, Canonical's art team (if such a thing actually exists) has yet to realize Murrine's full potential. The only redeeming thing I can find about the new theme is that it shows they have finally figured out that blending the window border with the menubar actually looks good -- something that has been apart of many popular themes (Shiki, New Wave, and Murrine Glow, just to name a few) for almost two years now.

[ulftomas]

Also, the purple tooltips will look horribly out of place once the wallpaper has changed - as no other elements that I can see in the screenshots are using that color.
I totally agree with you about this and I certainly hope that this will be highly customizable. Freaky colors like purple (and brown for that part) is not a very good idea when creating designs to attract the masses.

However, this is still probably one of the best days in the life of Ubuntu. This is a giant step towards a more human friendly environment.

[Kai69]

Very nice!!
Darn it now I have to get a new mug and T shirt :tongue:

[chillicampari]

Edit- looked more at the theme, I think it looks nice, but on the graphics this:

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Brand?action=AttachFile&do=get&target=spreadubuntulogo.png

still comes off a little weird to me.



(http://ubuntuforums.org/showpost.php?p=8912346&postcount=31)

[Madspyman]

It's really does seem like an OSX rip off, the panel icons are exact duplicates and the fact that the window icons are on the left screams Mac.

It seems most of the community is for it and has been for some time, there is oodles of tutorials, and gnome themes out there everybody's always trying to make Linux look like Mac.

I'd really rather Ubuntu users not support this mentality, I'd hate to have people think I use Ubuntu because I'm some Mac fan boy. And I'd rather not recommend an OS to my friends that rips Mac off.

Why is is so hard for users to be proud of Ubuntu for being a Linux distribution.

Ubuntu supports it's new OSX image and has chosen to tell that to the world.

As bothered as I am by it, it still looks way better than the Human theme.

[DownTown22]

I'm here; what do you want to talk about? ;)

Also, criticism ≠ whining.

Nothing really...I just enjoy stirring the pot.

True, criticism doesn't always equal whining, but there's enough of it.

[DubyBreaks]

=D> I have to say I do love the new branding and the new themes MUCH better than the old ones. The new Branding gives Ubuntu a much needed "professional" polished look. The screenshot with the acer PC running lucid is sexy. With that being said:

Pros
- New boot screen is simply awesome, this was an eye sore in karmic.
- LOVE the new font
- Buttons on the left. (I always move them there anyways, and for those that claim that resembles OSX too much.....having them on the right resembles Windows too much for me, and besides it just "feels" more natural having button on the left. Besides you can change them in the config. editor if needed be. I do feel the close button should be first in line though. IMHO)
- The lighter of the two themes is Very nice, at least almost "keepable" as a default
- Purple background is ALOT more pleasing to the eye than the browrange of karmic. (even if it does resemble OSX a little, besides how many of us actually keep the background Image the same?)
- No lower panel by default?.....TYVM

Cons
- Not HUGE fan of the new circle of friends logo. It's not bad at all, just don't think it is as nice as the old one.
- Darker of the two themes is not very sexy, I'm not a fan of the dull black/grey look. (shine it up)
- Humanity Icons look WAY out of place IMHO, they need a new icon set.

Over all i think this is much needed overhaul of the ubuntu brand. I congratulate all the artist involved in the redesign, all the juice was worth the squeeze here. Now for a new icon set.........please. =D>

[Mark76]

Where does the tasklist go?

[jrothwell97]

It's an improvement, yes.

However, I can immediately see a major usability flaw with the window decorations - and it's not due to the buttons being on the left.

See, in every other OS (including Ubuntu in the past) when you wanted to close the window, it involved clicking once in the corner. In this case, that slot is occupied by the "maximise" button, with the "close" button the innermost of the 3.

So when you go to close a window, you end up accidentally maximising it. Not good. The corner of the window is a better target.

Aside from that, everything looks to be good: bits of it look a touch too hi-vis-jacket orange to me, and I'd definitely rather the close button only lit up on mouseover, but this should look brilliant when combined with Lucid's other UI improvements.

I like the new title font, too.

edit:

Where does the tasklist go?

I may be wrong, but in Lucid the clock (and by extension the calendar/tasklist) lives in the bottom panel by default, and only tells the time unless you tell it otherwise.

[koleoptero]

Where does the tasklist go?

At the bottom panel that everyone assumes will be gone?

[zeroseven0183]

Now this rebranding, new design and concept is going to be controversial.
And I think that's a good thing!




New design for UF, maybe?? :P
We will be look at that over the next few weeks.

I hope to see also a redesign of the Forums.

[mosshorn]

Love the splash screen, would like to see it changeable to brown/black though :P The GTK themes......eh. Overall I like it a lot, I just don't want my OS to come as a mac clone default :P

[jrusso2]

Looks better but not something that requires an art dept.

It looks a lot like what I run already which I did with colors and wall paper.

Anyways they do seem to like OS X a lot.

[Regenweald]

OSX looks good, so does Aero. On it's way to looking great Ubuntu might pull some ideas.... What can a design team really be expected to revolutionize in the few square inches used by the menu/side bar and the panel ???

[DeadSuperHero]

I, for one, think this looks absolutely fantastic.

When can we expect to see it all implemented by?

[Regenweald]

I, for one, think this looks absolutely fantastic.

When can we expect to see it all implemented by?

On my last update ( tonight) it seems that the default artwork was held back. Whiprush has said over in testing and discussion that it should hit within the next few days. Colour me excited.

[Merk42]

I may be wrong, but in Lucid the clock (and by extension the calendar/tasklist) lives in the bottom panel by default, and only tells the time unless you tell it otherwise.

You are.
The items in the bottom panel on a default install are:
Show Desktop | Window List | Workspace Switcher | Trash

[armageddon08]

Now that's a default theme I'm gonna like......for everything else....WOW!!!

[Sam]

Nice screenies. Two thoughts: The window control buttons are on the wrong order. The close button must be on the corner in order to gain Fitts' law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law) effect.
Where is the bottom panel?

[zeroseven0183]

Nice screenies. Two thoughts:

The window control buttons are on the wrong order. The close button must be on the corner in order to gain Fitts' law (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fitts%27s_law) effect.
Where is the bottom panel?



That's a good point. I didn't noticed that, actually... How stupid of me.
I still prefer the window control buttons to be on the right side.

The bottom panel? The screenshot is cropped, I think. You can't see the windows list on the top panel.

[Sam]

The bottom panel? The screenshot is cropped, I think. You can't see the windows list on the top panel.
I wouldn't have missed the opportunity to show the new trash icon again there, which is, by the way, really cute. Maybe they haven't yet designed the "show desktop" icon?

But I believe you're right.

[mrdiego]

< snip >

- Humanity Icons look WAY out of place IMHO, they need a new icon set.

