Kingsoft Office for Linux has been updated with an improved theme, new icons and improved file support.

The entire suite of applications are still in active development on Linux, but the makers, Chinese software outfit Kingsoft, are said to be pushing hard on development following the news that Ubuntu-based distro ‘Ubuntu Kylin’ was to become the ‘official OS of China’.

And this work is showing in the latest preview builds. The interface of each application has been refreshed, with a new look called ’Ongmani’ now default. Other themes are available, including the Windows Aero theme used by previous builds.

The icons have also been changed, no-longer looking like they were lifted straight from the Windows desktop. This subtle ‘de-Windows-izing’ of each application extends to various parts of the ‘Ribbon’.

A language selection prompt has been added on first-run. This fixes the biggest issue many non-Chinese users had with previous builds which required a hacky workaround to enable English.

Elsewhere:

• Sidebar has been reworked to offer more options
• Additional file support for: TXT, CSV, PRN, XML
• XLSX file encryption and decryption support

Download Kingsoft Office for Linux

You can download the latest development release of WPS Office below. Note that the .deb installer below is for 32bit Ubuntu but it can be installed on 64bit using ia32-libs.

Download WPS Office for Linux (32bit .Deb)

Microsoft Office Clone Updates Interface, Improves File Support OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

In a session at the Google I/O conference in San Francisco, cheekily titled “Voiding your warranty“, developers shared how to root Google Glass and install an alternative operating system on it. OS of choice for the demo being Ubuntu.

Ubuntu 12.04 on Google Glass

The image you see above – a laptop running Ubuntu relaying the screen of Google Glass in a window – is as sexy as it got in the demo. Yep, just a rooted Android accessing a native Ubuntu install through VNC/SSH.  No eye-controlled Unity; no blink-powered GNOME.

Since it’s unlikely that anyone reading this owns or has access to Google Glass I can save myself the bother of guiding you through the install process (which is a bit of hassle).

But it’s a geekily-cool sight to see, anyway.

Google Devs Install Ubuntu on Google Glass OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

This is, in part, due to developers putting focus on Ubuntu Touch – the mobile version of Unity aimed at mobile and tablet devices.

While this work will eventually make its way to the desktop in the form of Unity 8, it won’t be finished in time to make this release. So the current version of Ubuntu’s desktop – Unity 7 – will serve as the basis for the next release, albeit with some extra polish, a few new features, and plenty of bug-fixes.

Features planned for Unity in Saucy include:

• Smart Scopes Service/100 Scopes
• In-Dash Payments
• New ‘Unity Indicators’
• Newer Compiz with performance improvements

There was also, early on in this cycle, talk of Locally Integrated Menus being implemented. However this hold-over from Ubuntu 12.04 was not mentioned during the recent Ubuntu Developer Summit session.

For performance fans the Ubuntu development team plan to use Compiz 0.9.10. This ‘trunk’ version includes a number of patches and tweaks that add a bit more oomph to the window manager’s performance.

You can see an earlier version of the proposed In-Dash Payment Preview in the video below.

What to Expect from Unity in Ubuntu 13.10 OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

At least, that’s the aim, anyway.

The details of precisely how both items will be available to try is currently being hammered out by developers at this weeks Ubuntu Developer Summit. But while neither Mir or Unity 8 will be installed by default, or ship as a session on the Saucy .iso, developers are extremely keen to make them as easy to install in 13.10 either through the Ubuntu Software Center or a dedicated PPA.

Unity 7 and the traditional X.org display server will continue form the default desktop experience in Saucy, which is due in October.

‘Preview’ Means ‘Preview’

Regardless of how Unity 8 and Mir is made available to Ubuntu 13.10 users the most important thing for anyone to remember is that it’ll be a preview. Unity 8 – the desktop version of Ubuntu Touch – is unlikely to be in a finished, polished state by October.

There’s also a question of what applications will run under the Mir session. Whilst the final release of Mir will support running “traditional” apps reliant on X.org and GTK, it’s not a given that these will run on the preview version being planned at present. A set of Ubuntu Touch apps will be installed alongside the Unity8/Mir session by default to make up for this.

