Re: A common Debian style for Debian Installer and the desktop
Hi,
On Tue, Jun 12, 2007 at 11:49:10PM +0200, Frans Pop wrote:
> The current desktop theme is fine for the desktops. For the desktop a
> theme basically has a background function and should not be too
> intrusive. It also has to fit with the style of the desktop itself (i.e.
> GNOME or KDE).
>
> The installer is totally different: it is a completely separate piece of
> software and is also probably the only thing in Debian that is totally
> and uniquely "Debian". As such it needs a much stronger identity.
>
> * The light blue of the desktop theme really is too weak for the
> installer, especially in combination with the grey general background.
> The contrast between the blue and grey is just not strong enough and this
> makes the whole user interface look weak.
> * As the installer is so uniquely Debian, it needs a much stronger tie
> with the official Debian logo. That means that it needs to include the
> *red* swirl and the *red* "dot" on the i in "Debian" (and in the correct
> font).
> * A theme for the installer needs to fit the constraints for the
> installer. These include low memory usage (avoid too complex graphics,
> keep file sizes low and no unnecessary icons), the resolution and color
> depth it is run in, and the fact that info text can be displayed in the
> banner area (for example in rescue mode).
I agree totally.
Moreover, I think the current d-i appearance is really nice (except
maybe for the non-aligned language/country selection dialog) and
combining the current desktop theme with it would not work. The most
important concern from my side is that d-i uses the default Gnome GTK
engine which has been vetted by the Gnome usability guys.
If we should decide to have a new desktop artwork for lenny, we could
consider mentioning artists /could/ think about integrating their
artwork with the installer under the constraints you mention, but I
don't think the installer should be held hostage here - if the lenny
desktop theme does not work for the installer, so be it.
Michael
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