mail.app to get metal interface

othello

so say spymac...



<a href="http://www.spymac.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.spymac.com/</a>;



anyone seen a build of this? it has always struck me as odd that mail is one of the only base apple apps without metal...

os10geek

NOT METAL! PLEASE! There will be no Aqua left by the end of this! :eek:

hobbes

[quote]Originally posted by os10geek:

<strong>There will be no Aqua left by the end of this! :eek: </strong><hr></blockquote>



You're not kidding.



My guess for Apple's updated suggestions / guidelines for Brushed Metal / Textured:



- interface for a digital peripheral, or managing data shared w/ digital peripherals



- apps that strive to re-create a familiar physical device



- single-window applications that stress simplicity and ease-of-use



I'm also beginning to think that Aqua will also get a glossy, less pinstriped refresh in either 10.3 or 10.4 -- somewhat akin to the new buttons on Safari.



Just speculatin'.



[ 03-13-2003: Message edited by: Hobbes ]</p>

kecksy

[quote]Originally posted by othello:

<strong>so say spymac...



<a href="http://www.spymac.com/"; target="_blank">http://www.spymac.com/</a>;



anyone seen a build of this? it has always struck me as odd that mail is one of the only base apple apps without metal...</strong><hr></blockquote>



Go ahead. Just make the whole ****ing OS metal! Screw Aqua and that candy ass shit! <img src="graemlins/oyvey.gif" border="0" alt="[oyvey]" />

low-fi

Flamebait: I don't mind metal all all.



low-fi

steve

The Cocoa toolbars were a great idea, that's all. They're damn useful, and they look nice. Brushed metal negates its majesty, though. There is simply no excuse for Apple to design an entirely new interface for things as basic as a browser control (where the Cocoa toolbars are actually at their most useful) when familiar controls already exist. The entire iChat application could also benefit immensely from these toolbars. Same with iCal, now that I think about it (God forbid they actually have a button to create a new To-Do).



The only reason that they keep going with the brushed metal crap is so that they can continue the whole "Libraries" motif with that huge-ass side panel. The same can be accomplished with aqua, and even more elegently, with drawers.



I can only imagine that this may eventually lead to a sort of metal/aqua skinnability feature. Well, I pray.



[ 03-13-2003: Message edited by: Steve ]</p>

paul

[quote]Originally posted by Steve:

<strong>The Cocoa toolbars were a great idea, that's all. </strong><hr></blockquote>



this is the killer feature that is in OW and not Safari...



it really is a blow to safari and all brushed metal apps... how hard would it be to make the toolbars native cocoa?

steve

It really is getting ridiculous. I hardly ever see actual Aqua anymore outside of Mail and the Finder. Now one of those is down, and the Finder ain't even Cocoa. Maybe on the occasional Sherlock and SysPref I'll actually see some pinstripes to match the freakin' menubar.



Brushed metal apps:

- iTunes

- iPhoto

- iMovie

- iDVD

- iChat

- iCal

- iSync

- Address Book

- Safari

- Backup

- QuickTime Player (Not even real)



Of those, I believe that the iLife apps, Address Book, and QT should be the only metal apps.

paul

iTunes isn't real either... and parts of iPhoto too (or at least i was told)



thats why I try and use 3rd party whenever possible... it stimulates development for the platform and it is a better solution...



OW rules!

aquatic

and steve.jobs to get punched in the face

steve

[quote]Originally posted by Paul:

<strong>iTunes isn't real either... and parts of iPhoto too (or at least i was told)

</strong><hr></blockquote>



Yes, I'm aware of that. All the iLife apps are artificial so that they can run on 10.1 as well (only 10.2 has a real metal skin).



Fact is, they feel as they should. There's never any real operations in iTunes outside of playing/pausing/skipping songs, so it naturally lends itself to brushed metal (this mentality applies to QT, too). Same for iPhoto, where the "options" dynamically change with what viewing mode you're in. It works great for iMovie, too, being that most of its actions are drag-and-drop ones.



To have a metal interface in iCal, though, is just absurd, with all the crap going on in that thing, too. iChat is even worse, since they actually implant push buttons onto the interface, which cry out to be full-fledged Cocoa buttons, on both the buddy list and the IM windows. Backup actually HAS a Cocoa toolbar, and it looks like ass when it's comprised of metal. And we've already discussed Safari.

drewprops

Am I correct in my hunch that there's really no chance that Apple will produce an option to re-skin the OS (and all affected apps) without resorting to a dangerous hack?



I'd love to run a nice milk-white theme that the hack by unsanity runs, but Brad has convinced me to steer clear of that kind of hack.

stunned

I dun care! I use Entourage anyway!

os10geek

Me too! And ya know what? M$ft got some things right. But the spam filter sucks.

hobbes

[quote]Originally posted by drewprops:

<strong>Am I correct in my hunch that there's really no chance that Apple will produce an option to re-skin the OS (and all affected apps) without resorting to a dangerous hack?



I'd love to run a nice milk-white theme that the hack by unsanity runs, but Brad has convinced me to steer clear of that kind of hack.</strong><hr></blockquote>



I would say you're correct.



I wouldn't say themes are dangerous hacks, though, exactly. (And wouldn't you say that Apple has given some tacit approval to theming by not attempting to have theming sites shut down...?) Lots of folk run themes like Milk, Max's Brushed Metal, Smooth Stripes, and Quicksilver with no problems at all. Just back up before you fire up Duality or Theme Changer.

cube

Hi I just wana say that I think that the Metal aps look realy cool



I have just switshed and i remember drooling over the aqua an metal interface :eek:

squidthing

Am I the only person here who would like the entire OS to be brushed metal? What is it you're against, the metal scheme itself or the lack of coordination and continuity accross the OS?



Except all buttons should be submerged. Maybe we should just get Jonathan Ive to redesign the GUI.



Andrew

os10geek

Its getting to look like XP Luna... I thought that the Metal theme was in Apps that connect with external devices...but in that case, just about everything can be Metal. You could say that Safari and Mail connect with servers, and servers are external devices... <img src="graemlins/hmmm.gif" border="0" alt="[Hmmm]" />

ghost_user_name

It's spymac.



creditability = zero.



iChat is metal because it's going to hook into webcams.



it's all logical except safari, but based upon the tabs and the bookmark organization, it's now effectively a single-window app.



and, the custom tabs would have looked completely ass in aqua.

nano

What do people mean when u say i tunes is fake and parts of iphoto have fake meltal?

chrisg

Quote:

Originally posted by Nano

What do people mean when u say i tunes is fake and parts of iphoto have fake meltal?

'Fake Metal' is when a app does not use the system wide API for the metal appearence. Meaning that iPhoto, iMovie, iPhoto, iDVD, Quicktime all have their metal look hard coded into them.