Comment 261 for bug 532633

ok. guys.. I didn't read all the posts because the bickering started to make my head hurt. I am as passionate about Ubuntu as most of the people that posted here. I'd show you the tattoo but it's in a private place. :) Seriously, the passion of this argument is good but not directed in the right place.

Stop and think for a second.. Dismiss all the personal attacks and clear your mind. What is one of the primary reasons that people have embraced Ubuntu so passionately? Most of your personal answers can be boiled down to one point: openness. The ability to make it your own. While I understand the reasoning to dress up the new OS to a more appealing look, it changes the usability of the interface. I don't agree with it, but I understand it.

It has been assumed many times that the purpose of improving Ubuntu is to increase market share. Considering where the majority of the market share lies, Ubuntu defaults should focus on making those users (who are primarily very, VERY non-technical) comfortable with switching over. It's a sad fact, but if you make non-technical users have to think about basic usage actions, they will be less likely to switch. Most of them don't even know what a DOS prompt is in their old OS, much less a terminal in this new OS. Look at it from the perspective of the target audience, not the perspective of us that have been using it for years.

If one of the goals of the new release is to pull users from the OSX religion, you are on the right track. However, I can tell you that you won't be nearly as successful as you would be targeting another market. You're are not investing your resources well at all.

Rhetorical question: How hard would it be to add a toggle button under Customize Theme in the Appearance dialog? If it restricts the ability to build custom themes or opens a can worms, fine.. toss a shell script somewhere safe for those of us that could actually find it, instead of requiring non-technical users to find threads like this to feel comfortable.