Ubuntu bins brown UI and sees the Light

Thats's got to go in the top 10 of marketing bull crap of all time.

None of that tell meany more of what it now can and can't do. would like some more screen shots though.

By DaChimp on 5 Mar 2010

Hmm

"top 10 of marketing bull crap of all time"

...

"would like some more screen shots though."

Bull crap or not, it's working! :-)

By Trippynet on 5 Mar 2010

Shame they didn't target the ugly fonts, ugly icons and ugly window frames. Basically, the whole ugliness of Ubuntu. As far as I can remember changing the colour scheme in Ubuntu is probably one of the easiest things you can do with it anyway :>

By Josefov on 5 Mar 2010

Shuttleworth wants beautiful Ubuntu

PC Pro: 24.07.08
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/214680/shuttleworth-wa
nts-beautiful-ubuntu

So after closing on to two years, they've managed to change the background colour...

By greemble on 5 Mar 2010

apart from the colour...

There is little to distinguish this from the current iteration.

I have been using Ubuntu from a couple of years now and find the fonts and icons easier to understand than the MS equivalent and the use of simple icons in the notification area a lot easier on the eye than the myriad of colour that is the windows notification area.

The only gripe I have and always have had is it seams that MS are able to fit alot more information into the same amount of real estate, whether this is true or just a trick of the eye, it is one area that I would like addressed. I'm not just talking about the panels but the windows themselves always look to be taking up more space when viewed on either a kde or gnome desktop . not tried that many other linux window managers to remember their name.

By SimonCorlett on 5 Mar 2010

and find the fonts and icons easier to understand than the MS equivalent

Fonts that are hard to understand?

Are the fonts in a different character set? Chinese maybe?

By Lacrobat on 5 Mar 2010

fonts are hard to understand.

type something in arial in 10pt and then in Ancestory SF in the same size and tell me which is easier to read/understand.

By SimonCorlett on 5 Mar 2010

I've migrated to Ubuntu pretty much full time on my laptop and it's doing a good job for me.

I've switched one of the panels to autohide (always hated that there are two taking up valuable space on a widescreen panel) and reduced the window title and menu font sizes and it doesn't take up any more space than a standard Windows system imo.

By renhoek on 5 Mar 2010

I understand why they copy but it's a shame they can't come up with a UI of their own rather than just a poor (although amazmingly close) copy of OSX.

And surely the netbook lessons would mean that it was better to copy Windows if you were going to copy anyone.

By Grunthos on 5 Mar 2010

Eh?!

So someone in the Ubuntu development team has just found the backdrop pattern and colour scheme settings and this is now news?!

By halsteadk on 5 Mar 2010

@Grunthos - They *are* copying Windows, because Windows is copying OS X. And since OS X has so much OpenSource software contained within it, it isn't surprising that the Open Source Ubuntu os more like the original than is Windows .lol!

By SwissMac on 5 Mar 2010

Dont' knock it until it's finished

This is a Alpha release, a lot will change still before it is finished. You will never get to play with an alpha releases of Window or OS!

Who copied who? This can be debated for ever but Apple are very keen to protect IP rights so if they could they would be knocking on the court door to get an injunction.

If you don't like the desk environment then change it, there are lots to choose from. If you can't find one you like change to MS or OSX. Linux is all about choice, and making a wrong decision costs nothing.

By M_Hamer on 5 Mar 2010

@SwissMac

You miss my point. Linux netbooks had a high level or returns because people were unfamiliar with the OS.

Now that may not have been Ubuntu but if you want a minority OS to be used, I would suggest that you copy the market leader as opposed to a minority OS (ducks for cover) ;)

Either that or you come up with something so compelling people will be willing to learn it.

By Grunthos on 5 Mar 2010

@SwissMac

"They *are* copying Windows, because Windows is copying OS X"
I think the lawyers might prefer "inspired by" or "in homage to" - but you forgot to mention Xerox, the original inspiration... Funny that - so many do.

By AdrianB on 5 Mar 2010

@SwissMac

Well what do you expect, a typical Apple fanboy. Limited knowledge of the facts and reinvents history so that Apple invented everything. Probably doesn't remember the appalling mess that was System 7.....

By everton2004 on 5 Mar 2010

Xerox didn't invent Unix, nor did any of their engineers decide what colour Ubuntu would be, or whether W7 would look like OS X or not. As for who was first to use a mouse, who cares?

By SwissMac on 5 Mar 2010

@everton, please read what I said. Where did I say that Apple inventing everything? Don't be so sensitive. lol!

I just pointed out the similarity between recent Windows OSs and the OS X versions that came out in each case a couple of years before them.

Someone said that instead of copying OS X, Ubuntu should copy Windows. But since it is widely acknowledged that W7 copies the look and feel of OS X then if Ubuntu is being accused of copying OS X it is also copying Windows. Get it?

By SwissMac on 5 Mar 2010