But the preview will have its uses. It’ll give designers, developers and dutiful testers the chance to play with a functional, if limited, version of the next-gen Ubuntu desktop. Stress it; test it; help shape it.

Around the same time as Ubuntu 13.10 is released more complete version of Ubuntu Touch for Phones is expected to be released. 

Unity 8, Mir Preview To Be Available in Ubuntu 13.10 OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Saucy Salamander Could Ship with Chromium

Ubuntu 13.10 is hoping to ship with Chromium as the default web-browser in place of Mozilla Firefox.

In a discussion on the subject at the current Ubuntu Developer Summit developers expressed broad support for the change, saying that they are “leaning towards” supporting such a switch.

Ubuntu ‘s Desktop Manager, Jason Warner, who says the switch ‘feels like the right decision for the general user’, shared the main rationale behind it:

• Google Chrome has ‘leapfrogged’ Firefox in usage
• There is ‘clear demand’ for it from users; supplying Chromium would meet expectations
• Switching to webkit-based browser offers consistency across convergent platforms

Warner stressed that updated versions of Firefox will remain readily available to install from the Ubuntu Software Center.

‘Concerns Addressed’

The session also saw developers tackle concerns and complaints that have prevented Chromium becoming the default browser in the past. Security, PC support, user-preferences, and methods of delivering updated packages were all touched upon.

One commonly raised ‘issue’ is that of extensions, or rather lack thereof, available the open-source browser in comparison to Firefox. Chad Miller, maintainer of Chromium in Ubuntu, explained that the Chrome Webstore offers a massive choice already, adding that “if it’s recent code, it’s almost certain someone has built it for Chrome.”

Switching to Chromium will also allow Unity Web Apps to appear in so-called ‘chromeless’ windows. At present the Firefox implementation of Unity Web Apps opens in a ‘new tab’ rather than a chromless window).

Sadly for those using PowerPC versions of Ubuntu Chromium’s V8 rendering engine is not available, meaning Firefox would have to ship in its place.

A final decision on whether to default to Chromium will be taken following further consultation with the Ubuntu community in the coming weeks.

Key Points:

• Developers debating switch to Chromium
• Chormium ‘more popular’ than Firefox, as well as more performant
• Switch would create ‘consistency’ between Ubuntu Touch & Ubuntu desktop as both use Webkit
• Unity Web Apps will be able to use Chromium ‘Chromeless’ mode
• Stable releases of Chromium will be released as they’re available, much like Firefox
• Firefox will remain updated and available to install from Software Center
• Final decision to be taken after feedback with community

Chromium Likely to Replace Firefox As Default Browser in Ubuntu 13.10 OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

With only six days left to claim your copies, we go hands-on with every game to help you decide…

To recap, there are currently three games available at any price:

• Psychonauts
• Costume Quest
• Stacking

Eight prototype games from Double Fine were also added yesterday, but are only available for Windows.

Beating the average also nets you Brütal Legend and paying at or above $35 also gets you backer access to Broken Age. If you’re dying to throw money at your screen, paying at or above $70 will also get you a t-shirt with worldwide shipping.

Psychonauts

Something fishy is going on at the lake

A veteran of the highest grossing bundle yet, Humble Indie Bundle V, Psychonauts has been well-received – despite lacklustre sales – since its debut on the Xbox, Playstation 2, and PC in 2005. The protagonist, Raz, is training to be a Psychonaut and jumps his way out of danger and into the fray of summer camp politics and secret plots.

As a platformer, Psychonauts’ gameplay is rather straightforward. No need to awkwardly grip a ladder or trapeze – Raz will latch onto whatever he can when you’re close enough.

Though this works well enough when you’re hopping around the camp and spacious areas, the finicky camera angles in claustrophobic settings left me replaying multiple stages as I overshot tightropes and trapezes repeatedly or Raz overeagerly grabbed onto another object in the environment. Regardless, the gameplay is downright fun even if it can frustrating at times.

The dialogue is humorous – though certainly not as smart as some of the titles below – and the sound design holds up well for an eight year old title. The graphics tend to show their age when you crank up the resolution to 1920×1080, but this doesn’t detract from the gameplay nor should it.

Psychonauts has lived on with a strong following despite its initial stumble in sales and some niggling gameplay issues and rightly so. It’s fun. It’s humorous. It’s deserving of its second Humble Bundle showing.