Over all i think this is much needed overhaul of the ubuntu brand. I congratulate all the artist involved in the redesign, all the juice was worth the squeeze here. Now for a new icon set.........please. =D>

:D LOL ... good joke. You ever did a Icon - in all sizes (48, 32, 24, 22, 16) and in a .SVG? Hey and it must look awesome, too! NO? ... Try it. You know how much Icons you need for a complete Set? I don't know exactly, but I thing with 200 you're fine; more is better. How they should look like that everybody is happy with them and we never have to hear: "Common the Icons looks out of place"? But we can pay a expensive team of 20 talented persons and in one year we have them finished ... for sure. Already with the same wish? Critics and wishing are easy stuffs, but the work behind all, nobody appreciate. The same goes for example to the develop of the murrine-engine + the Gtk-theme who uses all futures of it and the look we can throw on it in the end. Of course, the most of the designers and developers don't get paid for their work... they spend their free time for our all happiness. Be care with light sounding wishes ... ;)

[mrdiego]

I wouldn't have missed the opportunity to show the new trash icon again there, which is, by the way, really cute. Maybe they haven't yet designed the "show desktop" icon?

But I believe you're right.

It's all finished.
https://code.launchpad.net/humanity
... but the version what comes in Lucid will come soon - we have to wait some days more. The only change of that existing theme now are the new panel-icons in monochrome. ;)

[WinterMadness]

thats nice lookin

[Luke has no name]

I'm all about the new colors and logo font. I also like the idea of combining the top and bottom bar ( see the screen of my desktop; get the annoying "custom" menu bar and get areal control panel). I'm also about rebranding Ubuntu from the near-universally loathed Human theme.

But why the HELL would you move the window control icons to the left? What motivated that? What studies and focus groups were conducted to say that we should go against twenty-plus years of tradition just to migrate the buttons over, and not even go the 'full clone' and place the buttons in some familiar order? Sigh. I am disappoint.

As long as there is a geeky way to FIX this MISTAKE, I'm cool. I'm sure I'll get used to it either way, but damn, this is silly.

[DubyBreaks]

:D LOL ... good joke. You ever did a Icon - in all sizes (48, 32, 24, 22, 16) and in a .SVG? Hey and it must look awesome, too! NO? ... Try it. You know how much Icons you need for a complete Set? I don't know exactly, but I thing with 200 you're fine; more is better. How they should look like that everybody is happy with them and we never have to hear: "Common the Icons looks out of place"? But we can pay a expensive team of 20 talented persons and in one year we have them finished ... for sure. Already with the same wish? Critics and wishing are easy stuffs, but the work behind all, nobody appreciate. The same goes for example to the develop of the murrine-engine + the Gtk-theme who uses all futures of it and the look we can throw on it in the end. Of course, the most of the designers and developers don't get paid for their work... they spend their free time for our all happiness. Be care with light sounding wishes ... ;)

Actually I have created AN Icon before, and no, not in .SVG. And I agree it is a massive task to take on, which would take more resources than ideal when there are other more vital tasks to tackle and better places to allocate money......With that being said, I LIKE the humanity icon set, I just said I think it looks out of place IMHO with these themes (a point of view for people to consider, or not). And your insinuation that I don't understand or appreciate the hard work involved in this, the number of icons it would take, and the personal time these great folks put into ubuntu for our enjoyment is uncalled for, it was a wish, like upon a star......but nice of you to throw blows at my opinion rather than make a valid comment on the themes.......once again congratulations to the design team for the excellent work. =D>

[DeadSuperHero]

So is Kubuntu getting any love out of this?

[NightwishFan]

I should hope so, it has so much potential with just a little polish and some more attention.

[tank.null]

i think the tasklist is necessary for switching task without alt-tab.
and it is suitable to stay on bottom panel.

[NightwishFan]

I normally use a single panel on top. When so many Windows open the task list shrinks into a bunch of logos, which is still easy to navigate. The two panel look is still the default for new users on my machine though.

[Luke has no name]

i think the tasklist is necessary for switching task without alt-tab.
and it is suitable to stay on bottom panel.

A tasklist of some sort is absolutely necessary, whether it be through the (inferior) Mac-dock style, the (better) Windows 7 interface, which is a child of Mac and traditional taskbars, or the traditional tasklist like Ubuntu has now.

It would be insane beyond belief not to have some sort of taskbar.

Especially to spring these design changes out of the blue, and right before the LTS. The logo/brand change, perhaps... but fundamental forms of HCI? Silly.

[pelle.k]

MOAR POLISH NEEDED!

The GTK theme looks washed out. And a bit chaotic.
I can't say i like the yellow tint of the "light" theme. And the metacity looks cheap.
That said, i don't think it looks like OS X at all. In fact, i would prefer it did.

Good work with the logo, font, and bootsplash though. And finally the monochrome icons look allright. I hope they can figure out how to replace those monochrome icons without changing the actual APPLICATION icons.

[arnab_das]

love it love it love it!

a platonic kiss to mark shuttleworth :P

[Isaac_x]

The new logo looks good, a little too sharp for my tastes, but a great improvement over the old logo.

I don't like the cream-brown-orange theme, or the cream-black-orange theme either; it makes everything look dirty, old, and worn. I'd like to see it in gray and blue.

[Madspyman]

They panel icons need to scream Ubuntu instead of an OSX. I don't want to upgrade to a bootleg OS.

[phillychease]

i loveeeeeee it

[Isaac_x]

They panel icons need to scream Ubuntu instead of an OSX. I don't want to upgrade to a bootleg OS.

If it's not broken, don't fix it. The less visual noise, the better. Otherwise, you get the Windows taskbar icons that constantly distract you.

[Madspyman]

If it's not broken, don't fix it. The less visual noise, the better. Otherwise, you get the Windows taskbar icons that constantly distract you.

I think the Karmic set of panel icons are perfect.

[Khakilang]

I like it. Its cool. Nice work. Can wait to try it.

[M1ke]

Looks beautiful! I'll admit I don't like the window controls on the left either, but that's a small (and presumably easily tweaked!) thing.

Love the new look!

[Duncan J Murray]

Looks good, although I'm with a lot of people here that controls should remain on the right, or else I'm going to be forever getting confused...

I don't want the interface to look like Mac OS X's - I like the clean, plain and simple gnome looks on Karmic, and hope that they build on that. I particularly like the 'flatness' of Jaunty and Karmic.

Duncan.

[ElSlunko]

I think the buttons should be to the right too. Way too cluttered to the left since most content starts at the left and moves right.

[armageddon08]

Why do all OSes use Sans as the default font?

[RedNight]

Awesome work!

I really like the new ubuntu's brand.:D

However, I think that close and minimize buttons should stay on the right side of the window.:-?

That red close button looks awful. A grey one should be better.;)

Finally, we need a new icon set to fully fit with the new brand!:P

Keep working like that!8-)

[Alfred_Jodocus]

Absolutely shocked by how anyone can suddenly put the windows icons on the left.

