Accessing apps has never looked so good (unity)

A few days back we blogged about how applications will be accessed and launched from Unity. The good stuff, my friends, has finally landed in the ‘Unity’ testing PPA and does it look good? Boy does it ever…
The design team designs and the desktop-experience teams’ work in turned said designs into reality deserve surely a few minutes of our total admiration and respect.
We’ll show you the ‘file browser’ a little later along with a video of both of these in action but for now why not install it and drool away?

Install

If you already using the “Unity” testing repo then you’ll find these updates waiting for you in Update Manager. If you would like to try it out - usual caveats apply - then add the following PPA: -

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:canonical-dx-team/une
• sudo apt-get install ubuntu-netbook-unity-default-settings

Unity > Shell is all I'm saying right now.

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'Introduction to Unity Launcher' video shows off some very slick features

Christian Giordano of the Canonical Design team posted a very nice video introduction to the new Unity Launcher yesterday showing off several new effects and features hitherto unbeknownst.

Some of the new features of the 'not-a-dock' launcher include a very nice 3D 'accordion' stack effect when lots of icons are present in the launcher bar (see screenshot to the right), a 'boot into windows' button (remember Unity is used in Ubuntu Light which is targeted as a dual boot OS) and the ability to assign & view shortcut keys to launchers on the 'not-dock'.

All of these look much better in glorious 25fps - so hit play on the video and prepare to get officially excited.


Unity Launcher Introduction from Canonical Design on Vimeo.

Oh, Hello... 
Also in the video you'll notice that the familiar 'Applications, Places, System' menu is present and the search bar isn't. I wouldn't take either of those as solid hints at what will be present in the final stable release, but it's curious to note nonetheless...

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Chromium based webapps for Ubuntu Light?

Ubuntu Light – the “7 seconds to web” Ubuntu experience targeted at netbooks that will use the Unity interface – will more likely than not feature some form of web-app type application support from the get go, but will it be using Chromium-based web-apps or Mozilla Prism web-apps?

OMG! reader Radel discovered, when poking around in GConf, that it seems Ubuntu Light will default to Chromium-based web apps, noting the following GConf key under desktop/unity'/launcher: - 

"webapp use chromium" and the description says "Whether the launcher should create Chromium-based webapps. If this is False, Prism-based webapps will be created." 

A recent job listing by Canonical for the Ubuntu DX team also points towards Chromium involvement somewhere along the line, with the post description being: -

"As a member of the Desktop Experience Team, the Software Engineer's role will be to design and develop new web browser features. This role demands both a strong experience with developing with the WebKit or Chromium codebases, as well as up-to-date Javascript development skills. Knowledge of the Mozilla platform would be a plus." 

Should we expect some Jolicloud-esque web app and/or web app launcher in Ubuntu Light? Time, my friends, will tell…

Thanks Radel & Alex Murray!

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Ubuntu Radiance/Ambiance Firefox Personas

Having just reinstalled Ubuntu 10.04 I couldn't help but notice how "un-integrated" Firefox looks in the default set up. Default Look Whilst the default set-up doesn't look bad per se, it can easily look a lot better with the aid of some 'one click' Firefox Persona themes. Ubuntu Ambiance Persona http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/138995 Ubuntu Ambiance (gradient style) Persona http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/124266 Ubuntu Radiance (gradient style) Persona http://www.getpersonas.com/en-US/persona/121573 I happen to think that the gradient versions look much better than the 'block colour' version, but either way these simple Persona's can really make Firefox feel part of the Lucid desktop.

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Equinox – Ubuntu Radiance Redux

Having just posted Dichotomy, an Ubuntu 10.04 Ambiance theme spin, reader armageddon dropped by my inbox to mention a Radiance theme ‘spin’ called ‘Equinox’ he spotted over on on GNOME-Look.

And awesome it is, too.

Equinox Radiance

The theme requires the Equinox theme engine (install from here) but other than that it remains a faithful building block on-top of both the the Ubuntu 10.04 default Light theme and the new Ubuntu branding - adding purple hues to the widgets and, like dichotomy, adding strong orange flavours for highlights.

The Metacity is original and whilst I'm sure some won’t dig the low-profile (dare i say almost Aero-esque?) buttons i think they help make this theme something special.

Insetting the buttons/widgets is a super slick move and help the theme err towards something from the pages of the Elementary rule book. Kudos!

Download (.deb)

http://gnome-look.org/content/show.php/Equinox+Ubuntu+Packages?content=121882

Thanks to armageddon

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Dichotomy - Ubuntu Ambiance Redux

Dichotomy is a theme with the aim to, quote, "...integrate Ubuntu's original and distinctive identity (orange and brown) into Lucid Lynx's upcoming Brand refresh."

If you love the new Ubuntu colour scheme and, in particular, the Ambiance theme then you'll likely love Dichotomy.

It adds purple highlights to the menu's and tooltips:


Reintroduces some citrus loving with vibrant oranges for highlights and widgets


Download
https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Artwork/Incoming/Lucid/Dichotomy

© omgubuntu.co.uk 2010. | Ubuntu News, Tips, Apps and more.

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Ubuntu light theme PPA for Karmic users

Ubuntu 9.10 user wanting to use the new Ubuntu 10.04 light themes in anticpation of Lucid's release?

OMG! reader zpletan just dropped the following PPA off in my inbox to share with you guys. It has both Ubuntu light themes and the Ubuntu-mono icons needed for a truley Lucid look.