Stacking

Ever wondered what a world of matroyoshka dolls would be like? Look no further! Stacking is an adventure game that introduces a unique stacking mechanic into the standard fare of puzzle-solving challenges.

You play as little Charlie Blackmore searching for his brothers and sisters across the fantastical world of stacking dolls. With his suspenders and flat cap, Charlie can sneak up behind other dolls, stack with them, and use their unique abilities to build up in-game achievements and solve puzzles in a multitude of ways.

Character sounds are down to the bear necessities

The sepia-toned cutscenes and sustained humour throughout the game complement the fluid stacking mechanic and the developers’ vision of this charming world.

The music is particularly well-suited to the game’s atmosphere. The soundtrack available from the Humble Bundle only includes two tracks from the game’s classical repertoire, but the full list can be found here. Though the cutscenes are only silent films with title cards, the action and music blend perfectly to set the tone for the endearing adventures Charlie encounters.

Ironic when set against hilarious situations and adorable when Charlie finds another one of his siblings, the music makes up for dolls that don’t always say or do much outside their special abilities. Aside from growling, the bear doesn’t move any differently than the pirate or the mime. Though the game’s sounds can leave the atmosphere feeling rather sparse at times, the music is perfectly curated and little Charlie Blackmore always leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside.

Costume Quest

The premise is as cute as the name and artwork makes Costume Quest out to be: you and your brother or sister (depending on whom you choose to play as) go trick or treating and a goblin takes your other sibling.

Combat is more a test of reflexes than “fun”

Whilst the concept is charming, the actual gameplay leaves a lot to be desired. Candy acts as currency in the game, allowing you to buy “battle stamps” that can increase stats during battle. You can find candy from going door-to-door, bashing pumpkins, and – alarmingly – rummaging through rubbish bins.

Combat itself is rather lackluster. The quick time events that scream at you to “Press <key> now!” in all caps take away from what could otherwise be a rather adorable vision of a child in shining cardboard armour transformed into a goblin-fighting knight.

Seemingly interminable dialogue

Stacking’s well-suited classical soundtrack fits perfectly with the silent film aesthetic of the cutscenes and the lack of dialogue wasn’t an issue. Unfortunately, Costume Quest’s dialogue feels interminable against a lukewarm soundtrack, lack of voiceovers, and sparse aural experience when the music dies down.

Though this cel-shaded adventure RPG will please some, others – including me – will have a much better experience with Stacking.

Brütal Legend

If you’ve finished your trick-or-treating, reassembled the matroyoshka doll, jumped your way out of psychic trouble, and paid above the average, you can hit the road as a heavy metal roadie in Brütal Legend.

Not your grandmother’s heavy metal action-adventure real-time strategy

Transported into an alternate, oddly heavy metal-laden world by mysterious circumstances, Eddie Riggs – the Jack Black-voiced protagonist – quickly joins to free the human race from their enslavement.

The massive open world is filled with odd creatures and post-apocalyptic ruins that are immediately open to exploration on foot or in your hot rod.

The vast landscape and its architecture

But don’t let the open world deceive you. This is a real-time strategy game more than an RPG, so you won’t be spending time creating potions and hoarding wooden bowls in your inventory. Aside from the main storyline, you’ll only find secondary missions scattered across the map.

The combat mechanics are a mix of simple hack-and-slash fun and seemingly tacked-on RTS elements. It’s difficult to focus on attacking enemies in front of you whilst needing to manoeuvre a horde of troops across the battle ground. These frustrating moments are unfortunate, but the rest of the action-adventure elements of the gameplay are fun and accompanied by satisfying sound design.

Though many of us may not be metal fans, the soundtrack and aural experience in general mesh extremely well with the rest of the game. Jack Black’s performance isn’t as grating as I imagined it to be from past encounters with his work and the game’s atmosphere hasn’t worn thin on me yet.

The often tongue-in-cheek, sometimes irreverent, but always good-natured dialogue and storyline make up for some of the oddities in the hybrid combat system. If you’re a metal fan too, this is definitely a title you shouldn’t miss.

