dark GUI of Ubuntu when logging in. How to change?

[Tom H]

>>> However, to change the GDM theme to something else requires a different
>>> set of steps, since in 8.04 there's actually a tool to accomplish what I
>>> described earlier (was under System > Administration > Login Screen...
>>> but has since been drastically cut down). I think the new tool to manage
>>> the GDM screen is going to be in the next revision of Gnome. (maybe in
>>> time for 10.04? who knows...)

>> The reason for your procedure is that since 9.10, the login screen and
>> the xauth cookie are owned by gdm (the user gdm) and the only time
>> that you can launch a gui tool owned by gdm is at the login screen.

>> I have just tried alt-f2 and both gksu -u gdm gnome-control-center and
>> gksudo -u gdm gnome-control-center on lucid and neither of them
>> worked. :(

> This actually makes sense from a security perspective... It may not be a
> great idea to allow the gdm user to be controlled from outside the GDM
> screen, so a potential attacker can less easily gain access to your
> login mechanism (and control/exploit it). I'm sure that given time,
> though, there will come some easier way to control some of the basic
> login screen features (such as themes).

Security is ok but in this case it is OTT. My mother has been using
Karmic since December and complained about the login colours
immediately. I changed them for her but I would never have emailed her
instructions to do so. Having root control the login screen look was
better, IMHO. Also, having root limited in some way feels wrong and
un-nixy but the Gnome devs seem to have an anti-root obsession.