Install Ubuntu 10.04 Light themes in Ubuntu 9.10

• sudo add-apt-repository ppa:paglia/paglia-ppa
• sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install light-themes ubuntu-mono

Note that a newer version of the Murrine theme engine will be installed alongside these theme.

Thanks to zpletan

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Ubuntu Lucid Users: How to Switch buttons back to the right

Using Ubuntu 10.04 and want your window control buttons back on the right? Well here’s how!

Firstly let me apologise for not posting this tip sooner - I keep getting e-mails asking about it too yet some how routinely forgot to post it.

OMG! reader Josh e-mailed me last night with instructions so, thanks to him and via the power of copy & paste, i can finally get around to posting this (relatively) easy solution.

• Press Alt + F2, then type in 'gconf-editor'
• Go to Apps/Metacity/General
• In the button_layout field swap the text around so that it reads:
• menu:maximize,minimize,close
• The button are now back on the right-hand side

If i had some cookies Josh I'd send you one!

Don’t forget you can always get in touch with OMG! via our (at times) annoying contact form or by shooting (not literally, mind) an e-mail directly to me @ joeysneddon [at] gmail [dot] com

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Ubuntu Light Themes Get Improved Scrollbar, More

The default Ubuntu Light themes have been updated with an improved scrollbar. (Dig in, guys, as these themes will be updated a lot over the next few months).

Our criticism of the “current” scrollbar was the width - “chunky” doesn’t entirely cover it. It made windows look more ‘toyish’ and bulky than needed. The improved scroll bars cuts the fat and returns to a sleek look far more in keeping with the premise of ‘light’ the themes strive for. The scrollbars are now drawn by the theme engine itself and not via pixmaps.

The new look scrollbars look like this: –

New Vs. Old

Other bug fixes in the latest update sorts out text issues in various menus (mainly involving Radiance)

Get it

For the patient Lucid users this update will appear in Update Manager later this evening.

For the impatient – here’s the .deb

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"Ubuntu Light Re-Imagined" Theme Released

When we posted the following Mock-up by Deviant Artist fibermarupok a few short days ago most of you were impressed but frustrated that such a beautiful redux was mock-up only. Well be frustrated no more as the theme is now available to download! Alpha Release From the deviantart page: -

Here is the alpha release of the Ubuntu Light Re-Imagined mockup that I've submitted a while ago. Please do note that this was made on whim. I just got the urge to make my mockup a reality. I haven't fully tested it yet and some widgets may not look as they should. Theme needs the Murrine and Aurora GTK Engines. For convinience, add the Elementary Desktop ppa to have the Elemetary-Nautilus, the current tweaks and optimizations on the Aurora engine.

Download http://fibermarupok.deviantart.com/art/Ubuntu-Light-GTK-Theme-156313158

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Ubuntu 10.04 "light" Themes Released [download link]

The Ubuntu 10.04 'light' themes will be landing in Lucid updates in a few short hours but we've queue jumped the process to nab a sneaky peak. Do bear in mind that these are the initial releases of the themes and not the final product so expect plenty of tweaks and refinements between now and April 29th! Names The themes have names: 'Ambiance' and 'Radiance' respectively. The new icon set is called 'Ubuntu-Mono' and for the most part doesn't deviate from that in Karmic. The main difference is in the panel icons. Ambiance This is the darker theme and first impressions are just "wow". It's incredibly beautiful. Ambiance uses the "dark" version of the Ubuntu-Mono theme. To avoid confusion note that the 'dark' versions of icon themes in Ubuntu are lighter and for use with the darker themes. As you can see there are a few bugs to fixed here but you're able to get the overall feel of what's being aimed for. If you like the panel, and are on Karmic, here is the panel background: - Radiance Radiance is the lighter theme of the two and is the one with the utterly delicious tooltips - just check them out in this first screenshot: - The icon set used is 'Ubuntu-mono-light' - which are darker and, imo, much better looking than their equivalents in the ubuntu-mono-light icon set. The sound and network icons evidently need some more work done but both the Rhythmbox and MessagingMenu icons are sublime. The scrollbars - as evident in the Rhythmbox screenshot below - are extremely wide but do look original. The scroll bars, odd as they look, remain the same in both Ambiance and Radiance: - Download For the impatient or those Karmic users wishing to see if the themes will work for them, here are the necessary .debs files to get you going. Themes @ launchpad.net//light-themes_0.1.5.2_all.deb Icons @ http://launchpadlibrarian.net/40195509/ubuntu-mono_0.0.6_all.deb gexi from the Ubuntu Forums has lent us a screenshot of his Karmic install running the themes without issue: - Awesome stuff!

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Ubuntu Light Re-imagined (Already)

Most of us are chomping at the bit to get our knashers into the new Ubuntu 10.04 themes announced only yesterday. Despite them not having yet arrived the "remixes" have begun! Deviant Artist fibermarupok has added his vision to, well, Ubuntu's vision and mocked-up his improvements in a 100% visually stunning 're-imagining'. Check it out in closer detail @ fibermarupok.deviantart.com/art/Ubuntu-Light-Re-Imagined-156152617

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Worried Ubuntu 10.04 will have left-hand side controls? You needn’t be

Dustin Kirkland posted some more screenshots of the forthcoming Ubuntu themes and they show the window controls back where most users feel they belong – the right-hand side.

Panic alleviated. 

Picture credit: http://blog.dustinkirkland.com/2010/03/ubuntus-new-themes-and-byobu.html

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