Almost Official: Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid Will Have The Window Buttons On The LEFT!

An update came seconds ago in Ubuntu Lucid (it's not yet in the repositories but should be available soon), stating that:

ght-themes (0.1.5.4) lucid; urgency=low

* debian/gconf-defaults:
- correctly set the wm buttons on the left corner

[ James Schriver ]
* Fix dark menubar text OOo (LP: #532461).

I didn't even install the theme yet, instead I looked at the source code and it clearly states:

/apps/metacity/general/button_layout maximize,minimize,close:

Notice the ":" on the right of the gconf value (you can extract the files from the .deb file and look for yourself). That means the buttons will be displayed on the left side by default. Obviously this can be changed easily by changing the gconf key, but now we now why the maximize and minimize buttons were initially inverted.

Want to put them back on the right? All you have to do is press Alt + F2, enter "gconf-editor", navigate to /apps/metacity/general/button_layout and set the key value to ":maximize,minimize,close" (without the quotes).

Another really bad thing about this new default buttons on the left is that it breaks a lot of themes like Dust, Dust Sand, New Wave and probably a whole lot more. What will the new users say when they try to change the theme and they get a really messy look?

To fix this, follow the same instructions as above, but put the minimize button first, like so: ":minimize,maximize,close"

This recent update made me wander if the Global Menu jkltechinc spotted in a tiny screenshot from the Ubuntu website mockup will also come true! Apple, here we come (or they...)!


There is just one thing I'd like to add:

Download the new light-themes.deb file

Please keep in mind that things will change, so it's not 100% sure the window buttons will stay on the left. But for now, that seems to be the plan!

Related: you may also want to read the initial post with all the theme changes in Ubuntu 10.04 Lucid.