Broken Age Backer Access

Though Broken Age née Double Fine Adventure has yet to be released, a purchase at or above the fixed tier at $35 nets you backer access to the project and beta whilst the game is still in development and the final game when it’s released. If you missed out on the original Kickstarter, this may be a fantastic opportunity to jump on board. Though Double Fine offers the same backer access for $30, you won’t get the four other titles with it.

Get the Humble Double Fine Bundle

All four currently available titles can be downloaded from the Humble Bundle site. The Bundle comes with Steam keys and copies in the Ubuntu Software Center, though Brütal Legend is currently unavailable in USC.

If you decide to purchase Broken Age, you will also receive a key that will let you register on the Broken Age site for exclusive backer-only updates, private forums, and the beta when available.

Humble Double Fine Bundle

Humble Double Fine Bundle Mega-Review OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Both Unity 8 and Mir are still in active development, so to see them running as well as they are in the video below, taken by Michael Zanetti, is exciting stuff.

Unity 8, formerly known as ‘Unity Next’ is expected to arrive as the default desktop in Ubuntu 14.04. The version of Unity 8 demoed above is not the finished article; so expect something more desktop-like when it arrives.

Ubuntu 13.10, due October this year, is likely to include an option to try both Unity 8 and Mir, though neither will be default.

Unity 8 Gets Demoed on Mir, Looks Impressive Already OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

DeviantArt user satya164 has knocked together a Google Now-inspired theme for Conky, the popular Linux system monitor (and a whole heap more).

Unlike many Conky themes this one is light on information displayed, only showing weather and network usage.

Google Now Conky Theme on Ubuntu 13.10

But like most Conky themes it is a faff to set up.

How to Install Conky Google Now

The instructions below are for Ubuntu, but also apply to its flavours and other Ubuntu-based distributions like Linux Mint.

Before you do anything you first have to install Conky itself. If you’re reading this article on Ubuntu you can hit the button below to open an install prompt.

Install Conky-All from Ubuntu Software Center

You may also need to grab Curl if it’s not already installed.

Install Curl from Ubuntu Software Center

Installed? Great. Next step is to download the Google Now Conky theme from DeviantArt.

Once you have fully downloaded the .Zip you need to extract it, and move the files inside to your home folder:

That’s all that’s needed to install the Conky theme. But you’ll need to edit the weather location to match that of your own:

• Go to weather.yahoo.com
• Search for your location in the weather search box (underneath forecast)
• Copy the numerical string in the URL

Now:

• Open .conkyrc in your Home folder
• Find the number: ’2294941′
• Replace it with the numerical string you copied from the Yahoo! Weather URL
• Save

If you like the font used in the screenshot, you can grab it from Font Squirrel (for free) - but install it before launching Conky from a Terminal with the command ‘conky’.

Want Conky to open when you login to Ubuntu? You’ll need to add it to Startup Applications. 

• Open ‘startup applications’ from the Dash
• Click ‘Add’
• In both name and command fields enter ‘conky‘ (without quote marks)
• Save

Finally, to complete the look check out these Google Now themed wallpapers.

Google Now-Inspired Conky Theme for Linux OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Have you used Ubuntu Brainstorm recently? Chances are you haven’t.

Usage of the once-popular feedback service is in decline. Terminal decline, according to Ubuntu developers. So much so the question of whether to ‘sunset’ the project has now been raised.

Ubuntu Brainstorm was created as a way to help build sonance between users and developers. The brief was simple: people submit ideas of what they’d like to see in Ubuntu, users vote and comment on those ideas, then developers respond to the more popular ones.

But there has been fewer ideas, fewer votes, and even fewer answers from developers over the last few years.

It’s easy to see why: Ubuntu’s design and development teams now more open, interactive and approachable than ever before, and Launchpad, used to report bugs against Ubuntu, has also replaced much of Brainstorm’s remit.

As it is today, the best way to promote ideas, give feedback or affect change in Ubuntu is to get involved directly. While Brainstorm may have once been part of that, it’s perhaps best left to fade quietly into memory.

Would you be sad to see Ubuntu Brainstorm go?

Ubuntu Brainstorm To Be Axed? OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Ubuntu Billboard in Ukraine. Image Credit: Konstantine R.