Form follows function, usability should come first; 'looking good' or creative design issues should be much lower on the list.

Sounds to me like change for change's sake. I don't like it, especially when it so greatly interferes with decades of ingrained habits. Sure, it´s good to change old habits - when there's a need and the new 'thing' is a substantial improvement.

If not, you're just annoying your users. I expect it will also be a (small) extra hurdle for people who switch from Windows and find, on top of the many other things that are different (and usually better - but 'different' is bad, in that it requires development of new habits and a learning curve, i.e. takes time and effort. Let's face it, for most 'normal' users, an OS is a tool, not a toy or a goal in itself).

Form follows function; if it ain't broken don't fix it.

I honestly don't understand how someone could knowingly make such a strange change.

Would be a bit like an automotive manufacturer's design team coming up with the great new idea of changing the order of the foot pedals - brake on the left, clutch on the right and accelerator in the middle. Sure - you *can* do that - but you'd better have *very* good reasons to do so, as it forces your users to develop new habits. That's not bad, as long as it is a real improvement. But if it's just change for change's sakee.... then you'll end up with a lot of annoyed users.

And yes, I know that you will probably be able to put the icons back in the top-right with a bit of tinkering - but how many regular users will actually have the knowledge and skills to do that?

I liked the old logo and look and feel, but understand some people like to see change and 'improvements'. It's what marketing is all about, and I don't have much problem with that. It's just words, images and looks - it's on the surface, nothing essential changes. But the position of the most crucial windows controls... OMG. Who actually *thought* of that, and who allowed those changes to be made ?!

Peter.

[leandromartinez98]

I'm willing to see how OpenOffice applications and firefox look with the new theme. That's what we look at all the time.

I like the new theme, but it is nothing revolutionary, and it got a lot from the Macs. Even the purple background...

[armageddon08]

Now that they have moved from the human theme to a light theme, shouldn't there be a change in the icon theme?

[gradinaruvasile]

Overall it looks good, but i dont like either its Mac likeness and im am baffled by the left side window icons (i found them very un-ergonomical and weird).

I say some more creativity is required to make something truly original. This is Linux, not Mac and make it stand out with some original theme, not monkeying Mac.

[the yawner]

Design-wise, I agree with the others over the placement of the window control buttons on the left.

My post on the other thread:


I'm not so sure about the GTK/Metacity theme. Unlike OSX, we have our menu bar inside the window, also on the left side of the screen. Combined with the placement of the Metacity control buttons on the same area, it makes that side of the window very busy. It takes away the balance in visual weights.

The close button for the active window is a little out of place. It's a bit glossy(?) compared to the other elements.

And maybe it's the shadows and gradients, I'm not sure, but I find the overall tangibility of the windows inconsistent. *shrugs*

Save for these reservations, I find this news a step on the positive. The web themes. The new font. The logo. Yes!

[fatality_uk]

Would love to include simple icon set
http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Simple?content=99470

[Wiebelhaus]

I'm really excited about where this is going and the prospect of a light weight Ubuntu interface is exactly what Ubuntu needs , good call and cheers.

[HomoGleek]

Looks like someone has listened =)

http://gkurl.us/omgyay

[richs-lxh]

We will be look at that over the next few weeks.

T-V

Hmmm. When that happens i'll be avoiding the forums. If you are a veteran UF member of more than 4 years, you will know what I mean.

That old "You can please some of the people most of the time........" quote comes to mind.

As it happens, I think the new Font is excellent and the new logos and colour schemes as well. Rebranding is always a brave move, but this looks like it's going to be a huge success for Ubuntu.

I think the new style will really refresh the forum.

Well done!

[ssj6akshat]

Looks like Lucid's gonna rock.i(Pod/Phone)Support,Music Store,Social Networking and now this.wohohohohohohoho

[Rasa1111]

absolutely beautiful!
thanks soo much!!

very well done. :)
Praises Ubuntu. <3

[iswan]

Don't like the theme.... :( Hope something better...

[Perfect Storm]

Really nice rebrand :KS

[texpat]

GOOD job, guys. Very clean. Business-y, too. Should go down well with corporate folk. Congratulations!

[J_Stanton]

But it takes 10 minutes on my <insert old computer>. Therefore it's heavy and bloated! mine boots in 15 seconds, therefore it is light! but i do like the new theme. purple is cool.

[Nickedynick]

New Plymouth (http://www.youtube.com/v/cbfPaxVdgEY?hl=en_US&fs=1) in action - in a god-awful quality recording :D

[Uncle Spellbinder]

New Plymouth (http://www.youtube.com/v/cbfPaxVdgEY?hl=en_US&fs=1) in action - in a god-awful quality recording :D
Now, if Plymouth would actually run, I (and many others) might actually be able to see that.


Sorry....back on topic.

It does look great, though.

[Psumi]

See my signature as to why I can't use default ubuntu on my thinkpad t41 (Plymouth: Grunge Screen.)

I will not be seeing any of this rebrand stuff until I get a new computer in a long while.

[fontis]

Wow.
I think it's about time that Ubuntu finally makes some drastic changes to its interface. The old human theme was beyond redemption.

And for you super haters - an OS in todays sense is all about the user experience. Design is as such an integrated and vital part in the first impressions of anything. If the OS looks like crap by default, chances are not that many will find it "nice looking" enough to bother with it.

The sad truth is that we are progressing in an environment that is steadily moving towards cloud computing at a faster pace, and with that in mind, having the most unhackable OS with black/white CLI is not really....viable as a choice for providing a nice graphical experience.

I think it's admirable to see Shuttleworth's battle for the desktop, and he is clearly also aware of the fact that GNU/Linux might be superior to it's counterparts security wise, but it sure as hell is lagging behind in experience wise.

[Nickedynick]

The sad truth is that we are progressing in an environment that is steadily moving towards cloud computing at a faster pace, and with that in mind, having the most unhackable OS with black/white CLI is not really....viable as a choice for providing a nice graphical experience.

Surely Linux is the most hackable type of OS around?!

[Docaltmed]

I want my Rebranded Baseball Cap!

That looks great. Good job.

[BigSilly]

Wow! Genuine surprise to see this. Really love it though. Very welcome new look, and very much needed imho.

Loving the plum! :D

[1roxtar]

But it takes 10 minutes on my <insert old computer>. Therefore it's heavy and bloated!

I installed Ubuntu 9.10 on an old Compaq Presario 5000 series with 256mb RAM and a 500mhz Celeron processor and it boots up in roughly 45 seconds.

I think the rebranding looks sleek and beautiful and much more professional looking. I believe its gonna get some good attention when I install it on my laptop. April seems sooooo far away!!!!

