[I'mDaMac]

X-Metal is here! X-Metal is designed to compliment your "Power" computer from Apple, whether it's the ultra-fast PowerMac G5 or the ultra-sleek PowerBook. This is a full GUI makeover kit. The X-Metal disk image includes:
� ShapeShifter 1.2 compatible guiKit with application skins
� Icons designed by MiXthepiX (Hein Mevissen)
� Bonus alternate black menu variation
� New custom desktops

Thanks to MiXthepiX for designing the icons. Thanks also to quandarry for helping me beta test this thing. Click my sig to get it.

[Fonzie]

Great! thank you. I'll take it for a spin right now.

[derdomi]

YAY!! Looks like the professional looking theme "for the rest of us".
Very nice. Thank's for the great work.

[codywalton]

Hmm ok. After trying out for a while, I'd have to say I'm under-whelmed.

It's a well crafted theme, very consistent, and I'm sure a lot of time and energy went into making it. But my overall reaction to it is is a big "Meh...."

I'm much or interested in the upcoming black theme, eXec. For now I'm sticking with ProLCD. Which is still the best theme ever (so far).

[NetworkShadow]

Really nice looking.

Hay let me know if you need a mirror for it.

[Fonzie]

Cool theme, I found it to be VERY nice. Especially the titlebar buttons. And that menubar is sooo nice.

Good job. Will be using this for awhile.

Was this the theme that was originally gonna be out some time ago when a XP-user grabbed the gfx and made his own theme ?

[digitaljames]

It reminds me of Max's Milk Theme dipped in chrome. No *wow* factor for me but the theme is excellent quality non-the-less. It is also good seeing Hein back in action so-to-speak....

Kudos to you both....

[philcozz]

Really quite beautiful... Professional, elegant. Good job.

[JudieKaren]

Originally posted by I'mDaMac:
X-Metal is here! X-Metal is designed to compliment your "Power" computer from Apple, whether it's the ultra-fast PowerMac G5 or the ultra-sleek PowerBook. This is a full GUI makeover kit. The X-Metal disk image includes:
� ShapeShifter 1.2 compatible guiKit with application skins
� Icons designed by MiXthepiX (Hein Mevissen)
� Bonus alternate black menu variation
� New custom desktops

Thanks to MiXthepiX for designing the icons. Thanks also to quandarry for helping me beta test this thing. Click my sig to get it.

I clicked your sig, and the site shows up, but I'm not finding a link to download. Is it there on the page your sig takes us to, or is it on the THEMES page? (I tried the THEMES page and nothing happens.)

[DaveV1.0]

I don't get it I still can't see it even after emptying my cache I even tried all the other browsers all I get is the same page thats always been there????

[d4nth3m4n]

someone want to post a screenie?

[grayware]

Originally posted by DaveV1.0:
I don't get it I still can't see it even after emptying my cache I even tried all the other browsers all I get is the same page thats always been there????

Me too. Cleared cache, refreshed, relaunched... nadda.

[Tarambana]

It is a WOW for me, and a

Great one. I have been waiting for it since the very same day you posted that mock-up, long ago

[cmove]

Nice theme, except for the metal texture.

[digitaljames]

Originally posted by grayware:
Me too. Cleared cache, refreshed, relaunched... nadda.

Clear the cache again.....keep trying. Maybe your on the *blacklist*????

[Fonzie]

Do the ones that cannot see the theme, try and wait awhile, maybe some DNS addresses has to be updated at your ISP !? I've had that experience sometimes.

@DigitalJames, Milk dipped in chrome ?? Seen the titlebar widgets and that menubar ? I think not

[grayware]

Originally posted by digitaljames:
Clear the cache again.....keep trying. Maybe your on the *blacklist*????

Oh I'll keep trying... I even restarted to no avail. Oh well.

[digitaljames]

Originally posted by Fonzie:
Do the ones that cannot see the theme, try and wait awhile, maybe some DNS addresses has to be updated at your ISP !? I've had that experience sometimes.

@DigitalJames, Milk dipped in chrome ?? Seen the titlebar widgets and that menubar ? I think not

I said *reminds me*, that was my opinion only. It clearly is not the Milk Theme dipped in chrome.

[Fonzie]

Originally posted by digitaljames:
I said *reminds me*, that was my opinion only. It clearly is not the Milk Theme dipped in chrome.

I'm all with you. Don't think otherwise

We all have our opinions. It would be a dull world to live in if otherwise.

[cube3]

for people having a problem click here.

http://members.cox.net/damac519/themes.html?

the problem is with your isp's proxy sever, by sticking a "?" at the end of the URL you force it to refresh it's cache.

Oh, and pro theme great icons

[Apfhex]

Well, it's good. It's... a lot like iStyle, which I guess is not a bad thing. I suppose I just expected it to be a little more different.

The icons I have mixed feelings about. Some a really great, and others seem a little lacking, or out of place. And what's up with this "No Icon" business, like on the Developer folder. Ah well, it's all fine though.

