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bob-linux-user
April 12th, 2012, 01:44 PM
I am running Ubuntu 12.04 with the Gnome Fallback Panel as I notice it is much improved over the 11.10 version and nearly as good as the 11.04 version.

I have deleted the overlay scrollbars to go back to the traditional ones. I have added the window button feature to the panel as it very useful.

Please can someone point me in the direction of a theme (either in the repositories or downloadable) which fulfils ALL of the following:-
#) It must have “positive colours” that contrast well, not some of the wishy-washy colours we sometimes see.

#) Scrollbars must be wide. Some themes have thin scrollbars which I feel I have to put both hands on the mouse to make contact with

#) Scrollbars must always be clearly colored and visible and not just “light up” when hovered over.

#) The scrollbar track, the scrollbar, the window background and the window edge should be all be different colors from each other

#) On the window button on the panel it should be obvious what is the current window, the buttons should not all look the same

#) “Greyed out” text on drop downs should be just that – NOT completely invisible

#) Nautilus has (very useful) buttons which allow you to navigate the filing system. It should be clear what the current window is. On some themes the buttons are all the same appearance. This is wrong

#) All text on all applications should be visible easily and contrast with the background

#) The window buttons on the panel should be full height. Some themes make them go half height

#) The theme must work with (as a minimum), Synaptic, Nautilus, Libre Office, Firefox, Thunderbird and the terminal. ( I assume this means GTK3?)

#) The theme should be easy to install

#) The pop up info bubbles (for example when you press on the ubuntu logo and go up to hover on the name of an application) should always be readable. On some themes the writing on the bubble is a very useful black on black

#) “Light theme” or “Dark Theme” it really doesn’t matter provided all of the above are fulfilled. It also doesn’t matter if it looks exactly like one of those “other” operating systems.

#) Curved corners or square corners. It doesn’t really matter. Although I guess a theme which mixed the two would look odd.

Out of dozens of themes I have tried “Greybird” is probably the best so far. It complies with all of the above but the colours are a bit depressing and the scrollbars should be wider.

Can anyone suggest a theme please? With the improvements in the Fallback Gnome Panel I guess there will be new themes coming out?

3Miro
April 12th, 2012, 06:26 PM
It sounds like you want something simple like Clearlooks. Here is a GTK version for it:

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Clearwaita?content=145210

It may also be useful to note what is it that you don't like in Ubuntu's default theme (or Adwaita, which is the default Gnome 3 theme).

bob-linux-user
April 12th, 2012, 11:19 PM
Thanks 3Miro

I tried Clearwaita. It was certainly one of my favorites of the themes i tried. Two things I did not like were:-
1) The current "window button" on the gnome panel shows up in pale grey(which is good because it distinguishes it from the "not current" window buttons alongside it on the gnome panel), but the text is white. White on pale grey is almost unreadable.
2) This is pretty minor. The pale blue color used for the scrollbars and the highlight color when cascading along the gnome menu is a bit too pale, a bit like the Windows XP luna blue scrollbar. Up until Ubuntu 11.04 you could easily tweak colors and themes to get round things like this, there was a graphical tool.

Adwaita I tried first
1) The top menu text in Nautilus is pale grey on a white background and the scroll bar in Nautilus (but oddly not in Libre Office) is too thin and only lights up blue when pressed
2) The effects on the gnome panel are worse than Clearwaita. The current window button is white on pale grey and the others are pale grey on white. All palid and not easily readable.

Does anyone know of any others please?

bob-linux-user
April 14th, 2012, 09:50 AM
The Adwaita-Mod theme
http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php?content=147966
is very good but the "greyed out" text is almost blacked out, for example in Firefox.

bob-linux-user
June 6th, 2012, 10:03 AM
The DarkerRadienceBlu 3.4 theme from http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/SilverImproved?content=146775 is good, but the scrollbar is an almost invisible gray on gray. Can someone advise how I can change the color of the scrollbar please?

bob-linux-user
July 29th, 2012, 06:02 PM
Problem solved- I installed MATE. Unless they improve Gnome Fallback for Quantal Quetzel it will be mate again then. Using Unity or Gnome 3 shell are not options for me.

funicorn
July 30th, 2012, 11:18 PM
If you prefer neat and clean looks, try evolve gtk3 theme. It could be got here:

http://satya164.deviantart.com/art/Evolve-GTK3-Theme-264780816?offset=10#comments

bob-linux-user
August 1st, 2012, 10:43 PM
Hello Funicorn. Thank you for the suggestion. That is certainly one of the better themes. It is similar to Zorin which I also quite like. With evolve the scrollbar is not very visible as it is grey on a grey background. That part I did not like. I am using MATE with the "Not Mac" theme at the moment

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Not+Mac?content=139967

Regards

bob