When I saw “Gelatin”, I just thought of Jello… and maybe a key-lime pie, but not cow stomach lining

anyway i hope 8.10 will live up to expectations

Also how does it support the hardware? You got it displaying over HDMI on your TV?

Games have always been the problem with Linux not going mainstream on the desktop, but something interesting happening in the last 4 years… consoles got *really* good. Now the PC doesn’t have to run double duty as a work and play machine, opening up a lot more folks the change to go Linux full time.

I think the Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 craze has actually helped Linux on the Desktop.

Interesting point about sorting out the dark theme bugs… I’m just worried that in an Alpha 3 we are close to the goal as it were… but it’s not the end of the world I guess… I still do prefer lighter themes I think (KDE’s new desktop is somewhat dark, but lighter than the dark browns in the Ubuntu one.

Also, just a heads up, KDE 4.1 is out and I’m suddenly *way* more interested in Kbuntu than I have been in the past.

am quite sure, the dark theme is just for sorting out “dark theme bugs” and report them upstream (to the actual gnome developers)

Anyway, the last version (hardy) did change wallpaper, etc. in either the beta or release candidate as i recall.

It’s very unlikely they will want to ship a dark theme as default, but probably they plan to make available optionally in the installation

I’m just afraid in the end we will get an excuse (for the N-th) time that there’s no time to apply a new theme, heck, even a single person can do that in a short time frame – ask those who already did that home! You can call this FUD but I’m starting to think there’s a rat that does its best to cut off every visual innovation in Ubuntu by saying there’s no time or so. As I said everything is already out there, for free.
If we want to look and feel like Apple it’s time to be able to make decisions and stop saying there’s no time otherwise Linux on desktop will continue growing like 0.1% a year.

I thought you were being sarcastic at first, but it really *does* look like all they did was darken up the background colors for Alpha 3 and throw a new default desktop image on there.

Historically speaking (Manny, hop in if you know), have Alpha 3 releases ever differed drastically from the final stable releases?

Is there a chance they would swap the default theme in this small amount of time during the run-up to October?

There’s only one problem with Ubuntu… it’s not Mandriva”

That’s true. Ubuntu works very well on the vast majority of PC’s out there, its simple, and Canonical does not charge for a non free edition like Mandriva does. That aside, there really is no difference between those distro’s other than packaging methedologies (Deb/URPMI) and base tools. There are still many things both Distros struggle mightily with.. Things that Windows XP has no trouble with whatever, so when throwing stones about, be careful about those glass walls!

if you want you can edit it.

it’s 2.24 (i was probably thinking on the Gimp numbering) =)

in fact the Gnome guys are planning on making 2.30 = 3.0

Ubuntu follows the gnome schedule strictly.

For KDE lovers they are thinking on making kubuntu follow the KDE schedule

About the Gelatin theme i did like it a lot and even installed a testing version. After a while i did find the bright orange a bit annoying. I did suggest to the developer create a tone down version since some of us suffer from brightness sensitivity.

anyway, i think that if tweaked right, all these candidates have great potential. Will be interesting to see which make it to the final rounds =)

It’s also true that it’s sorta hard to do a “New and Noteworthy” for Ubuntu, without basically just combining the ones from all the major platform pieces like Gnome.

I was digging around the Gnome schedule site and didn’t find a set date or schedule for 2.40, just 2.23 (dev) and 2.24… is it going to be .24 in 8.10 or are they really going to wait for 2.40? That seems like a ways off…

Apart from the specific blue-prints i think the most noticeable will be the distro-wide changes:

-the big 3.0 openoffice

-improved gimp 2.6 (but i’ve been using “Krita” more)

-Gnome 2.4 and all it’s changes and improvements (essentially the heart of the distro).

now for the theme, am sure Mark will do a good job, specially now after challenging apple =)

another cool theme is newWave (which seem a bit closer to what he seems to be asking for)

https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Intrepid/NewWave

surprisingly i found a new similar theme to newWave called NextG (inspired or coincidence?)

http://www.gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Ubuntu+NextG?content=85115

if both developers get together they could recreate it in a matter of weeks

every little thing coming to linux is important (better drivers, more stability), even the new flash 10 will be a major improvement and will give users a pleasing experience