[justinp]

Command+Click the refresh button in Safari in the themes section if you're having trouble seeing the updated page.

I hate to criticize, but this theme is a big disappointment for me. I was looking forward to it (and as with such things, they do not always live up to what you were expecting...) However, this theme just feels all wrong. It's as if it was worked on for a few days every month or so, with no regard as to how elements were created in previous months, only an idea of what they should be close to. And beyond that, it seems as if when it came down to it, iStyle elements were used when X-Metal replacements/enhancements/whatever would have been better and pulled the theme together even more.

The highlighted menubar menus look more like Aluminum Alloy's Smog variation than any sort of metal. The metal look of Finder/Safari buttons is superb, why wasn't this replicated?

There are flat gray highlight inside the menu instead of metal (this looks straight out of iStyle from the site previews, but I could be wrong). Which is completely counter to everything else in the theme.

Even the buttons in the Finder do not match, the shading when pushed in for the window view states is different than that of the action menu and forward/backward buttons.

Look the font menus versus the other buttons when you go to post, the shading around the outside is different, as are some of the smaller details on the button itself.

The Apple menu is right out of About This Mac, instead of matching the style of every other metal element in the them.

The "loading" animation is stock.

The "expand" grabber in the lower right corner of windows doesn't have the sharp highlighting of other sunken elements.

The script menu keeps the same image when clicked (counter to other menus, like AirPort).

Tabs look more glassy than they do metallic. When you click them they get a very dark shadow along the top. This is more like what is seen with the widgets rather than what they should be closer to (Finder buttons). Even then, they don't even match the widgets, as those get dark all the way around, not just along the top.

Plus there are other things I just don't like (menubar is rounded but the lighting on the caps doesn't reflect this).

I can appreciate the time you put into this. But for me, it's just not a package I can use at the moment. I'm too anal to look past all the inconsistencies.

If this had been done right (my idea of right) I could see using this theme often. Maybe I'll make the modifications myself at some point... (though, I'd rather see about making my own theme that I've been thinking about for a while, rather than "fixing" someone elses).

Sorry if I come across as harsh.

[neo_2510]

I was thinking the same - more or less about the excitement for that theme, but it's more like iStyle just a bit darker - that's it nothing special and some thing are out of place or don't look right. I do like the coloring and the over all looking, like I do with iSytle, but Xmetal is nothing special. I like the icons, but since this theme took so long to be released I would have thought about a COMPLETE icon set and the folder should have an open state, but I am a bit disappointed. iStyle is nice, but this one is lacking something.
BTW Siro is still my favorite theme and it's very well done

Just my 2�

[jessejlt]

Screenshot... Please

[olorin15]

Here you go:

[Makki]

I want to say thank you very much for such a great theme i like it alot alot

This theme is awesome.

Makki

[DaveV1.0]

Yes I finally got it and I love it excellent work COTL Studios

[fireside]

color me unimpressed. it looks like you just ran iStyle (which wasn't that good looking to begin with) through a chrome filter.

and i was expecting more from Hein's icons. they sucked. and Hein didn't really "come back," he just made some fairly crappy icons compared to his earlier work.

[JudieKaren]

Originally posted by cube3:
for people having a problem click here.

http://members.cox.net/damac519/themes.html?

the problem is with your isp's proxy sever, by sticking a "?" at the end of the URL you force it to refresh it's cache.

Oh, and pro theme great icons

THANK YOU cube3! Can I have your brain?

[deej5871]

Originally posted by justinp:
It's as if it was worked on for a few days every month or so, with no regard as to how elements were created in previous months, only an idea of what they should be close to. And beyond that, it seems as if when it came down to it, iStyle elements were used when X-Metal replacements/enhancements/whatever would have been better and pulled the theme together even more.

There are flat gray highlight inside the menu instead of metal (this looks straight out of iStyle from the site previews, but I could be wrong). Which is completely counter to everything else in the theme.

I think that it looks like iStyle because they're both based on the design of Apple's computers. iStyle is based on the "i" line of computers and X-Metal is based on the "Power" line of computers. It only makes sense that they use many of the same elements. Just think of how much an iBook and Powerbook look alike. Sure they're different in many respects, but so are the themes.

My point is, they are supposed to be somewhat alike, so what's wrong with using some of the same elements?

P.S. I haven't tried X-Metal out yet so I'm going by the previews and the captions beside them from the COTL Studio site.

[justinp]

I have no problem with the themes sharing widgets (essentially) and Finder buttons, etc. I realize X-Metal is supposed to be a metal version of iStyle for the most part. But when you've got flat gradients that look like they're straight out of iStyle instead of metal elements (where metal would be more appropriate) it just seems like you're cutting corners.

[Jaey]

I have to say what codywalton said: "meh..."
I never understood why people liked iStyle so much, and now X-Metal looks almost exactly the same. It's a bland gray theme, and some of the widgets look out of place.

[Ozzpot]

It's a really nice and consistent theme. One question though - when I import the iContainer into Pixadex, it has "missing icons" - slots where instead of an icon there is a dotted line is a "No icon" icon; a dotted line in a rounded square shape. Is this correct? Or is the iContainer corrupt or something?

