Remastering Ubuntu With Better Art
As you know, I am not very happy with the state of artwork in Ubuntu Intrepid Ibex. It seems to me that Ubuntu has taken a small step back, while many of the other distributions continue to head in the right direction. Today I would like to propose a solution to two problems created by this state of artwork:
- Ubuntu users should not have to deal with the new theme if they, like me, feel that the old theme was better.
- It would be good to pressure the Ubuntu team to improve the artwork in future releases.
The solution to these problems, or at least the one I see, is to create a remix of Ubuntu with some of the great art that was proposed but not used.
For anyone that has been following the art process, you will know that some great themes and backgrounds have been created, but were not selected for the final release. If you already have the art, tools exist to make a simple remix with custom art, so assembling the .iso should not be an issue.
Below is a screenshot of a possible theme for this remaster/remix:
For now, I would like to know what you think of this idea. Is creating a custom version of Ubuntu with better artwork a good idea or a waste of time? Depending on the feedback, I may have a follow up post to discuss the details later.
October 4th, 2008 at 9:22 am
Waste of time.
Better themes exist, and that is known. Ubuntu derivatives that look prettier than Ubuntu exist too.
Better use would be collecting the best themes in one post, showing people how to install them via drag and drop, and popularize it. For those who care, this’ll be great.
October 4th, 2008 at 10:05 am
I think creating a whole new Ubuntu derivative might be over-the-top. I’m not too familiar with process, but it seems like the initial startup cost would be high– will you need to set up your own repositories to serve your custom packages, support forums, download mirrors, etc.
I think it could be just as easily create a new package with all of the extra artwork. Perhaps then users could install ‘intrepid-art-work-extra’, which gives them all of the extra backgrounds/themes/icons that are available through the proposals. You could even change the default theme, if a new one can be decided upon.
This would be much easier to distribute via a PPA, and then existing Ubuntu users could also benefit without switching distros. If things go well, you could even push to have the package included in the Ubuntu repos.
October 4th, 2008 at 4:28 pm
Although I install Gnome, I use kubuntu and have enjoyed KDE 4.x so far, and here is my default:
http://www.thegsblog.com/?p=245
October 5th, 2008 at 3:14 am
I agree the theme does looks bad.
http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/14082/
October 5th, 2008 at 8:05 pm
I think the Art team has proven it needs to be disbanded, arrested, and put up against the wall.
October 6th, 2008 at 11:21 pm
And then get a firing squad right spike? You’d be better off spending your time making a program with all your themes and more intuitive tools for adjusting them. Of course if you want to make Artbuntu go ahead I’d try it, just make sure it is fully compatible.
November 28th, 2008 at 12:20 am
I think it would be worth it!!! I hate the artwork so much I almost went ’sudo apt get install’ better desktop. A great os deserves to look better.
February 8th, 2009 at 7:50 pm
I think that it is a great idea and should be looked into. be sure to put whatever tools you use to create it on this page! a common tool for remastering is reconstructors it is designed specifically for ubuntu. dell has created one as well called DRU disk remastering utility, you can find more info at: http://linux.dell.com/wiki/index.php/DRU_Disc_Remastering_Utility