Re: A new user experience for Jessy ?

[Adrien Aubourg <adrien.aubourg@gmail.com>]

Heya !

As you can see in the repo, the source background is now a gray-scale 
svg background.
On top of it, there is a color layer in "product" mode.

If you are pleased with these changes, I can do the same for the other 
svg files, so one can change the entire color theme !

Adrien

Le 24/10/2013 15:09, Adrien Aubourg a écrit :
> I totally understand the need of a svg background.
>
> Before anything else, I'll try to convert the bitmap background to a 
> vector background.
>
> I'll keep you up to date ;)
>
> Adrien
>
> Le 24/10/2013 15:07, ValessioBrito a écrit :
> > I'm eager to seeing your work and collaborate.
> >
> > Being a photo, do not need the SVG.
> >
> > But Debian has a history of not putting photos as background default,
> > in the case of being a very good photo, we might have a chance.
> >
> > Thought in SVG, if a wallpaper and clean with few elements (as it has
> > been in Debian since then).
> >
> > Sorry my english and grateful attention,
> > Valessio Brito
> >
> > 2013/10/24 Adrien Aubourg <adrien.aubourg@gmail.com>:
> > > Hi,
> > >
> > > Thanks for the repo access. I will upload all I have so far (which 
> > > is mainly
> > > rough materials).
> > > The background comes from a camera picture, but I guess I could use the
> > > inkscape's plugin (I forgot its name) to vectorize it, and then apply a
> > > color over it. I will have a look on it in the next weeks.
> > >
> > > Well, that's a start !
> > >
> > > Thank you,
> > > Adrien
> > >
> > > Le 21/10/2013 01:01, ValessioBrito a écrit :
> > >
> > > > Hi Adrien,
> > > >
> > > > Sorry for the delay in responding your email.
> > > >
> > > > I put you as the administrator of DebianArt repository[1].
> > > >
> > > > I believe we need to create only SVG backgrounds with alpha channel,
> > > > Allowing the user to customize the color of the screen without
> > > > changing the graphic and visual elements of the background screen.
> > > > I saw the latest update 'Window$ 8.1', the design of the background
> > > > screen is fixed or animated, but the user can set the color or tone
> > > > without losing the design proposal selected.
> > > >
> > > >
> > > > [1] https://gitorious.org/+debianart/memberships
> > > >
> > > > 2013/10/14 Adrien Aubourg <adrien.aubourg@gmail.com>:
> > > > > Heya !
> > > > >
> > > > > I have now some time to work on a theme for Debian 8. I'm willing 
> > > > > to do
> > > > > it
> > > > > via the gitorious repo of collabart. Could you give me an access 
> > > > > to the
> > > > > repo
> > > > > ?
> > > > > My gitorious' account name is vagdish [1].
> > > > >
> > > > > The wallpaper will be the theme's base [2]. I won't create deb 
> > > > > packages,
> > > > > but
> > > > > i'll try to tweak the config files for popular packages.
> > > > >
> > > > > Then, maybe I can dream to change the default packages from Gnome to
> > > > > something more custom, and lighter. Indeed, we may attract new 
> > > > > user with
> > > > > something different (like Crunchbang did) without losing advanced 
> > > > > users
> > > > > that
> > > > > already install their own set of packages.
> > > > >
> > > > > Thanks !
> > > > > Adrien
> > > > >
> > > > > [1] https://gitorious.org/~vagdish
> > > > > [2]
> > > > >
> > > > > https://raw.github.com/Vagdish/Debian8-Theme/master/wallpaper/jessy-background.png 
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > >
> > > > > Le 19/08/2013 14:47, ValessioBrito a écrit :
> > > > > > According,
> > > > > >
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I think this is an opportunity to work in collaboration among all
> > > > > > artists, developers and users of Debian. Together we can deliver a
> > > > > > better user experience, from the installer to the desktop version.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > I'm available to assist with anything you need.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > If you need access to and Gitorious[1] or DebianArt[2], count me 
> > > > > > out.
> > > > > >
> > > > > > [1] https://gitorious.org/themes-debianart/collabart
> > > > > > [2] http://www.debianart.org or http://svn.debianart.org/
> > > > > >
> > > > > > 2013/8/17 Adrien Aubourg <adrien.aubourg@gmail.com>:
> > > > > > > Hey guys !
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Yes, Jessy is far from being release as the stable release, but 
> > > > > > > it's
> > > > > > > not
> > > > > > > too
> > > > > > > soon to begin working on the graphic theme, and more generally 
> > > > > > > on the
> > > > > > > user
> > > > > > > experience. Indeed, the choice of the Wheezy theme was kind of
> > > > > > > arbitrary,
> > > > > > > but it was necessary due to freeze deadline and debian package
> > > > > > > validation.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Well, let's begin to work then !