As concepts for contests go the latest one from Ubuntu is certainly unique. 

Ubuntu fans living in Ukraine and the Russian Federation have the chance to win a Dell laptops simply by spotting and snapping a photo of an Ubuntu billboard.

Dell are* currently advertising several of their Ubuntu-loaded laptops throughout major cities in both countries (Chelyabinsk, Novosibirsk and Izhevsk in Russia; Lvov, Kiev and Dnepropetrovsk in Ukraine).

But before you think any ol’ snap of a billboard will do photos are to be judged according to the following criteria:

• Quality of the photo (40%)
• Creativity/Originality (40%)
• Number of views on Flickr (20%)

I’m not entirely sure how one can be ‘original’ and ‘creative’ in taking a photo of a whacking-great advert, but as I’m in the UK I don’t need to sweat too much about it.

Prizes are on offer for the 1st, 2nd and 3rd placed entries are as follows:

• 1st Place – Dell XPS Laptop
• 2nd Place – Ubuntu Swag, including messenger bag
• 3rd place – 100GB Ubuntu One storage for a year

Each participant can submit up to three photos to the Flickr pool hosting the competition. Importantly, make sure that your camera has location metadata enabled. This requirement is necessary.

Pictures may be photoshopped/gimped as you wish, but must be based on an original image taken by yourself in one of the cities listed above.

So, next time you’re on your way to school in Russia, or driving to work in Ukraine, be sure to have a camera handy – it could just win you a laptop…

*Collective nouns can be plural in British English.

Ubuntu Announce Billboard Photo Taking Contest OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

As Google Reader edging ever closer to cessation day (July 1st, fact fans) its millions of users are being forced to scout for a replacement service.

July 1st – End of Google Reader

Feedly is emerging as one of the most popular refuges for Reader fans. And it’s easy to see why: it offers a great set of features, a slick interface, and can be accessed in various ways on various devices, including Android and iOS.

But I’m not here to talk about why you should choose Feedly, but rather present a neat third-party web-app that integrates the service into the Unity desktop.

Once enabled, ‘Feedly Unity Webapp’ inserts your Feedly feed counts into the Ubuntu Messaging Menu, and displays an unread total badge on its Unity Launcher item.

It does lack desktop notifications, and Firefox’s insistence on opening web-apps as tabs and not separate windows might render it less useful for some (tip: use Chromium instead).

As well as unity integration you also get an app launcher in the Dash, an application icon, and independent entry for Feedly in Ubuntu’s Alt+Tab switcher.

Full instructions on how to install the Feedly webapp for Ubuntu can found on the GitHub page for the project.

Feedly Unity Web App Project

Alternatively, the app can be installed from a PPA on Ubuntu 12.04 through 13.10:

Feedly Unity Web App PPA

Thanks to @febcrash

Feedly Gets Unity Web App Integration (Updated) OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

HP are listing Ubuntu as a pre-installed operating system option for their forthcoming HP 255 Notebook.

The HP 255

Admittedly that, of itself, isn’t huge news. HP launched their first European Ubuntu-powered PC earlier this year in the form of the Pavilion 20 All-in-One PC.

But the 255, if sold in Europe as expected, will be the first HP laptop available with Ubuntu pre-installed.

Which is a bit newsworthy.

There are also a couple of other juicy bits that hardware-hounds will enjoy digesting from the datasheet:

Firstly, the 255 is listing its chipset as AMD’s ‘Kabani’. Thus far this has only been used in embedded devices, so this marks its first prosumer* outings.

Secondly, four ‘unannounced’ processors are listed: the dual-core E12500 and E23000, and quad-core CPUs A45000 and A652000.

*The 255 appears to be a business-oriented device

HP 255 Laptop Lists Ubuntu As OS Option OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Half-Life 2 Now Available for Linux

Valve’s lauded first-person shooter Half-Life 2 has finally arrived on Linux.

The Half-Life 2 series’ debut for Linux through Steam comes just after Valve’s release of Portal for Linux last week.

Though originally released for the PC back in 2004, Half-Life 2 has lived on with additional “episodes” and a growing collection of mods to tide over the series’ fans whilst Valve take their time on the next title in the series.

