[ubuntu-art] Reversion to Dapper Artwork

[Toby Smithe]

On Thu, 2006-10-12 at 19:12 +0100, Mark Shuttleworth wrote:
> 
> > http://www.ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=276048
> >   
> That's a very small sample size.
> 
> Artwork is hard because it is displayed on literally millions of
> different screens, with millions of different tastes.

Well, I challenge you to find a "normal" user of Ubuntu (perhaps take
one thousand random forum members, at least), who thinks that the change
isn't a recession. Even in that sample size, I'd doubt you'd fine a user
who feels as strongly as you obviously do. Recession only leads to lost
time fixing bug #1! Even a rough release will be better than any Windows
release.

> > > Before you react - consider for a moment that the REST of the
> > > distribution does not run that way.
> > >     
> > 
> > Although coding is an art, this art is a different beast. What makes you
> > think it should run /the same/?
> >   
> Perhaps its better to think of this as DESIGN rather than ART. I agree
> - art is a mysterious creative thing that is best left to people who
> immerse themselves in it uninterrupted by reality. But design is about
> visual and spatial engineering - creating things that are both
> beautiful and functional. We CAN expect design to be a disciplined
> professional process.
> 
> Having said that there is absolutely room for innovation and
> experimentation. I would encourage everyone to draw up concepts and
> post them for discussion and comment because ideas or themes might
> well form the basis of the next wave of design. But the core process -
> the core responsibility of delivering imagery for *the next release*
> needs to be done according to the schedule set during the planning
> conference at the beginning of the release cycle.
> 
> If you read that document (have you?) you'll see that the art team
> leads explicitly set their own, personalised deadlines that are in
> sync with those of the distro. It's not /the same/ it's an appropriate
> set of deadlines that were a good plan - and it was not followed.

I'm not sure as to which document you refer, so I can't really see the
deadlines. Otherwise, I'd read it like a shot.

> 
> As a result - late night and early morning phone calls and emails from
> the team leads trying to get this done.

If it works, then perhaps this is how the team works. I completely
understand this leave-it-to-the-last-minute-for-perfection mentality,
and it hasn't failed me yet, even if it's not the best method (which I
am sure as hell it isn't!).

> We are still trying, I attach a mockup of what Frank, Who and Jmak are
> working on.
> 
> I'm not going to comment on this further - it's better for me to put
> energy into the actual release, I hope you understand.

OK. But, without trying to sound nasty here, I believe this is because
you don't want to be won over! ;-)

The release wouldn't be seen to many as an improvement on Dapper if it
doesn't have *some* new artwork! I know it is, as I have followed
ubuntu-devel and the commit list quite closely; but others won't. Why
should the average user time his boot-up?

> 
> > Wasted is something that has been made and not used. All the new (for
> > Edgy) community artwork is wasted if you take my rather crude
> > definition, and I think most people do. What's yours?
> >   
> Only 1 image can be the final desktop, would you consider all the
> others (tens, hundreds of them) wasted? I don't think so.

I would if not one was chosen. I'm sure the hundreds are all
"revisions", and there the fact that there are that many suggests near
perfection to me. That many people can't have got it wrong, no?

> 
> I've been asking for some time now for art.ubuntu.com to be restored
> so that community contributed art can have a home for public exchange
> and enjoyment and discussion. That way, all the artistic energy of
> this community can be published and people can use the art they like
> best. PLEASE would someone step up to make that happen!

This is not the matter at hand. art.ubuntu.com won't help us fix the
Edgy works for 26/10.