Disclaimer: splashscreens should be avoided and programs should start faster. Some programs are just too slow so a splash screen is needed.
Wouldn’t it be cool if all programs that showed splashscreens actually showed a splash matching the same theme as your desktop environment and your display manager?
This might going to happen. Besides OOo, amarok and the gimp, which other programs uses splash screens? And where do they store their splash screens?
Artists: This is also your clue to consider it. I don’t have much artist skills, but I have some ideas for the implementation. To show off something, I can start here:
The plan is of course to make it as easy as apt-get install debianized-splashscreens to get debianized splash screens – and apt-get remove to get the original splash screens back.
Oh – and of course easily to change for derivatives who wants some other styling.
The ease of theming is something i have been shouting about in the IRC channels for a number of years now – some things, i am happy to say, have been fixed, but this one has yet to be fixed in any way that makes it easy for artists to use :) i should applaud a spec resembling the icon spec for this sort of thing – a lot :)
I guess this could work using the alternatives system. I’m pretty sure gnome-splash uses (or at least used to use) the alternatives system for this already.
One of the things I love from Debian is the minimal branding it does. Luckily there is no a whirly thing following the mouse in KDE desktop… yet.
Jon: It is what I have in the works already.
Anonymous: Other people wants it themed. I am aiming to try to give the choice. As easy as apt-get install debianized-splashes or something like that to get it themed – and apt-get remove to undo it.