The Future

Valve head Gabe Newell confirmed the company’s work on the second iteration of the Source engine – the engine currently powering Steam titles for Linux like Team Fortress 2, Portal, and the Half-Life 2 series.

Whether Valve debut their new engine with another Half-Life title or something completely different, their continued investment in Linux bodes well for a new Valve release coming much sooner to our platform than the nine-year lag for the original HL2 or the six years for Portal, TF2, and HL2: Episode Two.

Get Half-Life 2

Steam is available from both the Steam website and the Ubuntu Software Center.

Steam on the Ubuntu Software Center

Download and Install Steam

Half-Life 2 on Steam

‘Half-Life 2′ Hits Linux, Available on Steam OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

“I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned the U1000!!” the sender protests – albeit with more capitalisation than I’m willing to convey, but adding to an ant-sized avalanche of mail along similar lines.

What’s stoking their enthusiasm? This:

Copyright: Suman Chatterjee

It’s called the Samsung U1000 and, if half of the internet is to be believed it’s the first officially announced mobile handset to run Ubuntu Touch.

Only, that’s not the case.

The U1000 is a concept phone designed by one Suman Chatterjee. Suman is nothing if not prolific. Recent designs by him include a Facebook Tablet, a Nexus 5 design, and interesting concept for a dual-OS phone running Android on one screen and Windows Phone 8 on the reverse.

Suman’s design is nothing to do with Samsung. It’s not a real phone. The story has simply snowballed from an original posting by the Concept Phones website, in which Suman goes into detail about what hardware his concept “runs”, to what we have today: people throwing money at their screen hoping it will stick.

Of course, this isn’t to say that Samsung aren’t working on an Ubuntu Phone. Despite making a mint from flogging Android handsets a “well known industry rumour” suggests that the company are looking to start placing eggs in another basket.

So while this Samsung Ubuntu Phone might be a load of old cobblers, the idea of one possibly isn’t.

The Samsung U1000 Ubuntu Phone Isn’t Real OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Support for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS Desktop and Ubuntu 11.10 officially ends today.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS – released back in April 2010 – and Ubuntu 11.10 – made available in October of 2011 – will no longer receive bug fixes, updated packages or critical security updates.

For this reason Ubuntu say that they ‘highly recommend’ all those using these releases upgrade to a more recent version of Ubuntu.

The good news for you if you’re using Lucid Lynx or Oneiric Ocelot is that Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is available as a direct upgrade from Ubuntu’s Update Manager.

At the time of the Ubuntu 12.04 LTS release we wrote about our experience of a direct upgrade from Ubuntu 10.04 LTS.

Milestones

Both releases were memorable ones.

Ubuntu 10.04 LTS brought with it an entirely new set of artwork; introduced the boot-time technology ‘Plymouth’; and added the Me Menu to the default install.

Ubuntu 11.10 removed the Me Menu; saw Lenses moved from the Unity Launcher to the Unity Dash; and introduced LightDM as Ubuntu’s default login screen.

Desktop Support for Ubuntu 10.04 LTS & 11.10 Officially Ends OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Ubuntu Touch for Phones will be in a usable enough state for daily use by the end of the month.

Announcing the ‘end of may’ goal on his blog, Canonical’s Director of Ubuntu Engineering Rick Spencer argues that ‘progress accelerates when people are using, in addition to building, software’.

Adding that this ‘dog-fooding’ allows developers to ‘….really know how far there is between where you are, and a shippable state’.

To this end both Spencer’s team, and others within Canonical, will be aiming to ensure key task of the everyday phone experience will be working by the deadline.

So what kind of ‘useable state’ is being aimed for?

• Ability to make and receive calls and text messages
• Browse the internet via 3G & WiFi
• Ability to import, edit and add contacts 
• Working proximity sensors for screen dimming
• Ability to update the phone without losing data

These key parts of the core phone experience will allow developers working on it, as well as those developing apps for it, to see better gauge priorities, feature needs, and so on.

While the end of May deadline is a soft goal (one that I’m fairly certain will be reached) Ubuntu Touch still won’t be quite ready for the prime time on user handsets.

