14 DAY TRIAL // The upcoming Ubuntu 20.04 LTS operating system will be shipping with a refreshed default desktop theme that features a new color scheme and a third variation.
Yaru is the default theme of Ubuntu since the release of Ubuntu 18.10 (Cosmic Cuttlefish), and it continued to receive improvements and optimizations since then. With the upcoming Ubuntu 20.04 LTS (Focal Fossa) release, the Yaru team is working with Canonical’s Design and Ubuntu Desktop teams to further improve its look and feel.
The main changes that users will notice after installing or upgrading to Ubuntu 20.04 LTS will be a third variation of the Yaru theme called Yaru Light alongside Yaru Dark and Standard, the ability to switch between all Yaru variations from Settings, as well as the fact that the check boxes, switches, and radio buttons will change from green to the Ubuntu aubergine color.
"With Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, we plan to go one step further. As well as the dark variation, and the standard version with light controls and dark headers, we will be introducing a third variation that is light throughout," said Martin Wimpress in a blog article. "We also plan to reintroduce the ability to switch between these variations."
Yaru theme as a Flatpak, alternative folder icons
Furthermore, the Yaru team expressed their interest in implementing alternative folder icons that will help preserve Ubuntu's identity and offer users a good contrast in both Yaru Light and Yaru Dark variants. They also plan to introduce the ability to switch the theme for shell elements like notification bubbles and top bar without logging out.
To help ensure most GNOME/GTK applications will render correctly on Ubuntu, a community-contributed Flatpak of the Yaru theme will be made available in the future for Arch Linux and Fedora operating systems. As for Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, we'll probably be able to take the new theme for test drive in early April when the beta release hits the streets.
The final release of Ubuntu 20.04 will arrive on April 23rd, 2020.