[rajeev1204]

New Plymouth (http://www.youtube.com/v/cbfPaxVdgEY?hl=en_US&fs=1) in action - in a god-awful quality recording :D


Thats not plymouth, thats your xsplash loading .

[ZarathustraDK]

I'm all over the Professor Plum (that's Cluedo-reference to purple ;) ).

Ok, one thing at a time:

Branding/logo
Love it, it's sharp and pro, and has an odd rhytm to it with all those u's. The circle of friends is acceptable as long as it doesn't mingle with the rest of the theme, the colors would be at odds.

Colors
Purple and dark/light = love it! I see a bit discontent with the yellow human icons, but people should be aware that it's not the icons that are out of place, it's the white background of the window, which is supposed to be purple if you want the colors to play nice.
http://seanmarcellus.com/web-design/images/colorwheel_browsersafe.gif
"Color-slices" opposite of each other in the wheel are comfortable to look at together, purple and yellow do this.

Which leads to the question: what to do about the awkward-looking yellow on white on purple? One solution would be to change the color of icons into purple, purple-white-purple is agreeable, but then the icons would get lost on the desktop. Another would be to change the default backround color of the windows, which is quite a bold move, but it could be pulled off as long as it is kept consistent throughout the OS (yellow text on purple background has great readability), perhaps use some pastelle-versions of the basecolors (like the 7's in the wheel above).

It's a bit of a predicament, and it's probably why people generally like blue-themes, blue and white = sky (bliss in XP for instance). Question is: do we think that way because Windows taught us to like that color-combo, or is there a color-theory reason to it?

Theme
Somebody thought different :)
This will be quite interesting. I'm sure the Mac-community will bitch and moan about this for a long time, but hey, if it works then it works. Good decision to do away with the bottom taskbar, though it could have been either one for all I care.

Get that "close window"-button in its right place though.
Mom:"Hey Peter, what are you doing?"
Peter:"Nothing mom..." (accidentally maximizes donkey-porn instead of closing it)
Mom:"PETER!"

Not much else to say about the theme. I already use Shiki and Dust so this is right down my alley ^^

Grats to the art-team, this is a huge leap forward. But that purple-yellow-white thing needs to be sorted. Loved the warmth of Human, but it is time to move on.

Sidenote on the "Light-branding" thing
Don't axe awesome applications just because there are lighter ones out there! Gimp getting axed in favor of F-spot is simply stupid, it's like axing Photoshop in favor of Paint on Windows. Gimp has more "value" as an image-editor plain and simple. It's be like replacing the OpenOffice-suite with Abiword.

[MaxIBoy]

I always liked the brown (especially the carmel colors in Hardy,) but in any case the default theme is really quite unimportant. It's so easy to change, you might as well make it pink on green for all I care. Can't believe you people have filled up so many pages talking about it.

[MichealH]

If you see the page/link you will see the brand new logos I wonder how he forum will have to change to fit that logo. When we get the new logo will we be upgraded to vBulletin4?

[brainkilla]

Now that they have moved from the human theme to a light theme, shouldn't there be a change in the icon theme?

I'd like to see these included, I think they would fit with new themes very well http://jimmac.musichall.cz/log/
Oh, and put them window buttons back to the right-hand side...

[Psumi]

If you see the page/link you will see the brand new logos I wonder how he forum will have to change to fit that logo. When we get the new logo will we be upgraded to vBulletin4?

I would hate ANYONE to upgrade to that forum version.

[Isaac_x]

http://seanmarcellus.com/web-design/images/colorwheel_browsersafe.gif
"Color-slices" opposite of each other in the wheel are comfortable to look at together, purple and yellow do this.

Does anyone wear a red-green suit, other than during Christmas when they want loud colors? Yellow-purple? Blue-orange? These combinations are "loud", the high contrast makes them hard to look at for long periods of time.

People will be exposed to the desktop for long periods of time, it's best to use neutral and unsaturated colors that won't agitate or overstimulate the eye.

A desktop should limit its color choices to subdued hues. Red, orange, and yellow are too distracting to be prominent, they should be used sparsely.

[parameter]

I don't see anything in the branding announcement about the sound theme. The sound theme needs to be updated to match.

[Technoviking]

If you see the page/link you will see the brand new logos I wonder how he forum will have to change to fit that logo. When we get the new logo will we be upgraded to vBulletin4?

vBulletin4 upgrade is in the works, not ETA for it.

T-V

[DeadSuperHero]

Just got the new themes in an update. Everything looks really spiffy. I love it.

It's going to look awesome once everything totally comes together. Can't wait for the U1 Music Store.

[rabidbadger]

I don't see anything in the branding announcement about the sound theme. The sound theme needs to be updated to match.

I believe that they're sticking with the usual inspiration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3) for a PulseAudio rendered sound theme.

[phate408]

Icons on the left are disappointing. At least they have the right order (the order I'm used to and prefer).

I've always thought the default theme for Ubuntu is strong, and while this looks like a move in a good direction, I just don't think it's needed as much as it's claimed :P

Regardless, this will look much better "out of the box" than the standard Gnome themes. The traditional blue and white makes me think early '00s.

[Mark76]

I believe that they're sticking with the usual inspiration (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/4%E2%80%B233%E2%80%B3) for a PulseAudio rendered sound theme.

Ha ha ha :lol:

[Nickedynick]

Icons on the left are disappointing. At least they have the right order (the order I'm used to and prefer).

The icons aren't on the left in the theme - screenshots you've seen like that have been customised.

[Techsnap]

Since it was pulled down with the latest update I wrote a little review about it with my opionion about the Icon colours:

http://techsnap.co.uk/blog/ubuntu-10-04-new-theme

[kio_http]

Lately there has been a neglect of Kubuntu. Its not like it used to be during the time of Kubuntu Hoary; there was more effort put in. I don't see any such refinements being done.

This article proves the neglect. New revolutionary stuff for Ubuntu and even Xubuntu but not Kubuntu.

Its not that the neglect hasn't been noticed at all even by Kubuntu contributers/members. Refer to this document (http://people.ubuntu.com/~apachelogger/Timelord/Project_Timelord_Announcement.pdf).

[mickie.kext]

Since it was pulled down with the latest update I wrote a little review about it with my opionion about the Icon colours:

http://techsnap.co.uk/blog/ubuntu-10-04-new-theme

I stopped reading after first few lines from obvious reasons.

[Techsnap]

Actually I praised it and then offered a suggestion. It's not against Ubuntu.

[Nickedynick]

Grey icons would look worse. At least the Humanity set is close-ish to the orange used in the new branding.

[Techsnap]

Grey icons would look worse. At least the Humanity set is close-ish to the orange used in the new branding.

I get where you're coming from, I'm not particularly sure that the shade of orange on the icons at the moment works though. I just wonder if they'll change it, we'll find out soon if they will I guess.

[Giant Speck]

I stopped reading after first few lines from obvious reasons.


