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codywalton · May 20, 2003, 01:21 PM

Since theming began on OSX, I've been hoping for someone to make a Matrix inspired theme. I've tried to create a theme myself a couple of times but found that I lack A. the patience and B. the skill to create a truely good theme.

Now with the release of Reloaded, it seems like a good time for someone to step up and make us a killer Matrix theme for OSX.

I think a good starting point would be the old OS 9 theme LCD:

Click the thumbnail to view larger

Of course a stright conversion of this would not work well on OSX becuase of the text in the titlebars. But I think it would be a good base for an OSX matrix theme.

so.... Master Themers (Max, Swiz, etc.), who wants to take on this challenge? Maybe severall of us could band together and make this a group project?

there is no spoon.

NetworkShadow · 01:31 PM

Sorry dude, not posable on OS X. The text color problem with carbon apps would make it unusable. The problem is the pure black background. You'd need a background color you can at least read black text on...

You'd have to have an all green or black and gray pinstripe background (like swiz's tux), if you'd want this to work, and that might not look as cool. I don't know, I guess we'd have to try some mockups first.

tikki · May 20, 2003, 03:46 PM

god that background is hideous. How does Microsoft ship XP with that thing?

mrbiiggy2 · May 20, 2003, 04:03 PM

If someone created a *good* matrix theme (*cough* max *cough*

) I'd be all for it. That pic is hideous.

codywalton · May 20, 2003, 04:03 PM

Originally posted by tikki:
god that background is hideous. How does Microsoft ship XP with that thing?

It actualy not hideous. it goes great with Max's Luna theme, which I use about half of the time (smoothstripes, or plan aqua the other half. There are some other desktops that ship with XP i would call hideous, but the red sand pic and the bliss field are both nice, simple, and easy on the eyes.

anyway, that's quite off-topic. Anyone else with a coment on the Matrix idea. I know themes with black backgrounds don't work for carbon apps, that's why i said LCD should be the BASE and that a straight port wouldn't work. I was thinking you could add some subtle green scanlines to the black, like the matrix code looks when the zoom in on it really close.

fireside · May 20, 2003, 06:56 PM

for those of you who have seen matrix 2, there should be a theme from the checkpoint into Zion. while they are hooked up, like, where its all white and stuff. that was awesome.

eightoeight · May 20, 2003, 07:40 PM

thats a great idea fireside, i wish Mac OSX's GUI looked like that

if navigating around was so fluid and cool looking...kind of like Minority Report as well...heh i dont know

NetworkShadow · May 20, 2003, 07:52 PM

It's going to be a long time before that kind of GUI...

bOOzo · May 21, 2003, 06:55 AM

Originally posted by mrbiiggy2:
If someone created a *good* matrix theme (*cough* max *cough* ) I'd be all for it. That pic is hideous.

It would be cool, but I think a good matrix theme would require more freedom with text colors. I might give it a try during the summer though.
Hopefully, 10.3 will be easier to theme. At least, from what I've heard there is stuff happening to the GUI and it sounds like it's going to be more flexible, I'm really hoping they would support theming.

neoTony · May 21, 2003, 06:59 AM

An educated person could hypothesise that in order to brush the metal consistently through the find....err, certain core applications from Cupertino, Apple needs to complete the HIToolbox for Panther.

10.3 might just scratch that text color itch most of you are having...

Brien · May 27, 2003, 10:25 AM

Well, I tried to merge MAtrix with Aqua. Here's what I've got so far:

The brushed window:

Slayer-X · May 27, 2003, 11:52 AM

Originally posted by brien:
Well, I tried to merge MAtrix with Aqua. Here's what I've got so far:

The regular windows look cool. The brushed metal... not happening for me. Looks very over-busy in the background and the toolbar things are impossible to see without getting a headache. Maybe just take the regular brushed metal look and darken it to a very dark greenish black? The glyphs just look way too busy. X_X But I am lovin the titlebar on the regular window. I dunno why but it just looks really nifty.

swiz · May 27, 2003, 01:43 PM

Please stop trying to merge Aqua with anything. Either make it Aqua or not Aqua.

codywalton · May 27, 2003, 02:01 PM

Originally posted by swiz:
Please stop trying to merge Aqua with anything. Either make it Aqua or not Aqua.

ditto. the whole point of a theme is to have something different than aqua.

nice try though.

there is a rumor going around right now that 10.3 may have an official ability to apply themes. Take it with a grain of salt, because Steve hates themes.... but it would be cool.

Adam Betts · May 27, 2003, 02:22 PM

Originally posted by codywalton:
Take it with a grain of salt, because Steve hates themes.... but it would be cool.

Not really, he said he do like the idea of customizing your mac but he want to pressure developers on using real Aqua elements first instead of making their own.

He is well aware of the high demand for themes on MacOS X though

TheDisaster · May 27, 2003, 02:25 PM

So what's the problem with black text in the menus? I'm using Max's Brushed theme and the text in my menus is white. Yeah the titles of the menus are still black, but inside the menu itself it is white. I'm sure a Matrix theme isn't all that impossible.

