How do I set the default icon set and wallpaper for new users?

Question

I would like to change the default icon set and wallpaper so when a new user is created they have them automatically.

Answer 1

Create a new dummy user, modify its settings to your liking and cherry-pick the changes from .config and .gconf, place them into /etc/skel. Keep the directory structure intact, e.g. copy: /home/dummyuser/.gconf/desktop/gnome/background/%gconf.xml to: /etc/skel/.gconf/desktop/gnome/background/%gconf.xml

Note:

• Install gconf-editor and try to locate the settings that interest you. The tree structure maps directly to the files involved.
• Be proficient in XML-editing, e.g. a syntax-highlighting editor like geany may show you common typos (In case you want to impose only a subset of the keys in the XML-file, you need to delete the remainder correctly)
• Less is better, too much branding may cause eye-fatigue ;)

Answer 2

While I haven't tested this with more recent versions of Ubuntu, I believe that Sabayon is what you are looking for.

It allows you to tweak all kinds of defaults: panels, background, templates, etc. It is often paired with Pessulus for restricting access to certain features, though is probably more than you need.

Update: It does work in 11.10, and it has been renamed to "User Profile Editor".

Answer 3

You could edit /usr/share/gconf/defaults/16_ubuntu-artwork and /usr/share/gconf/defaults/16_ubuntu-wallpapers for setting the default theme/icon set and wallpaper respectively. The file structure is pretty simple. For example, to change the default wallpaper you have to edit the line:

/desktop/gnome/background/picture_filename "/usr/share/backgrounds/warty-final-ubuntu.png"

to

/desktop/gnome/background/picture_filename "/PATH/TO/CUSTOM_WALLPAPER"

Make sure that the custom wallpaper can be read by everyone and be extra cautious when editing these files as you may damage your system.