Update Default GDM Theme: Ubuntu 9.04 “Jaunty”
A while back I blogged about the new GDM theme in Ubuntu 9.04 and I was surprised at the number of people that disliked it. Granted I don’t think its the best theme I’ve ever seen either, but is it *that* bad? In response (delayed, I know) to that feedback I thought a post on how to update that login theme to something more artistic would be in order.
Update Default GDM Theme
Updating the GDM theme is a fairly simple process. There is a utility called “gdmsetup” which allows you to customize a number of aspects of the login screen. You can usually find this application in your menu by navigating to:
System > Admin > Login Window
After entering your password you should be able to customize the login screen on the “Local” tab. The Style entry allows you to select Plain or Themed, or a variation with a Face Browser. What you want is Themed, and you can select a different graphic from the list below. You should find a few other default GNOME themes that you can select.
If you’d like to find more themes, go check out GNOME Look. You can easily install any of those GDM themes by selecting “Add” from the Login Window management tool.
For those of you that customize your theme, what are some of your favorite GDM graphics to use?
I just wish Ubuntu would implement a really dazzling, cohesive design. We want more mainstream users to use our OS, so why do we always miss the aesthetic bar? The new default GDM theme was a huge step backwards if you ask me — too dark, too red, and altogether nothing like the default metacity theme. And while it's trivial to change it, most users aren't going to bother. First impressions are everything. We need to get it right.
The 9.04 login screen really is "that bad". It remains the worst login screen in the five years of Ubuntu releases I've used. It is mocked by my friends who see my laptop and haven't used Ubuntu.
Please, just use something with the default wallpaper image. Perhaps filter it a bit and put a logo in the corner.
Unfortunately, the default wallpaper was a little bit of a letdown after the amazing wallapers from Heron and Ibex. But there was nothing "bad" about the wallpaper.
Look at http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/New+Wave+G… and tell me you don't feel it absolutely murders the Jaunty default. Since Feisty, I've never felt the need to change any of the Ubuntu default visuals – but Jaunty's login screen just made me snap.
Breezy, even. Not Feisty.
Yes it's that BAD! I don't know how they let that one in.
Remember when Ubuntu was really brown? Those were good days.
Honestly, it's kind of sad, but yes, it is THAT bad. It's fugly. It's the first thing that I change when I install Ubuntu on a computer. Heron and Ibex had so much better graphics.
When in doubt, look how Apple does it.
The ubuntu web site is pretty poorly designed too, I'm thinking of doing something about that.
I also strongly dislike the new theme. It takes a few seconds to load the face browser, I like it better when I can log in faster.
What so bad about it? And please don't be subjective in your response.
And yes I'm being a little facetious. I don't think it is so bad, certainly there are better–and worse.
If your friends are mocking it, I would find friends that mess with your head less.
Really? For me is one the best. Its clean, simple and fast. Just what you need, a box to type, and a really nice 3D Ubuntu symbol. What else you want?
"Clean", "Simple", "Minimal", "Just Enough" are all the earmarks of Minimalism.
Minimalism went out the door my friends.
It also doesn't work at all to deliver an emotional connection to a given audience.
"Clean" "Simple" "Minimal" are all earmarks of Minimalism.
Minimalism is done like dinner. Even if it were achieved, it's still dated as an echo of Modernism.
Worse still, Minimalism, especially half baked Minimalism, doesn't work toward creating an emotional engagement for an audience.
Making 3d logos of things always ends up looking trashy. Ubuntu's branding isn't 3D, and it makes no coherent sense for it to be 3D on the login screen. WHy is the login screen black, when the rest of the OS is brown? It just feels *totally* out of place, more akin to someone's first adventure with Blender on gnome-look than anything else
Ok then, I just discover that I like minimalism. I couldn't ask for a better login screen.
And the good news is that is really easy to change.
For marketing purposes, doesn't matter the login screen, Ubuntu colors sucks. Orange, brown and yellow? Maybe red. Really bad choice. Probably 10% of the users use the default appearance selection. But this time (Jaunty) they make a good job for the login screen
Having been a university lecturer in 3D, I have to agree with the sentiment that the logo looks like something put together by "someone's first adventure with Blender". It just looks amateurish.
I mentioned my friends openly mock the logo, but don't feel bad for me because I can only join in with them. I'll list my objective dislikes.
1. The black background color scheme is cold. It's dark and harsh. It's contrasted with a dark saturated red which makes it feel unwelcoming. Cold and forbidding are not the usual color palette for Ubuntu.
2. The raytraced logo looks like a poor rendering from 1994. It actually looks like a mistake, I'd guess the orientation was flipped when mirroring the front surface to the back. The coloring on the logo is muddy.
3. The small flecks of highlight do not scale well. This just makes the logo look like an aliased render on any LCD that is not 1920×1440.
4. The red glow around the input area is cut off on the sides. It may be intentional, but I'm not sure. It looks like sloppy image layering work.
5. Inefficient use of svg and transparent png resources. All this compositing is happening over black. This has a high performance and startup cost for no visual payoff.
6. I'm really waiting for a gdm theme with face browser by default. I know this is more of a policy issue than the theme.
Did you see http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/New+Wave+G… as linked above? Nice, contextual (i.e. better fits Ubuntu's earthy tones), and includes a face browser.
help me please! hehe
I try to change the GDM theme but I don't have the option on the menu
I mean I click System/Administration/…
and then there is no option
the only one that seems like it is "access screen" but it gives me too option and nothing else
it doesn't show me the tabs and all the options :S