NetworkShadow · May 27, 2003, 02:28 PM

No more aqua!!! There's really no point in making themes if you're just going to add matrix textures to aqua...

OptimusG4 · May 27, 2003, 02:29 PM

Originally posted by Adam Betts:
Not really, he said he do like the idea of customizing your mac but he want to pressure developers on using real Aqua elements first instead of making their own.

He is well aware of the high demand for themes on MacOS X though

I agree. Steve was the one that brought themes to OS 8.5 I think. If Steve hated themes, he wouldn't have left support for them all the way through OS 9.2.2.

FB Eye · May 27, 2003, 02:47 PM

This might be of interest to some of you:

Matrix Theme?

Now start buggin' the guy who initiated the topic

Brien · May 27, 2003, 02:48 PM

It's not really a there, per se. Just a pet project. It's not like I'm going to be releasing it to the public anyway.

SwissXDesign · 10:09 PM

Hi all.

I mentioned this before in another thread (somewhere) so here goes. This does not mean I will finish it soon and I warn you that I am extremely busy at the moment. However, it will be done!

This is the plan: Matrix theme with that oh so typical green and black thing going on. Then, once i've seen the movie some more times (and taken photos of it

), there will come the accompanying white theme based on the entrance port computers of Zion.

I like white themes...

Anyway, here's what I'm thinking. Ideas? Limitations? Please let me know cuz this is finally something I have a passion for creating my first theme...

Cheers...

Adam Betts · May 27, 2003, 10:38 PM

Originally posted by SwissXDesign:
Anyway, here's what I'm thinking. Ideas? Limitations? Please let me know cuz this is finally something I have a passion for creating my first theme...

I think it looks good but I doubt it'll be something that people will use for a long time.

phillryu · May 27, 2003, 10:43 PM

Nah, I guess that's the best you could do with matrix styling.. but dark themes just don't work on OS X. Yet. (Rumors of panther supporting themes come to mind.) Maybe you should wait to see what panther can support, come WWDC. (Less than a month now!!)

fireside · May 27, 2003, 11:12 PM

no stupid glyphs in the windows and crap.

codywalton · May 28, 2003, 08:05 AM

Originally posted by SwissXDesign:
Hi all.

I mentioned this before in another thread (somewhere) so here goes. This does not mean I will finish it soon and I warn you that I am extremely busy at the moment. However, it will be done!

This is the plan: Matrix theme with that oh so typical green and black thing going on. Then, once i've seen the movie some more times (and taken photos of it ), there will come the accompanying white theme based on the entrance port computers of Zion.

I like white themes...

Anyway, here's what I'm thinking. Ideas? Limitations? Please let me know cuz this is finally something I have a passion for creating my first theme...

Cheers...

me likey

invisibleX · May 28, 2003, 09:13 AM

My eyes! My eyes!

Looks cool but I couldn't work with it. The white one sounds very nice.

starfleetX · May 28, 2003, 09:32 AM

Originally posted by OptimusG4:
I agree. Steve was the one that brought themes to OS 8.5 I think. If Steve hated themes, he wouldn't have left support for them all the way through OS 9.2.2.

Actually, Steve was the one that killed the themes for 8.5 (HiTech, Gizmo), not the one that introduced them. Big difference.

dggraphics · May 28, 2003, 01:06 PM

I've been making a Matrix theme also. This is what I have so far.

Dex13 · May 28, 2003, 02:07 PM

I would use that theme dggraphics

swiz · May 28, 2003, 07:56 PM

Is it just me or doesnt "Matrix theme" suggest anything other than green and black elements?

invisibleX · May 29, 2003, 08:30 AM

Originally posted by swiz:
Is it just me or doesnt "Matrix theme" suggest anything other than green and black elements?

I think its your eyes telling you not to burn them out

LiON · May 29, 2003, 09:14 AM

I actually like dggraphics�s theme ^.^;;

FB Eye · May 29, 2003, 10:19 AM

dggraphics, if you get rid of all the Aqua left-overs, meaning widgets and scollbars/thumbs, I'd use that theme...

i've always found that Aqua elements (recolored or not), seriously clash with everything else...

my 2�

videian28 · May 29, 2003, 03:04 PM

that looks very nice, when do you think it will be avaliable?

wigglywoo · May 29, 2003, 03:25 PM

Reminds me of my old Cybernet Scheme a little. http://www.kaleidoscope.net/cgi-bin/...michaeladdison

codywalton · May 29, 2003, 06:58 PM

Originally posted by wigglywoo:
Reminds me of my old Cybernet Scheme a little. http://www.kaleidoscope.net/cgi-bin/...michaeladdison

oh, geez... I'd never go back to OS9, but man I miss K2 ..... K2 was the gui bomb.

NetworkShadow · May 29, 2003, 07:56 PM

dggraphics: not bad, but try and kill more of the aqua.

Mac Guru · May 29, 2003, 11:13 PM

Not to be harsh but I don't get it, it just reeks of bad Aqua Hack. Maybe some reworking of elements and a complete removal of all things Aqua?

