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

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

Solution 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 ;)

Solution 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".