AppleInsider › Forums › Software › Mac OS X › Are you tired of the brushed metal and pinstripes?
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Are you tired of the brushed metal and pinstripes?

post #1 of 16
3/5/06 at 3:04pm
Thread Starter 
I was too. At first it was OK but Apple overdid it in Tiger IMO. The Finder and Safari just became plain annoying. So I looked for a solution and I mainly came across things like shapeshifter but I didn't want to hack the system and make it slower or unstable. I just wanted a different look.

Then I saw Apple's Mail program in Tiger and I just thought that's how Apple should have done it in the first place. Elegant, stylish and not too in-your-face.

I then found this great application:

http://gui.interacto.net/

It just replaces some texture files once and backs those up so you can revert back again. It makes everything look like the Mail app and gets rid of all the pinstripes in favour of a nice gradient.

It also replaces the Dashboard cheese holes for a smooth gradient so if you like that, you may not want to install this.

There is an installer for itunes separately but it made my music list disappear (not deleted, just hidden) so I uninstalled it. Others have said it works ok but since itunes has an acceptable gradient anyway, I just left it.
Reply
Reply
post #2 of 16
3/5/06 at 6:03pm
Looks nice, but it breaks BBEdit, So it's back to Iridium for me.
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
post #3 of 16
3/5/06 at 6:10pm
There's a screenshot of BBEdit with the uno theme, so how does it break the app?

Also, while i like the theme, why is the menubar darkened? This is a case of fixing something that wasn't broken.

Anywhooo, I might download the theme. First time I've actually been interested in doing this in X.
Download BARTsmart BART Widget, the best BART schedule widget for Mac OS X's Dashboard.
Reply
Download BARTsmart BART Widget, the best BART schedule widget for Mac OS X's Dashboard.
Reply
post #4 of 16
3/5/06 at 7:23pm
If you choose to show line numbers in BBEdit, the gradient will repeat, and repeat, and repeat. Pretty fugly.
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
post #5 of 16
3/5/06 at 7:31pm
Just install Shapeshifter and have fun with hundreds of such themes, and better.
Reply
Reply
post #6 of 16
3/6/06 at 7:06am
The menu bar on Uno is to dim
Reply
Reply
post #7 of 16
3/6/06 at 9:59am
Looks like there's a version of Uno with the standard menu bar for those who prefer things the way they are.
Download BARTsmart BART Widget, the best BART schedule widget for Mac OS X's Dashboard.
Reply
Download BARTsmart BART Widget, the best BART schedule widget for Mac OS X's Dashboard.
Reply
post #8 of 16
3/6/06 at 12:48pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by Placebo
Just install Shapeshifter and have fun with hundreds of such themes, and better.

Shapeshifter uses resources though and isn't free.

I use BBEdit too and it does mess up the line number margin but I just live with it. I didn't use Iridium before because it used to require Shapeshifter. Does it work ok with BBEdit?

http://www.versiontracker.com/dyn/moreinfo/macosx/27637
Reply
Reply
post #9 of 16
3/6/06 at 1:25pm
I really don't think it uses resources. It writes over the theme .rsrc files when you change themes, but then isn't active or required to be open.
Reply
Reply
post #10 of 16
3/6/06 at 1:40pm
Quote:
Originally posted by Marvin

I use BBEdit too and it does mess up the line number margin but I just live with it. I didn't use Iridium before because it used to require Shapeshifter. Does it work ok with BBEdit?

Iridium comes with a standalone installer. It works fine with BBedit, I havent found an application yet that breaks with Iridium.
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
post #11 of 16
3/6/06 at 1:44pm
Just as Uno, Iridium also replaces the Dashboard metal cheeseholes with a gradient, which I don't like. A little terminal hax0rn3ss later everything's just the way I like it.
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
"I've learned there's more to life than being really, really, really, really, really, really, ridiculously good-looking. :-x" - Zoolander
~:My scraps:~
Reply
post #12 of 16
3/6/06 at 5:30pm
Thread Starter 
Quote:
Originally posted by Placebo
I really don't think it uses resources. It writes over the theme .rsrc files when you change themes, but then isn't active or required to be open.

I just went with what lost of people have been saying:

http://www.macupdate.com/reviews.php?id=13335

I've seen other software using APE and I've seen it cause instability. Even if Shapeshifter isn't running, check if APE is and what it's doing.

I think I'll go with Iridium over Uno to fix the BBEdit thing then.
Reply
Reply
post #13 of 16
3/6/06 at 9:37pm
I hope they start using the black theme seen in iMovie and iPhoto 6.
I crave the following:
12" powerbook w/ a dual-core merom processor
256 mb graphics card
brightest display possible
backlit keyboard
Reply
I crave the following:
12" powerbook w/ a dual-core merom processor
256 mb graphics card
brightest display possible
backlit keyboard
Reply
post #14 of 16
3/7/06 at 1:23am
Shapeshifter pretty much crashes my machine at least 3 times a day.

I wish Apple would just drop the brushed metal and stick with the Spotlight show all theme. Or at least have an option that says "Brushed Metal" and one that says "Universal Aqua" or some crap. It wouldn't be that hard. Im tired of this mix and match shit.
Reply
Reply
post #15 of 16
3/7/06 at 5:27am
glad to see such thing, i'll go and grap it.
Reply
Reply
post #16 of 16
3/7/06 at 11:42am
I'm tired of the mix and match too. Sure perhaps it's great they keep experimenting...but there are like 10 very different looks in OS X now. Unified, Aqua, Aqua Glass, Metal, Smooth Metal, Wood (Garageband), "Black" (the new Front Row, iPhoto 6, iMovie etc), etc.

SO they should at LEAST standardize on ONE or TWO like Aqua/Metal for every rev. For example if they decided they didn't like Aqua, they should have made EVERYTHING in Tiger either Unified or Metal. It is really starting to look sloppy. Aqua/Metal made sense, the iThing metaphor with Metal. But now it just looks...bad. And Apple isn't known for their stuff looking bad! It's confusing and ugly. It reminds me of Windows. That's...bad.

I personally have always hated metal, hated Aqua until the Panther or Tiger "version" of Aqua, and I hate Unified and the "Black" and "Wood" stuff. But a standard is better than no standard, as they say.

And yes perhaps they should have a simple checkbox in Prefs that Aquafies everything. Mail, Safari, everything. Unified, Wood, Metal, etc. It's actually pretty simple, at least for the Metal, it just turns off the "textured window" in that nib thing or whatever.

Ugh. I used to like Kaliedoscope. But I like others have found APE to just cause problems. I refuse to use it if there is even a hint of instability. I got used to stability with OS X. Once you get used to stability you just can't go back.
"Overpopulation and climate change are serious shit." Gilsch
"I was really curious how they had managed such fine granularity of alienation." addabox
Reply
"Overpopulation and climate change are serious shit." Gilsch
"I was really curious how they had managed such fine granularity of alienation." addabox
Reply
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Mac OS X
AppleInsider › Forums › Software › Mac OS X › Are you tired of the brushed metal and pinstripes?