Unity Launcher always assumes default background is active for a couple of seconds

Is this still a problem?

Yes, even after upgrading to 14.04 and then to 14.10, and even after a fresh install of 14.10, Unity Launcher always behaves like that -- apparently takes too long to notice that I'm not using the default wallpaper, and sometimes even the default gtk and icon theme for I sometimes (this is not always) see the default icons, too!
I can live with these minor problems happily though - I even forgot I made such a bug report ;-)

This bug was fixed in the package unity - 7.3.1+15.04.20141216-0ubuntu1

---------------
unity (7.3.1+15.04.20141216-0ubuntu1) vivid; urgency=low

  [ Stephen M. Webb ]
  * replace the use of static glib with gi glib in AP test cases (LP:
    #1397006)
  * fix AP test failures due to upstream FileRoller .desktop file rename
    (LP: #1402707)

  [ Andrea Azzarone ]
  * Set the correct size for the lockscreen message. (LP: #1384242)
  * Ungrab the shoutdown dialog as soon as possible. (LP: #1398287)
  * skipped the animation of BGHash on startup to prevent unwanted fade-
    in (LP: #1241757)
 -- Ubuntu daily release <email address hidden> Tue, 16 Dec 2014 13:25:57 +0000

Hello Sadi, or anyone else affected,

Accepted unity into trusty-proposed. The package will build now and be available at https://launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/unity/7.2.4+14.04.20150316-0ubuntu1 in a few hours, and then in the -proposed repository.

Please help us by testing this new package. See https://wiki.ubuntu.com/Testing/EnableProposed for documentation how to enable and use -proposed. Your feedback will aid us getting this update out to other Ubuntu users.

If this package fixes the bug for you, please add a comment to this bug, mentioning the version of the package you tested, and change the tag from verification-needed to verification-done. If it does not fix the bug for you, please add a comment stating that, and change the tag to verification-failed. In either case, details of your testing will help us make a better decision.

Further information regarding the verification process can be found at https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/PerformingSRUVerification . Thank you in advance!

Sorry, I can't test this as I'm currently using Ubuntu 14.10, and will soon upgrade to Ubuntu 15.04.

I verified this on an old, slow machine where the described phenomenon was more easily observed and it indeed no longer occurs. There is still a whole-screen flicker as Compiz starts up but that's an unrelated issue.

This bug was fixed in the package unity - 7.2.4+14.04.20150316-0ubuntu1

---------------
unity (7.2.4+14.04.20150316-0ubuntu1) trusty; urgency=medium

  [ Andrea Azzarone ]
  * Avoid running potentially dangerous code paths when the screen is
    locked. (LP: #1410582)
  * Ungrab the shoutdown dialog as soon as possible. (LP: #1398287)
  * Use COMPIZ_METAKEY where needed. (LP: #1363534)
  * disabled Pointer Barriers during lockscreen (LP: #1401911)
  * disabled markup for VolumeLauncherIcon quicklist menu items (LP:
    #1413411)
  * enable Dash, Hud, and session dialogs over full screen window (LP:
    #1159249, #860970, #1413773, #1404486)
  * made unity unlockable if user is in nopsswdlogin group (LP:
    #1413790)
  * skipped the animation of BGHash on startup to prevent unwanted fade-
    in (LP: #1241757)

  [ Luke Yelavich ]
  * extended accessible exploration of the Dash dynamic content (LP:
    #1066157)

  [ Marco Trevisan (Treviño) ]
  * MenuManager: make sure menus are always shown when mouse is over
    them or when the always-show-menus option is on (LP: #955193,
    #1390562, #1374942, #1312137)
  * PanelService: use gdbus to notfy upstart of service start/stop (LP:
    #1302955)
 -- CI Train Bot <email address hidden> Mon, 16 Mar 2015 17:30:35 +0000

The verification of the Stable Release Update for unity has completed successfully and the package has now been released to -updates. Subsequently, the Ubuntu Stable Release Updates Team is being unsubscribed and will not receive messages about this bug report. In the event that you encounter a regression using the package from -updates please report a new bug using ubuntu-bug and tag the bug report regression-update so we can easily find any regressions.

I've just upgraded to Ubuntu 15.04 and first noticed that this problem has been resolved, but there are still some complications it seems.

When I ran Nautilus as root (using the command "gksu nautilus") I suddenly saw that the Unity Launcher background switched to the default background again.

What's worse, when I tried getting rid of it by entering terminal command "nautilus -q", I saw that my desktop background changed to default one.

Interesting change of behavior:
After a number of trials, the use of command "sudo nautilus" instead of "gksu nautilus" does not result in Nautilus (Root) changing the Unity Launcher background to the default.
But the sidebar includes User bookmarks, and not the Root bookmarks although it is definitely Nautilus running as Root, or not as Root but with Root privileges.
However, logging out and back in still repeats the same (minor) problem: for a couple of seconds Unity Launcher displays the default (purple) background.
Running the command "gksu nautilus" a couple of times goes back to the disastrous desktop background situation described in the previous message.

Having same issue too on 15.04 but only when i run "gksu nautilus" or "pkexec nautilus" (hack from webupd8), after "nautilus -q" and opening nautilus and then minimizing it and clicking anywhere on desktop brings back the unity dash color according to the wallpaper applied.