But on that front you shouldn’t have too long to wait: Ubuntu Community Manager Jono Bacon has recently said that Canonical are aiming to have a ’1.0 Ubuntu Touch platform …ready for October so it can then be delivered to customers for deployment on handsets in Q1/Q2 2014.’

Ubuntu Touch for Phones To Be Usable ‘By End Of May’ OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

Then Ubuntu went and did something awful: it delivered a default theme that was not only “good” but acceptable to virtually everyone’s tastes!

It wasn’t gaudy, or boring; not too dark, or too light. It was, and I appreciate it will sound sickly, very ‘Ubuntu’.

But in honour of addictions past it’s time for me to highlight some desktop themes again. And there is no better choice to start with than ZonColor – an all-in-one theme pack oozing options…

ZonColor – Even Makes The New Nautilus Look Nice!

ZonColor Themes

ZonColor by Zon Saja is a set of 16 themes (though not all can be used in Unity), 21 icon theme variants (mostly different coloured folders), and some matching wallpapers. This wide range of simple, well-made components allows you to mix-and-match different elements until you come up with something you like.

The GTK3 themes themselves cover a wide range of styles – from the Ambiance-like ‘Audience‘ and ‘ZonColor Hard‘ themes to the striking colours of ‘Birdycloud’ and ‘Zoncolor’.

Once you’ve chosen a theme you can set an icon set to match it. Again, these vary from the colourful and flat, to the glossy and shiny.

Install ZonColor

To install Zoncolor theme pack in Ubuntu you’ll first need to grab the latest release from its official homepage.

Download ZonColor Theme Set

Once the Zoncolour archive has fully downloaded you’ll need to ‘unzip’ it. In Ubuntu this is as simple as right-clicking on the archive icon, and selecting ‘extract here’ from the menu that appears.

After extraction enter the folder and run the ‘install.sh’ file inside by double-clicking on it. If you don’t see a prompt appear you may need right click on the install.sh file, go to Properties > Permissions, and check the box next to ‘allow executing file as programme’.

Once you’ve launched the installer you’ll see this screen:

It’s up to you to choose whether you only want the theme, or whether you want the ‘zoncolour’ app installed too (the app allows you to apply customizations to each theme). I choose ‘Install themes only’.

Once the installer has done its bit, it’s over to you. To switch between/set themes/icons you’ll need to use a third-party app like Unity Tweak Tool.

Ubuntu 13.04 users can grab this straight from the Ubuntu Software Center:

Install Unity Tweak Tool from Ubuntu Software Center

Ubuntu 12.10 or 12.04 users will need to use an alternative tool from the Software Center, like Unsettings.

One thing I will note is that Unity (for me at least) has a quirk where, after applying a new theme, some elements won’t take effect until I’ve logged out and back in (it mostly affects menus and highlight colors). Bear this in mind if you find yourself looking at a blue theme with orange highlights ;)

Liven Up Your Ubuntu Desktop With ZonColor Themes OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.

For the next two weeks you can decide what you’re willing to stump up to get hold of their offerings, and choose where your donation goes (all to charity, all to developers, or split between both).

Five games are on sale in all, though only three are truly available as under ‘pay what you want’ (the rest fall under ‘pay more than this’).

There are three new Linux debuts:

• Adventure game Stacking
• Adventure RPG Costume Quest
• Heavy metal adventure strategy game Brütal Legend (beat the average only)

Another title from Double Fine also makes a Bundle reappearance:

• Action platformer Psychonauts

And there are two extra payment tiers for big spenders:

• Pay more than $35 you’ll get early access to beta versions of crowd-funded game Broken Age
  
• Pay more than $70 and you get Broken Age, all the games, and a free t-shirt

The Humble folks tell me that all titles (presumably barring Broken Age since it’s not available yet) are available to redeem through the Ubuntu Software Center.

Though, to be frank, since any purchase over a $1 gets you a Steam key, I’d recommend going that route. Not only will this make the games be instantly available to install on other platforms/computers, but you get the added bonus of social interaction, news updates for titles, etc.

Tempted by this Double Fine dream? You know the drill, head over to humblebundle.com to drop some cash.

Hat tip to Christian W.M.

Humble Double Fine Bundle Brings New Games to Linux OMG! Ubuntu! - Everything Ubuntu. Daily.