As mentioned last month, Linux Mint is developing a refreshed default theme for the Cinnamon desktop – and today we have our initial glimpse of what to expect.
The appearance of Cinnamon in Linux Mint (the distribution) is distinct from how it appears if you opt to install the Cinnamon desktop on another distribution. There, unless a theme pack is included as a dependency, you’ll encounter the standard built-in Cinnamon theme.
And it’s that default theme that Linux Mint is currently enhancing.
Mint states “the new default theme [is] significantly darker and more contrasted than before. Elements are rounded, and there is now a gap between the applets and the panel.”
The latest updates bring a fresh design to dialogs and prompts, featuring distinct buttons that bear some resemblance to the style found in GNOME 47, which is set to be part of Ubuntu 24.10.
Among the improvements are new Clutter-based error dialogs, replacing the previous GTK-designed versions, alongside notifications that offer a “more modern and much cleaner” aesthetic for on-screen displays (OSDs), such as those for volume, brightness, and workspaces.
Looking ahead, there are additional features in the pipeline that are not yet available for viewing, including revamped notifications, session dialogs, new animations, an updated main menu applet, and a fresh status applet.
The goal isn’t to be revolutionary, but from just a few screenshots, I find myself leaning towards this updated stock theme over the one currently utilized by Linux Mint. Is it just me?
For those using Linux Mint, the enhanced default theme will be available as it will be included in the Cinnamon desktop, which (barring any unforeseen issues) is set to be part of the upcoming Linux Mint 22.1 release in December.