[ubuntu-art] Improving Access to Themes -- Helping Users Find What They Want

[Vesa Paatero]

Hello everyone,

This message is about finding a practical solution for users to find the 
themes they need and thereby take advantage of the abundance of 
contributed artwork.

I came across this problem when I updated to (Ed)ubuntu 12.4: By using 
the normal settings programs to configure the desktop, I could only see 
four themes to select from, two of which were high-contrast themes and 
the other two being Ubuntu themes with orange activation colors.
       As I couldn't find a better solution then, I went to tamper with 
the color settings of GTK and, after some late evenings' work, managed 
to eradicate the oranges and bring about a satisfying look & feel.

Having thought it over, I think the simplest way to help users find 
different themes would be putting a good set of themes into the Ubuntu 
Software Centre. In this 12.4 version I'm using, Ubuntu Software Centre 
has a category named something like "Themes and Customizations" (I'm 
using a translated version so I don't know the exact name) but there 
were no themes or themepacks to be found there.

I hope that the decision-makers of Ubuntu will acknowledge the need for 
a rich selection of themes made readily available. Better 
customizability would probably help people stay with Ubuntu rather than 
switch to other official or unofficial Ubuntu variants.

(As I have indicated, this writing is based on the situation with 
Ubuntu/Edubuntu 12.4. Please pardon me if the problem has already been 
improved for 12.10.)

Regards,
Vesa