With Ubuntu 10.4, codenamed Lucid Lynx, Ubuntu will change its look completely. Everything will be groundbreaking new; the logo, the user interface, and the affect scheme (no more brown). It’s set to be released on April 29, less than a month away.
We are very curious to see if this makeover will give Ubuntu a boost in popularity. It’s by now the most well loved desktop Linux distribution, but will this new look, this new branding, make it simpler for Ubuntu to cast its net even wider and grow the Linux user base as a whole?
After all, looks do matter, especially if you want to reach the broad masses and steal users away from additional operating systems.
The new look
Overall, the new Ubuntu will have a sleeker, more stylish look. According to Ubuntu’s branding page, the overall design theme from 2004-2010 was “human”, while the new version uses “light” as its overall theme.
We’re not going to discuss the UI or logo design details here. There are better places to read up on that, but to give you an thought of how huge the changes are, here not more than you can compare the ancient and new logos and user interfaces. (The image at the top of this post is from Ubuntu’s new boot screen.)
Ancient vs. new Ubuntu logo
Ancient vs. new UI theme
As you can see, it’s a pretty huge makeover, arguably the largest visual change ever in Ubuntu’s history. Keep in mind that the design details are still being polished, so by the time the final version is released, it might be slightly different. (If you want to keep up to date with the ongoing Ubuntu design and UI changes in Lucid Lynx, have a look at for example OMG! Ubuntu.)
There’s always an element of subjectivity when judging what looks excellent and is appealing, and then there is the usability factor to consider, but we reckon most public will prefer the new style.
Excellent looks and popularity
As we mentioned in the initiation, what we’re really interested in is how these changes will affect Ubuntu’s popularity. Will the new, sleeker look bring in more users to Ubuntu?
Excellent looks is far from the only factor that users consider, but you’d be hard pushed to argue it doesn’t have a huge impact. If Ubuntu (and Linux in general) desires to attract the broad masses, usability improvements lonely won’t matter, things have to look excellent and deliver a regular user experience.
The bottom line is that the more attractive Ubuntu becomes, the simpler it will be to market to non-Linux users. These are the public Ubuntu has to pull in if it’s to grow the Linux user base as a whole. It has to steal users away from Windows and Mac OS X, and looking at least as excellent as these will pretty much be a must.
What do you reckon? Do you approve of Ubuntu’s makeover, and do you reckon it will help it gain users?