So today I upgraded my Ubuntu 10.04 VM, as most of you will probably already know, I’m not a Ubuntu fan but I keep a VM of the latest dev version installed because I like to look at what they’re up to for the simple fact that it seems to be the most popular beginner distro. However I updated it today and the new themes were installed so I enabled them.

Either I'm stupid, or I don't see what's so obvious that you had to stop reading.

[Islington]

Either I'm stupid, or I don't see what's so obvious that you had to stop reading.

on any blog or opinion piece you stop reading after the first line you disagree with. :p

[Giant Speck]

on any blog or opinion piece you stop reading after the first line you disagree with. :p

I'm guessing it was "I'm not an Ubuntu fan."

[Keyper7]

Either I'm stupid, or I don't see what's so obvious that you had to stop reading.

He's probably more interested in opinions coming from the average Ubuntu user perspective. Even if the blog author does not have anything against Ubuntu either, the difference between a regular everyday user and an alpha testing passerby can be significant.

[mickie.kext]

I'm guessing it was "I'm not an Ubuntu fan."

No, it is not that. It is fact that he keeps Ubuntu around just to know enemy. To know what he bashes and to find new thing to rant about.

When I do not like something, I just try to ignore it and forget about it.

[Techsnap]

To know what he bashes and to find new thing to rant about.

I keep a Ubuntu VM around because I like OS's. Also although I do have that rant stuff I find genuine stuff to rant about with a bit of humour as well as education.

Also for keeping the thread on topic, I'm not sure that the font on the title bars is neat. I think it's too bold.

[Twitch6000]

No, it is not that. It is fact that he keeps Ubuntu around just to know enemy. To know what he bashes and to find new thing to rant about.

When I do not like something, I just try to ignore it and forget about it.

Instead of going hey this could be fixed then possibly getting it out there where it could be fixed.

Shame on you...

I forget who said this but hiding from problems never fixes them.

[t.rei]

* scrollbars ugly and large
* window buttons look crap when maximize button is not available (i.e. dialog windows)
* window buttons look crap when not in 'default order'
* theme does not work well with custom-color-choices (especially the window borders/menubars/toolbars)

Its an ok theme. But not the kind of professional work I would expect to see. Things need to improve and not just get painted in another color!

[magneze]

The latest updates have the min/max/close on the right, which is better.

However, the min and max seem to be the wrong way around?

This window has "Unmaximize, Minimize, Close"!

[Sam]

There is an interesting comment on sabdfl's blog:


Are wallpaper, window decorations and gtk theme final already or is there a chance of further polishing? It’s not about “I don’t like it” but i have read so much constructive criticism about specific elements of the new look (like http://troy-sobotka.blogspot.com/ and others pointed out).

Mark Shuttleworth: We have room and time to tweak, the only thing that’s final is the basic set of concepts.

Link (http://www.markshuttleworth.com/archives/308#comment-324245)

[fatality_uk]

* scrollbars ugly and large
* window buttons look crap when maximize button is not available (i.e. dialog windows)
* window buttons look crap when not in 'default order'
* theme does not work well with custom-color-choices (especially the window borders/menubars/toolbars)

Its an ok theme. But not the kind of professional work I would expect to see. Things need to improve and not just get painted in another color!

You ARE aware this is an ALPHA release?

Lucid is more than a theme. There a LOT of other important updates that Canonical will place into this release

[Madspyman]

Been testing the new theme buttons started on the right, then jumped to the left, changed them back to the right.

[Post Monkeh]

Been testing the new theme buttons started on the right, then jumped to the left, changed them back to the right.

let's do the timewarp.... oops ignore me.

[mickie.kext]

Instead of going hey this could be fixed then possibly getting it out there where it could be fixed.

Shame on you...

I forget who said this but hiding from problems never fixes them.

What are you trolling about? Why should I try to fix something I do not like? I just use what I like instead and forget I ever used that thing I do not like.

On topic:

Only thing that is crappy with this new style is wallpaper. I wish Ubuntu sticked with brown. It would better match new panel color. But I changed that already.

[t.rei]

You ARE aware this is an ALPHA release?

Lucid is more than a theme. There a LOT of other important updates that Canonical will place into this release

Yes, I am aware of this being an alpha. Thats why I do point out these - for a theme - rather severe flaws. Because if no one mentions them, they wont get communicated and filtered by the community. Thus never having a hope for change.

So: Theme needs fixing: colors need to adjust, buttons need to work in dialogs (no missing maximize or minimize messing it up) and the scrollbars should get redone properly. :)

[magneze]

The latest updates have the min/max/close on the right, which is better.

However, the min and max seem to be the wrong way around?

This window has "Unmaximize, Minimize, Close"!Now I have updated again and they're on the left. LOL, make yer mind up!

I prefer them on the right with the same order as in 9.10. Yes it's boring, but changing them will **** off existing users, users who might otherwise switch from Windows and it'll be accused of being an OSX copy. :popcorn:

Has anyone done any usability testing on the best placement and order of buttons?

[magneze]

Actually OSX also has them in a different order. So changing them to Max/Min/Close will annoy existing users, users from Windows and users from OSX. Worth a rethink - the rest of the theme/rebrand works really well.

[Warprunner]

Fantastic look. Usually I don't like the dark themes (eyes and age) but this one is fantastic!

[Madspyman]

Now I have updated again and they're on the left. LOL, make yer mind up!

I prefer them on the right with the same order as in 9.10. Yes it's boring, but changing them will **** off existing users, users who might otherwise switch from Windows and it'll be accused of being an OSX copy. :popcorn:

Has anyone done any usability testing on the best placement and order of buttons?

I'm really not sure what the official look is anymore, too much confusion and indecision, next thing you know the buttons'll be on both sides, I wouldn't be surprised it's still just an alpha.

Are we for or against the OSX placement of things? Seems to soon to tell.

[magneze]

Well, the order of the icons on the left is also different from OSX. So the current alpha seems to please no-one! I like the style of the icons, but the re-ordering seems random without some empirical evidence behind the change.

[Madspyman]

Seems that no one can decide whether the window buttons should be on the right or the left in Lucid, why not let the user decide.

I know it's already possible to move them by changing the metacity settings in gconf-editor, but thats not something a new to Ubuntu user would be thinking of.

How about being able to back click on the window and choose from a drop-down menu what side to have the icons on.

Also during installation you could have the option of "legacy settings" (right placement) or "light settings" (left placement).

I don't think there's another distro that offers this as a standard option, other than in gconf-editor. Might be kinda cool.