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Some critics about the Wheezy theme was that "it was just a 
> > > > > > > bunch of
> > > > > > > wallpapers and backgrounds". That was kind of right. So there I 
> > > > > > > propose
> > > > > > > a
> > > > > > > totally new approach for the design and the user experience for 
> > > > > > > Jessy.
> > > > > > > Before describing the approach, I wish this work to be part of
> > > > > > > CollabArt
> > > > > > > [1], as I prefer collaboration than competition (competition that
> > > > > > > happened
> > > > > > > for Wheezy).
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Well, you all heard about the famous distribution called Archlinux.
> > > > > > > After
> > > > > > > long talks with users of the distributions, I discovered many 
> > > > > > > reasons
> > > > > > > why
> > > > > > > people are attracted by this distribution. The two main reasons 
> > > > > > > are the
> > > > > > > packages that are all up to date from upstreams (something that 
> > > > > > > Debian
> > > > > > > shouldn't and won't compete) and the fact that's a bare and very 
> > > > > > > light
> > > > > > > distribution out of the box. The latter is interesting, as many 
> > > > > > > of them
> > > > > > > wasn't aware that Debian can be installed with very few packages.
> > > > > > > Debian
> > > > > > > is,
> > > > > > > actually, a very light distribution. It's just that people are 
> > > > > > > used to
> > > > > > > download and install the default Gnome distribution.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > On the other hand, Debian is not well-known for its simplicity.
> > > > > > > Actually,
> > > > > > > I
> > > > > > > favor Lubuntu and Xubuntu for new Linux users. So we can't set a 
> > > > > > > new
> > > > > > > default
> > > > > > > Debian distribution that won't be perfect for newcomer, but will 
> > > > > > > be a
> > > > > > > good
> > > > > > > and light start for a medium-experienced user, or for users that 
> > > > > > > want
> > > > > > > lightness over simplicity.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > So I've selected few packages for a bare Debian installation, and I
> > > > > > > configured them to obtain both a new design and a new experience.
> > > > > > > Roughly:
> > > > > > > - LXDE with Openbox/pcmanfm
> > > > > > > - Slim
> > > > > > > - Midori
> > > > > > > - Xarchiver
> > > > > > > - Wicd
> > > > > > > - Sylpheed
> > > > > > > - I intend to replace xscreensaver by slimlock [2]
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > There are two screenshots: Slim, and desktop. These are taken 
> > > > > > > directly
> > > > > > > after
> > > > > > > the installation of the theme [3 - 4]
> > > > > > > To install the theme:
> > > > > > > - Setup a minimal (really minimal) Debian Jessy
> > > > > > > - Log as root and install the "ca-certificates" package
> > > > > > > - Grab the installation script:
> > > > > > > https://raw.github.com/Vagdish/Debian8-Theme/master/install.sh
> > > > > > > - Make it executable (chmod +x install.sh)
> > > > > > > - Launch it (./install.sh)
> > > > > > > - Wait until reboot.
> > > > > > > - I can't find how to change the default gtk theme. So change it 
> > > > > > > from
> > > > > > > "Clearlooks" (the default) to "Mist".
> > > > > > > - Voilà !
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Two things to notice:
> > > > > > > - Slim and Pcmanfm can't scale the background to fit (like 
> > > > > > > --bg-scale
> > > > > > > feh
> > > > > > > option), So we will have to make many wallpapers at different
> > > > > > > resolution.
> > > > > > > - The wallpaper has no license at all. I'm trying to contact the
> > > > > > > original
> > > > > > > author. But anyway, the wallpaper is just a part of the whole
> > > > > > > experience.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > I *will* make gnome/gdm/kdm/... themes. Like any other Debian 
> > > > > > > theme, it
> > > > > > > will
> > > > > > > act on all required packages. But I want to uses Jessy as an
> > > > > > > opportunity
> > > > > > > to
> > > > > > > change the default Debian set of packages to make it lighter and 
> > > > > > > more
> > > > > > > attractive.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > The project if hosted on Github:
> > > > > > > https://github.com/Vagdish/Debian8-Theme
> > > > > > > I may push it to the CollabArt Gitorious repository if asked.
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Thank you !
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > Adrien Aubourg
> > > > > > >
> > > > > > > [1] https://wiki.debian.org/DebianArt/Themes/CollabArt
> > > > > > > [2] http://joelburget.com/slimlock/ (It is currently a part of the
> > > > > > > upstream
> > > > > > > Slim)
> > > > > > > [3] http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/845/bjsh.png/
> > > > > > > [4] http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/89/k41x.png/