Themes for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Bring a Polished Look for PC Desktops

The latest version of Ubuntu, version 10.04 packs quite a few visual changes for desktop users. There are a whole new set of desktop themes, and plenty of new background images. In addition, the window maximize, and minimize buttons were moved over to the left hand side, a move that emulates Apple's OSX operating system. Some Ubuntu users welcomed the change, while another camp of users protested. For now it appears that the left hand side windows buttons are going to remain in future Ubuntu releases.

A new set of default themes for the desktop were also created. A few older themes still survived from previous versions of Ubuntu to make it into the 10.04 Long Term Release (LTS) of Ubuntu. For example, all of the "High Contrast" themes survived the cut and made it into Ubuntu 10.04. These are "High Contrast Inverse" and "High Contrast Large Print Inverse" themes, which could be the ugliest themes of the lot, but hold a special purpose for the visually impaired.

Recent theme additions, like "Sand" and "Dust and Sand" also made the cut into Ubuntu 10.04. These themes were present in the most recent Ubuntu releases so these are relative newcomers when compared to other default themes for Ubuntu. The "Sand" are both very "Mac Like" in their appearance. They have a smooth Gray texture with rounded edges on the corner of the window boxes. In addition, the corner buttons are circular and arranged like the default Mac OSX theme.

Ubuntu changed its primary background image color from a dull tan-brown, to a vibrant purple. This opens up a new era of Ubuntu branding which includes new splash screens, icons, and themes. There are also a new set of photographic themes for the desktop that convey natural, heavenly, and abstract ideas.

There are also third party themes that you can use to enhance your desktop even further. One good set of themes for Ubuntu are Bisigi themes, which adds 13 new vibrant themes and backgrounds that have a high artistic development to your Ubuntu desktop. These themes harken back to some of the original tan colored Ubuntu themes with an updated look.

Theme selection will always come down to user preference. One color scheme may look like a work of art to one user, and to another, it would look down right ugly.