[kforum]

i personally think the buttons on the left are innovative, and more 'logical' than the traditional(on the right) approach. but then again, do we live in a world where 'logic' has any real world meaning... for most people?

so, maybe im the only one liking this

[1roxtar]

I for one love the new look and rebranding of Ubuntu. I can't wait for the final product to come out. In fact, I have mocked up my Karmic laptop to look pretty much "Lucid-y", if you will.

http://i220.photobucket.com/albums/dd237/1ROXTAR/KarmicGoneLucid.png

[skymera]

So, this new bootsplash does it work with USplash as well as Plymouth?
From what i know, Nvidia doesn't work with KMS, thus no Plymouth splash.

Oh what's this, i can't install USplash because GDM will be removed ¬_¬

[Psumi]

Oh what's this, i can't install USplash because GDM will be removed ¬_¬

Yay for integration!

[Madspyman]

So, this new bootsplash does it work with USplash as well as Plymouth?
From what i know, Nvidia doesn't work with KMS, thus no Plymouth splash.

Oh what's this, i can't install USplash because GDM will be removed ¬_¬

You can't customize your distro without breaking your system? Lucid is becoming like a Mac.

[NightwishFan]

It is in development. Of course stuff is a bit odd for a while. Right now it is probably a moving target.

[cariboo]

If you have questions concerning Lucid, you should ask the in the proper sub-forum located here (http://ubuntuforums.org/forumdisplay.php?f=377).

[Alejandro Nova]

Is there any place when I can download the new "ubuntu" font? I think it looks prettier and could be a 1000x better screen font than DejaVu Sans. In fact, it could look prettier (with minor tweaks) than Segoe UI.

[Nickedynick]

Nope, it's not complete yet. The company who're making it have only finished enough for some branding, and Mr Shuttleworth's said that it likely won't be available for release in Lucid (it's a couple of months from completion). However, when it is done it'll be released under GPL and hopefully will be in 10.10.

[linux4life88]

Will we still have a choice to use the Karmic theme? I know we still have the same humanity icons for the most part but the icons on the gnome panel have changed as well as the title bar on the windows. I really enjoyed the look of the Karmic theme, much better than the new theme. Just my opinion though.

[Telecaster72]

Finally! I Like the new GTK themes, thanks for ditching the brown! Well if you are gonna go brown, make it really dark brown, like espresso.
But putting the window buttons on the left? I dont know what you are smoking at your brainstorming meetings but...gimme some of that stuff!
Seriously, i am not to happy with that, change is only good if it serves a purpose. Overall though, very good job:

[scouser73]

I've just installed Lucid alpha 3, am really loving the rebrand.

[tekkidd]

I like it looks cleaner than the old branding

[Dev'olution]

I just installed Alpha 3, but the visual styles aren't in there yet? :S

[HomoGleek]

I just installed Alpha 3, but the visual styles aren't in there yet? :S
Have you run the update manager?

[Dev'olution]

Have you run the update manager?

I feel... so stupid :P

[rajeev1204]

Anyone notice how the new purple color matches with the Yahoo logo ? And since Firefox is using Yahoo by default, iam thinking. .......................

Definitely a yahoo influence on the color ?

Anyways, purple is one of my favorite colors , i prefer calling it violet though, and iam standing near my PC and my shirt ,my phone and my ubuntu splash are all matching colors . :D

But they should have tried some color more original, like brown :) Iam using the homosapien theme and its great.

[piousp]

What about Kubuntu!?

[AnUnderwhelmingUsername]

what about kubuntu!?

+1

[Sam]

Don't worry guys, you haven't been forgotten.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/9784/kubuntu.png

[Giant Speck]

Don't worry guys, you haven't been forgotten.

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/9784/kubuntu.png

The K doesn't quite look right.

[Sam]

The K doesn't quite look right.

Yeah that was gimped in 2 minutes. ;)

[Islington]

The K doesn't quite look right.

that font is gonna be great.

[the yawner]

I think Kubuntu's branding will be tackled in Project Timelord.

[m4tic]

why does the font suck?

[HomoGleek]

why does the font suck?
Should have gone to Specsavers =D

[ovroniil]

I don't like the new theme. It reminds me more of 'Mac' rather than 'Ubuntu'! It’s seems that Ubuntu has thrown away it’s own unique identity to be more ‘MAC’ish! Why Ubuntu has to copy the upper panel icons and colors from Mac OSX? Windows has it’s own identity, so does Mac; but where is the distinctive identity of Ubuntu? Doesn’t it looks like ubuntu is suffering from it’s own identity crisis?

[pelle.k]

It reminds me more of 'Mac' rather than 'Ubuntu'! It’s seems that Ubuntu has thrown away it’s own unique identity to be more ‘MAC’ish!
As a mac user, i disagree. Ubuntu is still quite unique IMHO. The new theme looks as macish as the old one as far as i am concerned (not very, that is).
The new monochrome status icons look very similar though. But i don't mind since these new ones are much nicer (OS X or not).

[Nickedynick]

I think the notification icons do look Mac-ish, but not necessarily by directly copying the Mac interface. Having a unified look in the notification area is something common to both major OSs now, and it looks good because of its simplicity.

Sure, Microsoft may have stated that they copied parts of the Mac approach, but it doesn't mean it's a bad influence to draw upon. Ubuntu does still look unique (just in a different way now), and I'm sure as we get closer to this release - and Lucid+1's release - the look will mature well.

[Mark76]

Sure, Microsoft may have stated that they copied parts of the Mac approach, but it doesn't mean it's a bad influence to draw upon. Ubuntu does still look unique (just in a different way now), and I'm sure as we get closer to this release - and Lucid+1's release - the look will mature well.

Hmm...


In 1988, Apple decided to sue Microsoft over Windows 2.0’s “look and feel”, claiming it infringed on Apple’s visual copyrights. Having been a principal manager in charge during development of Windows 2.0, I was now caught up in the maelstrom and over the next year I got a thorough education on the US legal process as I briefed the Microsoft legal team, created exhibits for them, and was grilled by deposition by the other side. To me the allegation clearly had no merit as I had never intended to copy the Macintosh interface, was never given any directive to do that, and never directed my team to do that.

The similarities between the products were largely due to the fact that both Windows and Macintosh has common ancestors, that being many of the earlier windowing systems such as those like Alto and Star (the latter shown at left) that were created at Xerox PARC. History shows that Jobs in fact visited PARC and hired people from there to join Apple. But Apple’s first graphical-interface computer, the Lisa, failed, and there was a time even in the first year of its launch that it was unclear whether the Macintosh would make it. From my perspective, Microsoft’s support of the Macintosh helped it survive through its most critical time and continues to be a platform the company continues to support. To me, the allegation was almost insulting. If I wanted to copy the Macintosh, I could have done a much better job.

The trial dragged on for months, but eventually settled not so much because of Apple’s claim of visual copyrights, but in part because the companies actually had signed an agreement long before where Apple had previously granted a license to Microsoft to use any part the interface included in its applications for the Mac. Even so, I had never used this to consider copying the Mac user interface. However, I can recall that within my first year at Microsoft, Gates had acquired a Xerox Star, and encouraged employees to try it out because he thought it exemplified the future of where the PC would be headed and this was long before Microsoft even saw a Mac or even a Lisa from Apple. Gates believed in WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get–i.e. fidelity between the screen and document output) and the value of a graphical user interface as far back as I can remember. And prototypes of Windows existed long before the first appearance of the Macintosh.

