• Roboto Font would be a great choice, so would Ubuntu or Fira Sans.
  • Some light elements in gtk theme
  • GTK theme restore button is the same as maximize button. See breeze gtk for how to implement correctly.
3 months later
  • [deleted]

What I do on my Solus Plasma install:

  • Use icon tasklist
  • Use the other non-fullscreen menu (I think it's more "out of the way")
  • Put "show desktop" on right corner
  • Use "active monitor follows mouse" (I think this is the default by now)
  • Disable saving session
    2 months later
    9 months later

    Theme/style/colours

    Budgie's default theming is amazing! SolusDark is on the right track.

    Application Launcher/Start Icon

    Like many here I think the normal Solus logo as the start icon looks tacky. BUT when the colours are changed to better compliment dark/light themes, it looks beautiful! Examples....

    Dark Theme

    Light Theme


    Start Icons Available Here
    Original Post/Source

    Cursors

    I really like the idea of seeing the following

    Dark Theme

    We10XOS Cursors

    Light Theme

    Hopefully We10XOS Dark Cursors become a thing to keep theming coherent. If not I'd fall back to Adwaita cursors or

    Paper Cursors

    Icons

    Personally I love paper-esque icon sets and I think they look great on Solus Plasma.

    Paper Icon Set


    Link

    I currently use Lüv icon theme. For me this icon set is my personal favourite.

    Lüv Icon Theme


    Link

    Screenshot

    Honorable Mentions

    Flatery Icon Theme


    Link

    Qogir Icon Theme


    Link

    Side note

    It's interesting that there was a Solus Icon Set once upon a time

    Solus Icon Set


    Link

    Fonts

    I haven't looked into fonts tbh....

    Application selection

    No issues here.

    Final Thoughts

    Just some ideas, regardless if any are implemented or not it doesn't bother me.
    Imma continue supporting Solus/Solus Plasma 🙂

      xjdwc Side note
      It's interesting that there was a Solus Icon Set once upon a time
      Solus Icon Set

      Interesting, I liked them a lot. Sensible, not cutesy. From your link: "Solus-icon-theme forked from solus-project/solus-icon-theme...Solus is the official icon set of the Solus Project. As a FreeDesktop icon theme it (loosely) follows the Tango Icon Spec....."

      ...I did not know we had an official icon set to fork.

        brent It was something we had paid Sam Hewitt for a long time ago (like years) but he suddenly stopped working on it and never came back to completing it.

        Not really interested in a dedicated icon theme at this moment though. I am pretty happy with Papirus. Only thing that is on the long list of stuff I want to get around to is a Budgie+GTK specific theme.

          JoshStrobl Someday when they write the history of the Solus distro, it will be full of the gems like the Hewitt contribution. Love it.

          13 days later

          Thoughts and Ideas

          So, after I updated my laptop to Solus 4.3, I noticed the theming for Plasma changed quite a bit. I feel like the theming for Solus was going in the right direction with SolusDark prior to the update. Then BOOM! I don't know how to explain it, Plasma just seems very fragmented when it comes to the theming side of things. Not as solid and cohesive as Solus Budgie out of the box. I believe Solus Plasma should be distinct from Budgie's theming and have it's own personality, but still be cohesive in terms of aesthetic. Allowing our at first sight impressions to group both Solus Plasma & Budgie as members of the same Family rather than complete strangers.

          I would still challenge the theming even if it was the only DE available. Plasma just seems like an Experiment/WIP in the theming department.

          I personally believe sticking with Opaque theming is the way to go. Transparency/translucency seems out of place for the default. Sticking with darker colour schemes is a yes, not as dark as budgie though. Solus Plasma needs it's own identity. So I don't really have much else to add. See my above post for my detailed ideas.

          Plasma out of place?



          My Default Plasma Theming






          Final Thoughts

          Like my first post, just some ideas, regardless if any are implemented or not it doesn't bother me.
          Imma continue supporting Solus/Solus Plasma 🙂

          I would love to hear everyone's thoughts on this topic.

          Thank you @Girtablulu for all your hard work!

            xjdwc

            Theming is such a matter of personal preference. I actually think the plasma theming with all the transparency looks much nicer than the other desktop options but that is just my preference.

            I also don't see any reason for all versions to have the same theming when the underlying technology that supports them is so different. The reality is that plasma is simply different than all the other gtk-based options.

              dalto

              Fair points indeed. Theming is very subjective. We won't be able to please everyone with theming, but I believe a solid base to work from should still be strived for. In the end we all tinker and tweak our systems to fit our personal work flow and eye.

              As for the reality of differences, I agree. Differences should be celebrated and not suppressed type thing. Do you think it's possible to do so in way that still maintains a somewhat aesthetic consistency across Solus? Or don't try to at all? Probably just my personal preference....

              Thank you for your thoughts 🙂

                xjdwc Do you think it's possible to do so in way that still maintains a somewhat aesthetic consistency across Solus? Or don't try to at all?

                To me this is a philosophical question more than a practical one. I personally don't think that there is any need or value in that consistency. In fact, I think it detracts from the plasma experience to make it look like you prefer it. To me, you made it look more gtk-like. Personally, I don't want my system to look like that. Someone else will probably disagree because we all like different things.

                Ultimately, I think it comes down to what the Solus team wants. Do they want a unified look and feel or do they not feel it is important. 🤷‍♂️

                You're right! I didn't really think about what I was saying. Instead of, "is it possible", which we know it is. Plasma is highly customizable. I should have asked, "do we want to" or "should we".

                Your points are very valid and even render my own comments obsolete. As you've said, in the end, whatever direction the Solus Team wants to go will be the final result.

                a month later

                Plasma Light Theme



                Alternative Menu




                My Inspiration


                I am usually a dark theme type of guy, but atm, I'm really digging the light theme on Plasma.
                What are your thoughts?

                  MarkoB

                  Global Theme: Breeze
                  Application Style: Breeze
                  Plasma Style: Breeze
                  Colors: Breeze
                  Window Decorations: Breeze
                  Icons: Lüv
                  Cursors: Adwaita
                  Panel Settings - Opacity: Opaque
                  Application Menu Icon: Custom Solus Icon

                  16 days later

                  I tried Solus Plasma today to see how it looks like and I must say that it looks great. And if someone wants to go crazy with the looks options are there. The adaptive panel transparency works great and if you make a top panel with global menu it works fine. Whoever tweaks the defaults knows what's good. If someone likes KDE, Solus Plasma is a great choice.