A new package called Adwaita Icon Theme is now part of GNOME

Jun 4, 2014 09:53 GMT  ·  By

The GNOME developers have finally decided that the time to upgrade the icon theme has arrived, and it looks like the 3.14 release will see some changes in this department.

One of the first things a user sees when starting a distribution powered by GNOME is the icon set used. You would imagine that developers paid more attention to something that is responsible with first impressions, but you would be wrong.

In fact, the icon theme for GNOME hasn't changed all that much in the last few years and it's seriously behind the times. Just take a look at that awful color used for folders – it looks like something from a decade ago.

The old GNOME Icon Theme package has had its name changed to Adwaita Icon Theme and the developers have already made some changes and released a new version, 3.13.2.

According to the changelog, the legacy icon name mapping is no longer using symlinks, the folder design for hicolor has been updated, and the settings for high contrast have been fixed.

The new icon theme will be used with GNOME 3.14, but don't expect a miracle. The new icons will be better, but they won't be something completely different from what has been used until now. You can download the Adwaita Icon Theme source package from GNOME.