Linky MacLink (http://technologizer.com/2010/03/08/the-secret-origin-of-windows/)

[teh603]

I think the notification icons do look Mac-ish, but not necessarily by directly copying the Mac interface. Having a unified look in the notification area is something common to both major OSs now, and it looks good because of its simplicity.

Sure, Microsoft may have stated that they copied parts of the Mac approach, but it doesn't mean it's a bad influence to draw upon. Ubuntu does still look unique (just in a different way now), and I'm sure as we get closer to this release - and Lucid+1's release - the look will mature well.

Mac-ish? I always thought Gnome was GEOS-ish more than Mac-ish.

[Nickedynick]

I meant for elements of Windows 7's look - specifically the taskbar appearance.

[koleoptero]

In retrospect, they should have stuck with a fugly theme. At least then we wouldn't have all the paranoid Apple hating movement. I mean Jesus looks like macosx because of some icons? Or the orientation of the titlebar buttons? What would they do? Stick the titlebar buttons in the middle or the bottom to look unique? Left goes apple, right goes windows, go figure.

[/rant]

[ElSlunko]

In retrospect, they should have stuck with a fugly theme. At least then we wouldn't have all the paranoid Apple hating movement. I mean Jesus looks like macosx because of some icons? Or the orientation of the titlebar buttons? What would they do? Stick the titlebar buttons in the middle or the bottom to look unique? Left goes apple, right goes windows, go figure.

[/rant]

+Agree whole heartedly. It's one thing to compare screenshots and cry heresy, but Ubuntu doesn't feel or act like OSX much. Many programs are different & navigation is somewhat different. There is only SO much a shell & window manager can do, the rest are extra and distracting bells & whistles.

[ovroniil]

What would they do? Stick the titlebar buttons in the middle or the bottom to look unique? Left goes apple, right goes windows, go figure.

you mean like this (http://maqtanim.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/lucid-lynx-mockup/)!! it's a pretty insane mock up!

[Radicc]

Looks real nice.

Only issue I have is the window manipulation buttons on the metacity theme. First of all having the buttons on the left is pretty fail unless you are only hoping to steal mac users (not likely). I think windows users are going to fiddle with it for all of five minutes before ejecting the live CD and going back to xp/vista/7. Second if you want the buttons on the left shouldn't close still be put in the corner?

I run openbox on my installs, so I'm not real concerned. I do think this would annoy my dad though.


you mean like this (http://maqtanim.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/lucid-lynx-mockup/)!! it's a pretty insane mock up!

This looks like a pretty good idea, but I suspect it will lead to a lot of accidental window closing.

[beetleman64]

Looking good so far, but it's an odd move putting the Close/Maximise/Minimise buttons on the left in the wrong order. Oh, and that network Activity Indicated just screams "Mac".

[pelle.k]

I did some experimenting. They should combine the menubar with the metacity title bar (and clean up nautilus a bit for that matter). This would look quite unique IMHO (i know bespin in kde4 can do something like this though).

Original image
http://imgur.com/SauOH.jpg (http://imgur.com/SauOH.jpg)

Mockup
http://imgur.com/EYp4W.jpg (http://imgur.com/EYp4W.jpg)

[derrick81787]

I did some experimenting. They should combine the menubar with the metacity title bar (and clean up nautilus a bit for that matter). This would look quite unique IMHO (i know bespin in kde4 can do something like this though).

I kind of like that idea, but I see some problems with it.

While it looks good for Nautilus in the mockup you posted, it would cause problems for other programs. Just imaging Firefox for a second. It displays the title of the current page in its title bar, so every time you go to a new page that has a different title of a different length, that would cause your menu bar to move.

A similar problem occurs with two different applications, no matter what they are. Nautilus' title in your mockup is "File Browser" but let's say that the user also has Evolution open. Its title will be "Evolution" or something similar. The two titles have different lengths and so would result in the menu bar being pushed over to the right more in one than in the other. "File Browser" and "Evolution" may be close enough to not really matter, but you can imagine the same problem with other programs.

- Derrick

[The Toxic Mite]

i kind of like that idea, but i see some problems with it.

While it looks good for nautilus in the mockup you posted, it would cause problems for other programs. Just imaging firefox for a second. It displays the title of the current page in its title bar, so every time you go to a new page that has a different title of a different length, that would cause your menu bar to move.

A similar problem occurs with two different applications, no matter what they are. Nautilus' title in your mockup is "file browser" but let's say that the user also has evolution open. Its title will be "evolution" or something similar. The two titles have different lengths and so would result in the menu bar being pushed over to the right more in one than in the other. "file browser" and "evolution" may be close enough to not really matter, but you can imagine the same problem with other programs.

- derrick

+1.

[Zlatan]

I did some experimenting. They should combine the menubar with the metacity title bar (and clean up nautilus a bit for that matter). This would look quite unique IMHO (i know bespin in kde4 can do something like this though).

Original image
http://imgur.com/SauOH.jpg (http://imgur.com/SauOH.jpg)

Mockup
http://imgur.com/EYp4W.jpg (http://imgur.com/EYp4W.jpg)

yes, please! is it possible to configure like this in karmic?

[ElSlunko]

Maybe put

Buttons > Menu : Title

Big issue with this would be closing the window by accident when going for File.

The title would have to be restricted to a certain length though since long titles will cause problems I bet.

[Merk42]

Looking good so far, but it's an odd move putting the Close/Maximise/Minimise buttons on the left in the wrong order. Oh, and that network Activity Indicated just screams "Mac".

Have you seen the Office icons...?

[chele]

What am I doing wrong?
http://vcn.bc.ca/%7Eapater/Screenshot.png

I get all kinds of weird graphic artefacts, fonts in java applets are unreadable, window list thingy's stack up ....

It ain't pretty.

[pelle.k]

I kind of like that idea, but I see some problems with it.

While it looks good for Nautilus in the mockup you posted, it would cause problems for other programs. Just imaging Firefox for a second. It displays the title of the current page in its title bar, so every time you go to a new page that has a different title of a different length, that would cause your menu bar to move.

A similar problem occurs with two different applications, no matter what they are. Nautilus' title in your mockup is "File Browser" but let's say that the user also has Evolution open. Its title will be "Evolution" or something similar. The two titles have different lengths and so would result in the menu bar being pushed over to the right more in one than in the other. "File Browser" and "Evolution" may be close enough to not really matter, but you can imagine the same problem with other programs.

