Human Look and Feel Vs. 'Kitchenware' Look and Feel for a GUI

[wersdaluv]

After thinking about it, I am torn between believing the "Human" philosophy (for UI look and feel) and not.

I am now using the Nimbus theme. It makes my software look expensive. The theme is so modern and sophisticated.

On the other hand, when I was using the Human theme, I felt sort of blue. Right, although the theme was brown, I felt blue. As for me, brown seem to put me in a frustrated state.

Right now, I am thinking whether or not a user interface should look like a human. Yes, it feels warm, but it seems that, it is not what I am looking for when it comes to a GUI. I really love sabdfl's philosophy on the brown thing, but it does not seem to work. Maybe, just maybe, GUIs should look like "Kitchenware" (as Mark Shuttleworth called Mac OS X's look and feel).

The "Kitchenware Look and Feel" seems to be more appropriate. It seems that more people prefer that kind of look and feel since most top themes on gnome-look.org and many other sites are Mac or Vista themes. Personally, I like the Kitchenware look and feel because it makes my computer look like a tool for sophisticated things.

What is your say on this? I need your opinions.

EDIT:
I'm starting a poll. Choose between Human and Kitchenware look and feel and PLEASE say why you choose what you chose.

[red_Marvin]

I for one applaud ubuntu's choice to break the trend, even if I tend to change theme/wallpaper more or less the first thing I do (but I would do that on any default setting).
For a default theme I think it's very nice, and it helps the recognizability (I'm a word-inventor?) of ubuntu, in the same way apple established their look and feel.

To respond to the other question of the OP, I would prefer the win2000 look to the default xp theme any day, I haven't used osx very much but my impression was that it was a little more discrete than xp default so I guess it could work, but I certanly do not require it.

[mybunche]

Brown is certainly a unique colour for an OS theme. Over the last 9 months I have grown to like it. Don't know why, maybe because it different than the rest or maybe hasn't tried to imitate others. Anyway I hoping for a Expresso Brown coloured Dell with Ubuntu human theme. :)

Although, the shade of brown displayed on my CRT screen is not the best. I think on LCD it might be better.

[JacobRogers]

I've had a really hard time themeing my system to my liking. I don't like the human themes, I'm not partial to blue or "kitchenware" themes, and the really dark themes I can't see at all.

I've got my desktop set up with soft greens and pastel yellows. I really like how it seems more unique and original to me.

[Luinar]

I quite like the default Human theme myself, but I must admit what does bug me about it is not the brown/orange colour but the gloss on the icons/window borders. I've personally always felt it would be improved if it got rid of the gloss and went for a more subdued, gentler on the eyes feel, sort of like a brown/orange version of Tango.

Out of interest I downloaded the Nimbus theme and gave it a go, but I didn't get on with it very well. It just felt too 'cluttered' to me to be able to use on a regular basis. And I've always felt that OSX-like themes are too 'cold'. Guess kitchenware just isn't for me...

[lyceum]

As much as I love Ubuntu, it is ugly. The icons and wallpapers really need an overhaul. They look great if you like brown, but I just think they look like poo.

[wersdaluv]

I think, the Human Look and Feel tries to make your computer a companion. It seems that it tries to make your computer human as it can. On the other hand, the Kitchenware Look and Feel makes your computer look like a sophisticated tool.

It seems to me that it is a battle between treating your computer as a companion or as a tool.

[sstusick]

I dislike the default Ubuntu theme, that's the first thing I changed when I installed Ubuntu 7.04. The brown made me feel "blue" as well. I voted for the 'kitchenware' theme, because that would be better than the default current Ubuntu theme. But it makes no difference, let people change the theme to what they want, as I and so many other users have. I prefer a dark blue window border, glossy/industrial look.

[tehkain]

I like the default theme(needs to update to the new clearlooks engine[gummy]) for new people and my family. I myself tho do like the kitchenware look.

Matter of fact I love the gun metal look of teflon(kitchen pans) and polished metal kitchen tools are awesome too. The dark plastic is cool too.

So maybe ubuntu needs a Light grey and Gunmetal theme along side the human brown.

[Mazza558]

I think there should be 4 themes to choose from when you first install Ubuntu, during the setup process. Have a kitchenware blue, Human brown, and 2 other colour schemes.

[tehkain]

I attached what i think ubuntu should look like.

So you do not think I am being a mac styler - I will explain where each part is from

The GTK theme is the new Clearlooks in gutsy
The wallpaper is from kubuntu gutsy. The other is from interfacelooks
The window borders are done with emerald. Slight gray line to accent the shadows done by compiz around a 1px borders. The close/min/max icons hilight when you mouse over.
The icons are tango.

This is two changes(wall and emerald) from default gnome and it is very fancy and eye catching.

[phrostbyte]

I use the Human icons and the Bluebuntu/Glossy window decorations. Yes, it's blue, but it still has the same texture as the Human window decorations, and doesn't seem as cheezy or Fisher Pricey as some other blue themes.

[laxmanb]

Yeah... Nimbus is quite polished. I like JDS a lot more than ubuntu (look -wise).

[Gadren]

I could never stand the "kitchenware" look of a lot of themes; I truly dislike the theme and feel of OS X and a lot of the new Gnome themes that, if they don't copy it, try to have the same kitchenware look. It ends up giving me the impression that the computer is a plastic toy, something I can't open up and really understand.

[darksong]

The ubuntu devs seem bent on making an ugly distro - the look and feel of ubuntu is moaned about time and time again but it is never changed. Hopefully in 7.10 they will include some of the themes and wallpapers on the ubuntu wiki - they are 100 times better than the ones ubuntu have now - they actually look good.

