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Idea #105: export look and feel

bug This idea was marked as being in development the 10 January 09.
Written by snorpey the 28 Feb 08 at 17:42. Category: Look and Feel. Related project: Nothing/Others. Status: In development
Rationale
If i want to share the "look and feel" of my desktop with someone else, i have to send many different files: wallpapers, gtk-engines, gtk-themes, metacity themes, iconpacks, screenlets and so on.

I would like to press an "export look and feel"-button to get a file with all the look-and-feel-related stuff included, so that i can reproduce my complete look and feel on another machine.

1040
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#1): Auto-generated solution of idea #105
Written by snorpey the 28 Feb 08 at 17:42.
Ubuntu Brainstorm was updated in January 2009. Since the idea #105 was submitted before this update, its rationale and solution are not separated. Please vote accordingly, and if you have the necessary rights, please separate the rationale from the solution. Thanks!
147
votes
inprogress
Selected solution (#2): Install the gnome theme complete with one click
Written by nq6 the 3 Dec 08 at 00:29.
Install the gnome theme complete with one click. No configuration, no tutorials. Install a full subject is complex and requires time. This can be facilitated in a single operation.

We have to make everything much simpler. New users do not want complication in Ubuntu. They want simple solutions.

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dbg wrote on the 28 Feb 08 at 17:55
I had already think about this too.
I read very often in some forums that people had seen nice screen shots, but not the knowledge or the time to search for the GTK-theme, the icon-theme, the background image, the window border, etc.
And also additional programs like AWN and Screenlets are often seen on screen shots, but a beginner does not know what he should searching for. So in the past some guys asked me where they can find stuff like this.
I also already had an idea how this could look like:
http://www.gtk-apps.org/content/show.php/Desktop+Designer?content=75860&PHPSESS ID=900bbd30d070d45471cb54a0b4254835

jamessnell wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 03:01
I think this idea would be a good addition to my Ubuntu Lifesaver idea. This would be an online profile where you can access your config files to use with fresh installations. May as well have some visual customization stuff that could be shared publicly as well.

http://brainstorm.ubuntu.com/idea/350/

Jadd wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 15:53
So I'm not the only one to want this! I've already started to code a prototype:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=635269

Jadd wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 15:54
So I'm not the only one to want this! I've already started to code a prototype:
http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=635269

bradbrownjr wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 18:52
This would certainly assist the skinning community. Kind of like an Ubuntu StyleXP. Perhaps it could also copy existing Compiz Fusion settings, too.

rsepulvedacl wrote on the 29 Feb 08 at 21:43
Such a good idea...

oedipuss wrote on the 1 Mar 08 at 14:01
This would be so great!
Add a few very different theme packs with the default hardy installation, and there you go.

It is also beneficial in cleaning up the preferences/administration menus.

ethana2 wrote on the 2 Mar 08 at 07:09
A complete combination of various types of themes should be called a scheme, and be just as easy to transfer, install, and use. I should be able to overhaul my whole look with two clicks, window theme, widget theme, sound theme, icon theme, everything, all in one file.

Voted up.

larryfroot wrote on the 4 Mar 08 at 11:46
A really good idea and one that will save time and effort, allowing me to just get on with stuff rather than recreating the look and feel that I love. Linux = choice, so lets make our choices as portable as possible, just so we don't re-invent the wheel twice.

ArtInvent wrote on the 5 Mar 08 at 19:42
I also find that theming is too complicated. I just want one switch that will pretty much exactly duplicate the theme - which to me ought to be exactly synonymous with 'look and feel.'

It's of course necessary to be able to modify each aspect of theming and combine aspects of different themes into a custom setting. Yet, once done, this should be exportable and importable as one meta-file or something, very very simple.

Bloodsplatter wrote on the 26 Apr 08 at 09:54
I expect this will end up in something like MS's msstyles files. At least that's someting they've done right :P

ombzzz wrote on the 9 May 08 at 03:35
i need this !

now i have an unbuntu 7.10 in one partition with a nice theme that took me a lot of work

then i installed ubuntu 8.04 in another partition ( to testing purposes )

but now i wan't to "import" the ubuntu 7.10 theme to 8.04 and i will have to remember all the tweaks to reproduce it

how nice would be a "export theme" and "import theme" button !!

wonderful idea

linhares wrote on the 8 Sep 08 at 21:14
Sorry, had not seen your idea, so posted a duplicate. It's great that your post has taken off!

--
Most people spend a lot of time configuring their desktops, changing wallpapers, appearance settings, icons, metacity themes, compiz settings, skydomes, and god knows what else. Some people make their systems look like a mac, some make it look like vista, some make it look unique.

I think it would be a significant leap if we could make a SINGLE (large) file container, with everything involved in the desktop settings, and send it to other users. The community could share beautifully tuned desktops, and we all could experiment with numerous desktops really rapidly.

If we improve productivity in this arena, then everyone on windows would see amazing desktops, all changeable, and that's an important step towards solving bug#1.

A large file could have all associated settings, parameters, needed files, and command sequences to configure the desktop in ONE click. Most newbies don't have the know how or the patience to learn how to really transform a desktop... we could give them a little instant gratification, as this is something that no mac or windows user can do. And wouldn't it be cool to quickly check out if that awesome desktop fits your machine?

tthurman wrote on the 10 Sep 08 at 17:37
I raised this on

http://blogs.gnome.org/tthurman/2008/09/10/is-there-really-no-way-to-do-this-al ready/

and in the comments there, someone pointed at

https://launchpad.net/epidermis

Does that fit, or are you looking for something else? It really should be integrated, it's true.

mmeiser wrote on the 11 Sep 08 at 04:13
Brilliant idea... integrating all the options that make up the appearance into one theme is a VERY tall order, but making it exportable and shareable with friends... well that's some brilliant brilliant stuff... the sort of big idea that would make ubuntu go viral... go social... get lots of visibility online.

linhares wrote on the 12 Sep 08 at 10:35
It's happening: https://launchpad.net/epidermis

linhares wrote on the 12 Sep 08 at 10:42
This is the project homepage: http://epidermis.tuxfamily.org/?q=about ...and you can contact the leader, David D Lowe, here https://launchpad.net/~flimm

snorpey wrote on the 12 Nov 08 at 13:40
wow... amazing to see my idea coming true...

Gannon8 wrote on the 15 Jan 09 at 19:09
This is a great idea and I am glad to see that it is in development. Hope to see it in the next few months :)


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