- Derrick

You are of course right. I did some more experimenting (EDIT: ehrm, gimping), to cancel those issues out. I'm not sure of how efficient this would be, but it sure appeals to me anyway.

http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg (http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg)

http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg (http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg)

[ElSlunko]

You are of course right. I did some more experimenting, to cancel those issues out. I'm not sure of how efficient this would be, but it sure appeals to me anyway.





FWIW, I'd rock that.

[DubyBreaks]

You are of course right. I did some more experimenting, to cancel those issues out. I'm not sure of how efficient this would be, but it sure appeals to me anyway.



http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg (http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg)

This is an awesome layout. I like it. It looks very natural and efficient. I would deffinitely use this layout.

[azurehi]

any idea how to change the button location back to right side?

[Whistling Nixie]

If you want the buttons on the left shouldn't close still be put in the corner?
It would be far better to keep the buttons in the same left-to-right order, like the pedals if you convert a RHD car to LHD. Plus I'd prefer the Close button to be a shade of red that's closer to orange, and a dark orange default wallpaper. Other than that, it doesn't look too bad.

[Psumi]

I forgot to ask:

will there be a nice new xfwm theme?

[NightwishFan]

The Xubuntu team is great with making themes for it. Karmic looked fantastic. I am very curious what they will dig up for Lucid.

[linuxisfree]

Looks GREAT! I do prefer the OLD Logo, though... :)

[appier]

You are of course right. I did some more experimenting (EDIT: ehrm, gimping), to cancel those issues out. I'm not sure of how efficient this would be, but it sure appeals to me anyway.

http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg (http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg)

http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg (http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg)

This looks really nice. I hope something like it is adopted!

[iTrickU]

Is it just me or does it look very feminine?

those purples and pinks aren't what i like on my desktop

[hictio]

Personally, I like it a lot, I'm not a graphic designer, but I think the new look is really easy on the eyes, specially the darker version of the theme.
The only thing I don't like are the icons they have chosen for buttons (don't mind at all the position, tho).

One thing I don't understand, tho, and this is totally personal, is why they keep insisting on the lower rounded corners on windows, but that's me ;)

[subedistra7]

Is it just me or does it look very feminine?

those purples and pinks aren't what i like on my desktop

you prefer the feces brown of old?

[ElSlunko]

Isn't dark purple the color of royalty?

[koleoptero]

Isn't dark purple the color of royalty?

A couple of centuries ago perhaps.

[Madspyman]

Isn't dark purple the color of royalty?

And the color of pop musician Prince, I bet he loves Lucid. Except he refers to it as "the distro formerly known as Karmic."

[ElSlunko]

And the color of pop musician Prince, I bet he loves Lucid. Except he refers to it as "the distro formerly known as Karmic."

Ha! I laughed.

[NightwishFan]

Prince is a cool guy. That was pretty funny.

[Madspyman]

Prince is a cool guy.

Lucid should just be dubed the "Prince Edition" and everybody will say "oh OK purple, yeah I'm down with that." The boot up sound could be first 3 seconds of "Purple Rain"

Ubuntu developers never meant to cause us any pain.

[ElSlunko]

LOL. I would love to see user's reaction to being greeted by prince next to his sweet bike during boot up.

[NightwishFan]

My Debian based Distro: ThatAintLakeMinnetonkaOS.

[Madspyman]

lol, nice.

[ovroniil]

it seems that Lucid will have a purple icon set (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/invasion-of-purple-icons.html).

[Psumi]

Purple is my favorite color too :D

[ZarathustraDK]

Heh, just found this one on PlanetUbuntu :D

http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/offsite/lucid-window-controls.png

Haven't tried it myself yet, so I wont pass judgment. I can see how right-handed people could prefer it over the old style, as it feels more natural to flick your wrist towards your own body rather than away.

[koleoptero]

heh, just found this one on planetubuntu :d

http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/offsite/lucid-window-controls.png

haven't tried it myself yet, so i wont pass judgment. I can see how right-handed people could prefer it over the old style, as it feels more natural to flick your wrist towards your own body rather than away.

rotflmao

[JDorfler]

Will there be an easy way to put the min, max, exit buttons back on the right side of the window dressing?

[koleoptero]

Will there be an easy way to put the min, max, exit buttons back on the right side of the window dressing?

http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/ubuntu-tweak-053-released-with-improved.html

[Giant Speck]

Heh, just found this one on PlanetUbuntu :D

http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/offsite/lucid-window-controls.png

Haven't tried it myself yet, so I wont pass judgment. I can see how right-handed people could prefer it over the old style, as it feels more natural to flick your wrist towards your own body rather than away.

Oh... f'ing... LAWL!

[Post Monkeh]

Heh, just found this one on PlanetUbuntu :D

http://wine.budgetdedicated.com/offsite/lucid-window-controls.png

Haven't tried it myself yet, so I wont pass judgment. I can see how right-handed people could prefer it over the old style, as it feels more natural to flick your wrist towards your own body rather than away.

i think i just pee'd a little.

[Groucho Marxist]

it seems that Lucid will have a purple icon set (http://www.omgubuntu.co.uk/2010/03/invasion-of-purple-icons.html).

+1

Thanks for sharing this :) My sister's going to love it.

[Mikecore]

Like the look, I installed NBR on a Acer and found I really like the Netbook GUI so much I installed it on my desktop. Its running cleanly so far and looks great with the Dust theme!

[MechaMechanism]

Hey guys, good work on the re-branding! I really like it. Lucid is really shaping up to be something awesome. :)

[Megrimn]

*anticipates* :D

[mintochris]

I just dumped and old light wallpaper I made (including my original poem) on top of the new wallpaper and fudged up my colours a bit. It's a bit of a bridge between human and light - someone might appreciate it!
The full version is available on gnome look;
http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=121668

[dany8907]

This is a very cool new look for ubuntu. The minimumize and close buttons on the right is new. I dont know about that. I think I wil come to like it. Its a cool new concept. Lucid is shaping up to be a great release. I cant wait!! :)

[Psumi]

You are of course right. I did some more experimenting (EDIT: ehrm, gimping), to cancel those issues out. I'm not sure of how efficient this would be, but it sure appeals to me anyway.

http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg (http://imgur.com/JSpBw.jpg)

http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg (http://imgur.com/RPSrD.jpg)

That can't be done with firefox or anything that doesn't use GTK. Plus, Metacity would have to be rewritten to adopt Gnome global menu functions.

What about us XFCE users? Why can't you do a mock of our gtk menus in xfwm? :(

You also might want to stick "File Browser" right to the right of the window icon/menu, before the File/edit/etc. menus. Anything that is tacked on extra (IE: Firefox's grabbing of page titles) would go where you currently have the file browser in your mocks instead (in the middle.) The name of the program would act as the file menu rather than to have a "File" menu.

[the yawner]

Mmkay. While there's another more efficient method in moving windows, me thinks reducing the title bar area is a no-no.