[RomeReactor]

I like the Human theme, but liked it even more when it was actually brown; for me, Hoary had the best desktop look so far.

[jimrz]

not another one of these polls ... somebody please merge this with all the others just like it

if you prefer another theme, just change to it ... it's not hard.

[vexorian]

I voted human because I liked it and I see no screenshots of this kitchenware thing so I am not sure it actually exists

there's nothing more tiring than people that think their taste should be considered absolute law and they should decide what the default theme should be...

[happy-and-lost]

I didn't like Nimbus at all. I'm not a huge fan of Human either, but it's preferrable to the "@-@ oooh... shiny..." of Nimbus and similar themes.

Personally, I like clean cut, simple, flat looking themes, such as some Murrine themes and Tango icons. Far more sophisticated in my book.

[wersdaluv]

not another one of these polls ... somebody please merge this with all the others just like it

if you prefer another theme, just change to it ... it's not hard.

This is not one of the polls.

This is a poll of philosophy. You choose between having your computer as a companion or a tool.

[mrgnash]

Definitely the human looks for me. I always change the default theme, but that's because I find that it's not quite as warm and restful as I would like to be -- I actually want it to be browner :P The kitchenware themes, while they look nice at first glance, are just too harsh for me and really make me feel alienated (strange, I know :P )

[marsmissionaries]

The problem with ubuntu, it that it has 1 major color in it's color scheme. Brown could work, but it needs a complementary color to go with it to help liven it up.

Look at the windows task bar: Blue with a green start button. These two colors do not match at all, but they still work REALLY well with each other. And that is why windows XP succeeded so well.

Ubuntu needs to do something like this. Not to be windows, but to look better. It's a pretty common design principal that gets looked over.

Also with brown, you have to be careful, because like I have noticed, most monitors will display brown as an orangey color...and it's not pretty.

[wersdaluv]

(strange, I know :P )

Not that strange. You have a point.

:KS

[UbuntuniX]

Human is perfect. It's original. It's Ubuntu. But most of all, it is human.

I must say, though, I would definitely like to see more themes provided on a default install.

[tehkain]

I prefer the gnome defaults with tango on top. Clearlooks is amazing and uniquely gnome.

[Alex Fernandez]

Who cares about the degault look?

First thing I do (other than not installing any of the ubuntu themes because I use the netinstall) is install XGL/CF/Emerald and use a nice custom theme

[wersdaluv]

Who cares about the degault look?

First thing I do (other than not installing any of the ubuntu themes because I use the netinstall) is install XGL/CF/Emerald and use a nice custom theme

This is not all about the default look.

This is all about if making your GUI look like Human actually works or not.

[Alex Fernandez]

This is not all about the default look.

This is all about if making your GUI look like Human actually works or not.

Yer, but everyone likes a different colour, and I personally dont care what colour is default.

[Lord Illidan]

Human theme all the way...I hated it but now I like it a lot..Only thing I don't like are the metacity borders and decorations.

Obligatory screenshot.

[K.Mandla]

Who cares about the degault look?

First thing I do (other than not installing any of the ubuntu themes because I use the netinstall) is install XGL/CF/Emerald and use a nice custom theme
+1.

The whole default-look debate has been around forever, and yet the first thing anyone does in the first 20 minutes with a new operating system is change the wallpaper. And the colors. And the buttons. And the. ... :|

[Migs]

Again a topic about ubuntu's color theme](*,)

Yes ubuntu doesn't look as polished as vista or OSX out of the box but you can make it look like kitchenware or something else if you want it. Linux is about choice not about someone telling you what you should like. Every possible aspect in gnome is theme able so why the wining?

[GSMD]

Just installed the latest snapshot of Gutsy and played with it a bit, including Nimbus.
Going back to WinXP feels like changing screen resolution from 800*600 back to 1280*1024.
To my liking Ubuntu (i.e. Gnome) utilizes screen space inefficiently.

[jpyanowski]

+1.

The whole default-look debate has been around forever, and yet the first thing anyone does in the first 20 minutes with a new operating system is change the wallpaper. And the colors. And the buttons. And the. ... :|

What he said. :)

[Polygon]

ive always liked the human theme, espeically the fact that its such a shade of brown that its more orange-y

the them itself is very nice, and like other people have said it helps shape the idenity of ubuntu, kinda like taking a SS of mac os x and vista

but then again people just change their them anyway =P

and with that said, there is no reason that if a workplace wanted a 'nimbus' looking theme... they couldn't just install it.

[eljoeb]

I'm all for orangey-ness. However, I think that Ubuntu doesn't go far enough with its "Human" concept. The colors should be smoother, and there should be some texture.

But hey, that's just me.

[popch]

I can not see that it really matters. I scarcely even bother to fiddle with the themes, as long as there are no ergonomic issues involved. E.g., I will not tolerate illustrations on the desktop as it makes finding icons and reading their labels 'harder' (slows down perception by some twenty percent or some such). And I am quite glad that the systems look diferently. Saves me the bother of checking what system I am sitting at at the moment.

However, if you think it worth the time and effort, vote for your heart's content and fiddle and discuss.

[Tiekyl]

I really like the kitchenware look, even though I'm not quite sure I understand *exactly* what that means. It makes my computer feel all shiny and new. I like that. ^_^

Also..why are people complaining so much about this topic? OP is asking which *you* prefer. Not what should be default...and if you dont care, dont answer. I think its an interesting topic.