The Ubuntu team say the new theme is "inspired by the idea of light" - waxing poetical, the documentation accompanying the new designs states: "We're drawn to Light because it denotes both warmth and clarity, and intrigued by the idea that 'light' is a good value in software.
"Good software is 'light' in the sense that it uses your resources efficiently, runs quickly and can easily be reshaped as needed."
Which is all very nice, but does anyone else think the new theme - lovely though it is - bears more than a passing resemblance to the default desktop of a Mac?
That's no bad thing, of course, because the Mac desktop is a rather nice place to be, but I think I would rather Ubuntu forged its own design path than ride on the coat-tails of Jobs's baby.
Unless, of course, it's a deliberate ploy by Mark Shuttleworth's outfit...
Anyway, here are some screenshots showing the new theming, plus a fresh, crisp new Ubuntu logo. I'd be interested to hear what you all think.
Ubuntu Light
Ubuntu Dark
New Ubuntu logo
New theming carried forward to Ubuntu homepage
And even to Ubuntu-themed products
And the Ubuntu Live CD packaging.
There's some more exciting news about the forthcoming Long Term Release of Ubuntu - native, out-of-the-box support for the iPod Touch and iPhone for the first time.
Early signs are that the integration is pretty seamless and that the Nautilus file manager is able to access all the music tracks, playlists and apps, while the Rhythmbox music player can integrate with the contents of your device in much the same way that iTunes does.
If this turns out to be as straightforward as it's claimed, this could be the real ice-breaker that Ubuntu has been looking for - it has been possible, by jumping through several hoops, to get your iPod recognised in Linux but this is the first time we've seen real integration and synchronisation.
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