I dunno

Mac Guru

Mac Guru · May 30, 2003, 12:08 AM

You know, I was thinking WHY the Green and Black? Why not do a Matrix theme with that aged damaged metal look? Therefore it wouldn't look like "the matrix code" but it'd be based off the Matrix, plus it'd be easier I think, to design.

Mac Guru

swiz · May 30, 2003, 12:20 AM

Originally posted by Mac Guru:
You know, I was thinking WHY the Green and Black? Why not do a Matrix theme with that aged damaged metal look? Therefore it wouldn't look like "the matrix code" but it'd be based off the Matrix, plus it'd be easier I think, to design.

Mac Guru

That was the point of my post. Everyone says Matrix theme and it conjurs up visions of the Green/black glyph stuff. If you actually get into deeper concepts of what makes the Matrix look I think you'd find that the green and black are merely accentuations of a much nicer GUI.

dggraphics · May 30, 2003, 02:24 AM

The aqua widgets are just temporary until I get the other widgets built. But I am going to leave it green and black, I wanted it to look like the old monochrome monitors. It is going to retain some aqua like qualities like the reflections on the menubar and document windows. I laso haven't decided how I should do the toolbar background either. I like the look of it now, but the text gets garbled in the fine pattern. If you have any suggestions they are more than welcome.

quandarry · 02:50 AM

i like it a lot...make it so!

quandarry · 03:01 AM

green and black......yes

Mac Guru · Jun 4, 2003, 11:05 PM

Ummmm still Green and Black? I just don't see it as Green and Black when I think "Matrix Theme"

If I have ANY time I'll post a mockup of what I'm seeing, but that's IF I have time.

But GOD, Black and GREEN are HORRIBLE color combo's IMO.

Mac Guru

swiz · Jun 4, 2003, 11:47 PM

Originally posted by Mac Guru:
Ummmm still Green and Black? I just don't see it as Green and Black when I think "Matrix Theme"

If I have ANY time I'll post a mockup of what I'm seeing, but that's IF I have time.

But GOD, Black and GREEN are HORRIBLE color combo's IMO.

Mac Guru

Amen brotha. But to each his own.

n8x · Jun 5, 2003, 12:06 AM

If you really want a matrix theme, you could always log into >console.

Personally, I'd much rather see an "aged damaged metal" theme as macguru suggested.. like boilerplate.. mmmmmm...

quandarry · 03:00 AM

fuddle duddle

G0Ducks · Jun 5, 2003, 02:09 AM

Originally posted by quandarry:
was this suppossed to be a constructive post...not!...negative...negative...negative...lik e most bull$hit around here...why is all the criticism so negative...is this a bashing forum...even to the point of it's not a theme it's variation or whatever...
but you're right...your Highness...to each his own...

Wow...I don't think I have seen a more oximoronic, contradicting post like this since...oh, before you were born *StarWars Quote*

Really, people should be able to theme what ever the hell they want. People should be able to say what ever the hell they want about it. Most people in these forums suffer from the plague known as "Over Sensitive Verbally Correct, Don't Hurt Their Feelings" disorder.

And even though the American government has tightened down on what we can say nowadays, we can still bitch, compliment, praise, bash, or flame anything we think needs a little work. Therefore, please...flame on about what ever, just realize that other people get to flame too.

Besides, I think that dggraphics is probably a big boy (girl?) and can handle a bit of any kind of criticism. Right?

Ryan

P.S. I think all that Green and Black looks sexy, I just couldn't use it for too long. I'm one of those sorry beestashes that needs a good ol' grey theme

swiz · Jun 5, 2003, 02:40 PM

)

Originally posted by G0Ducks:
Really, people should be able to theme what ever the hell they want. People should be able to say what ever the hell they want about it. Most people in these forums suffer from the plague known as "Over Sensitive Verbally Correct, Don't Hurt Their Feelings" disorder.

Besides, I think that dggraphics is probably a big boy (girl?) and can handle a bit of any kind of criticism. Right?

Ryan

P.S. I think all that Green and Black looks sexy, I just couldn't use it for too long. I'm one of those sorry beestashes that needs a good ol' grey theme

Thanks for saving me the time of explaining this seemingly obvious(to most) point. Ive been flamed, we've all been flamed if youve been around for a while. The key is to take a deep breath and realize it is all bit/byte BS and you need to just let it slide off your back. Go outside, get away from your computer, usually if forum posts are getting you that worked up, it means you are alienating yourself from the real world and taking this whole computer thing a little too seriously.

(Dammit, I still went and explained...

phrenzy · Jun 6, 2003, 10:31 PM

Damn this new Matrix screensaver is insane! It is the end-all Matrix screen savers.

Unfortunately it is PC only right now, but is so cool I had to post it here..

Renders all the glyphs flying by in 3D and intermittently the glyphs will zoom out (silky smooth) and form one of the Matrix characters.

Too cool.

http://www.megagames.com/news/html/s...reloaded.shtml