Life on the fast lane OR Fedora Steampunk OR Who is brave enough to wait?
We have still a few weeks (maybe even a month) ahead until the Fedora 9 release, the graphics are almost ready and checked in the distro, can we just sit back and relax?
Of course not! Andy came with a first idea for a F10 theme (sky), Mo with a couple more (neon and steampunk), Frank with another one (waterfalls), the season is open.
Well, I liked the steampunk idea: it is about technology and Fedora is on the technology forefront (too bad it isn't also some magic involved, otherwise I would be completely sold. Or is it?). Anyway, between two customizations of the F9 countdown it was natural for me to create a similar graphic (it can be derived in a standard banner, alpha/beta banner, counter) in a steampunk style for F10:
![[fedora 10]](http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/banners/images/f10_steampunk.png)
Like this is enough! I was just acquired the taste... so using the gear effect in the newly released Inkscape 0.46 I went further: a gear concept (steampunk is all about steam engines, clockwork devices and difference engines). In two variants: one is about ink painted gears on old paper:
![[fedora 10 clockwork]](http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/artwork/splash/clockwork_paper.jpg)
And another about more realistic metal gears (like in your grandfather's clock):
![[fedora 10 clockwork]](http://fedora.nicubunu.ro/artwork/splash/clockwork_gold.jpg)
And with a bit of impulse from Martin it went in a first official proposal for Fedora 10 themes.
Note: those are conceptual, unpolished graphics.
That is living on the fast lane: F9 is not yet released and we already dream at F10.
Sure, there may be other explanations, like me having a short attention span or me being a sucker for anime (where steampunk is used a lot). Or it may be the side-effect on running Rawhide, where the future is already in the past...
Posts
Wow!
ReplyDeleteThese look brilliant. Will be a big departure from the blue, but well they'll be worth it.
Now that you mention blue... I think I can come with a way to put back some blue, like a blue gemstone mounted into the gear.
ReplyDeleteDoes that mean KDE will be the default DE for 10? Or are the gears just coincidence? :-P
ReplyDeleteAnd blue would not help the similarities..
The concept is amazing!
ReplyDeleteAn yellowish background on a desktop may not be easy to your eyes.. You can come out with other shades - like blue :)
I love the tech drawing version. You could do it as a blueprint if you want it to be blue (does a blueprint seem not steam punk enough?).
ReplyDeleteYes, is on my TODO to try a more blueprint like version of the paper approach. Maybe I should re-watch Laputa, I remember there a blueprint which I could use as an inspiration.
ReplyDeleteThe gold colour looks very tacky, and the the Fedora text is awful. A Fedora theme must be mainly blue. The concept of gears could work, but these initial drawings need a *LOT* of work.
ReplyDeleteTom
Tom, I agree that a Fedora theme should be blue, this is why I followed with another post about my ideas on hot to put some blue back.
ReplyDeleteOf course those drawings need a lot of work, they are just concepts. We have what? about half a year in front of us to refine them... (or to drop and replace completely).