ChromeOS 104 Rolling Out With Dark Theme, Redesigned Launcher, and More (9to5google.com) 14
ChromeOS 104 is rolling out starting today with several big interface updates that improve how you use the operating system. 9to5Google reports: ChromeOS 104 introduces proper dark and light themes that touch every aspect of the user interface. This includes the shelf, app launcher, Files app, and the backgrounds of various settings pages. You can enable the dark theme from the second page of Quick Settings. Google also created wallpapers that "subtly shift from light to dark," depending on the set theme. After updating, you'll notice that the month and day now appear to the left of the time in the shelf. Tapping opens a monthly calendar with the ability to tap a day to see all events, with an additional click opening the Google Calendar PWA. You can see other months and quickly return to "Today." This takes up the same size as Quick Settings, while any available alerts appear just above. Notifications from the same sender are now grouped together, while there are bigger touch targets for alert actions.
The redesigned Launcher that's more compact and does not take up your entire screen is seeing wider availability. Additionally, some might be able to quickly search for Android apps from the Play Store with an inline rating. Version 104 of ChromeOS introduces a more full-featured Gallery app (with a new purple icon) that can open PDFs with the ability to fill out forms, sign documents, and make text annotations, like highlights. There's also a new Wallpaper & style application that's accessed by right-clicking the shelf and selecting the last option. Besides the collections curated by Google, you can set wallpapers from your Google Photos library. There's the ability to select an album and have a new background appear daily. This experience also lets you set the device theme (auto-switching available), and Screen saver with three styles available: Slide show, Feel the breeze, and Float on by.
The redesigned Launcher that's more compact and does not take up your entire screen is seeing wider availability. Additionally, some might be able to quickly search for Android apps from the Play Store with an inline rating. Version 104 of ChromeOS introduces a more full-featured Gallery app (with a new purple icon) that can open PDFs with the ability to fill out forms, sign documents, and make text annotations, like highlights. There's also a new Wallpaper & style application that's accessed by right-clicking the shelf and selecting the last option. Besides the collections curated by Google, you can set wallpapers from your Google Photos library. There's the ability to select an album and have a new background appear daily. This experience also lets you set the device theme (auto-switching available), and Screen saver with three styles available: Slide show, Feel the breeze, and Float on by.
wow dark themes (Score:2)
How did anyone figure out the technology for changing colors of GUI widgets on the computer. Blowing my mind here.
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More importantly: Why?
I seriously don't understand dark themes. They're not more restful or legible and they leave afterimages on the retina.
Re:wow dark themes (Score:4, Interesting)
You sound like you work in a brightly lit office. Eye strain is caused by relative differences of what you're focusing on to your surrounding environment. You may enjoy your light brightly coloured OS, but for me sitting in a relatively dark room dark themes are a godsend for reducing eyestrain.
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PS: I get that they can save electrons on OLED screens but that doesn't explain the current dark theme mania.
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PS: I get that they can save electrons on OLED screens but that doesn't explain the current dark theme mania.
Is it mania, or is it simply (and finally) the recognition that a lot of people prefer dark themes?
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Or they are poorly implemented - if you use white on black (aka "dark theme", you MUST increase the weight of the font because the black encroaches on the white, making text skinnier and smaller. You see this a lot in poorly designed flyers where they thought a dark background was cool, put some white text on it, and then you can't read it because the black makes the w
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More importantly: Why?
I seriously don't understand dark themes. They're not more restful or legible and they leave afterimages on the retina.
Not everyone is you. Light themes tend to hurt my eyes. I prefer dark themes.
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How did anyone figure out the technology for changing colors of GUI widgets on the computer. Blowing my mind here.
Dark themes aren't just changing colours of the window manager. They are an API read and adapted to by apps, and in some cases overriden by the OS itself to force a dark theme onto content itself.
If you think this is anything like simply changing the colour scheme like the past then you are simply ignorant of what is going on.
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Sounds like complicated stuff. I mean Sun's OPEN LOOK [wikipedia.org] had look and feel guidelines that were algorithmically specified so that colors could be changed and still fit together. But a DARK MODE? That's better than simply picking any color and have it work, because you only get to pick between washed out grey and off. Amazing stuff.
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Sun's open look did not alter content. Also algorithmically specifying something is highly restrictive for UI design.
Sometimes things need to be complicated because what we're trying to do is complicated.
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and sometimes we make them needlessly complicated.
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