[cube3]

Originally posted by JudieKaren:
THANK YOU cube3! Can I have your brain?

You'll have to take little tape player that reminds me to breathe too

[Atomic Rooster]

You guys are all sissy wankers!

This is a masterpiece! Magnifico!

Danke ImDaMac. Mucho gratias.



Raiting: Two Thumbs Up.

[cxddesign]

Originally posted by Apfhex:
Well, it's good. It's... a lot like iStyle, which I guess is not a bad thing. I suppose I just expected it to be a little more different.

The icons I have mixed feelings about. Some a really great, and others seem a little lacking, or out of place. And what's up with this "No Icon" business, like on the Developer folder. Ah well, it's all fine though.

Yes infact I somewhat still like iStyle better, they are very similar, except i think x-metal lacks in some areas that iStyle shines, especiall in normal finder windows, iStyle has that great shading/depth to them where as x-metal is fairly flat.. I was expecting maybe a darker more contrast-ed version of iStyle, but its a beautiful package none the less.

as fas as those icons go, I havent ever really had a need for those particular medias, so i don't see much of a draw back

good job though, great theme... much looking forward to eXec

[phillryu]

I'm liking the theme overall, but I have to agree with fireside on his points. There's definitely more than a little similarity between iStyle and XMetal - more than I expected and hoped for. Also, the icons were a bit disappointing. However, overall, it's still a pretty good theme. I would've more expected this to be a variant in iStyle 2 or something though, that's all.

[Ozzpot]

I'm kind of expecting eXec to be a black variation of iStyle now actually. All the widgets and elements the same as iStyle, but black instead of white. This being the case, I would expect it to have been released by now. Maybe (hopefully) I am wrong. I am really looking forward to a new dark theme.

I am not too disappointed with X-Metal, becasue I kind of expected it to be similar to iStyle, and it is well executed and consistent in any case. I agree the some of the icons are not up to Hein's usual standards, but they are very nice nonetheless, and I'm sure he will live up to his (very high) expectations once he has got back into the swing of things. Assuming of course he has decided to forgive and forget and stop punishing us with his absence. I hope so.

[bluevertical]

nice work on the theme!
i'm not a big fan of the icons though... constructively, i find the icons a bit bloated. i of course sincerely appreciate the work that goes into all of this. as an architect and artist, i just enjoy very sharp and clear graphics in my UI.... but with that said... keep pushing and creating!

peace.
bv.

[Lancer409]

i like the icons. just the trebel clef is bugging me .. that and the quicktime icon with the movie folder .. seeing as to how i rarely use quicktime

[themarvelous3]

Originally posted by codywalton:
Hmm ok. After trying out for a while, I'd have to say I'm under-whelmed.

It's a well crafted theme, very consistent, and I'm sure a lot of time and energy went into making it. But my overall reaction to it is is a big "Meh...."

I'm much or interested in the upcoming black theme, eXec. For now I'm sticking with ProLCD. Which is still the best theme ever (so far).

no no, you're confused Xi-Tibook 2 is the best : ) (promise)

[MacDog]

Originally posted by digitaljames:
Clear the cache again.....keep trying. Maybe your on the *blacklist*????

For those having trouble seeing it, XMetal is nothing more than iStyle using Grey color instead of white... an EXTREMELY disappointing theme, if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, it's a very complete theme and very well done... it's just, well, boring (just my opinion).

[codywalton]

Originally posted by themarvelous3:
no no, you're confused Xi-Tibook 2 is the best : ) (promise)

No, I'm quite sure ProLCD is the Best. Theme. Ever.

Xi-Tibook 2 is nice, but not best. Personally I don't like the orange flashing elements of it... too distracting.

[Luca Rescigno]

Meh. It's not BAD, but it's not that impressive either. The good thing is, over the course of switching to X-Metal, I was forced to upgrade my version of CandyBar to the latest one, and I took another look at all my themes and decided to go with one I hadn't used before.

[Jaey]

Originally posted by codywalton:
Xi-Tibook 2 is nice, but not best. Personally I don't like the orange flashing elements of it... too distracting.

You can use green.

[codywalton]

Originally posted by Jaey:
You can use green.

It's the flashing I find distracting, not the color.

[olorin15]

Originally posted by MacDog:
For those having trouble seeing it, XMetal is nothing more than iStyle using Grey color instead of white... an EXTREMELY disappointing theme, if you ask me. Don't get me wrong, it's a very complete theme and very well done... it's just, well, boring (just my opinion).

Jeez, what were you guys expecting it to be??? I expected exactly this when I first saw the description. iStyle is inspired by iMac line, XMetal by G5/powerbook. Of course they are similar. They were supposed to be similar - they are the same concept applied to two different lines of Macs ... I'm confused why so many here find XMetal disappointing It's a very nice theme that does what it promised to do - fits my powerbook perfectly! Thanks DaMac!!!

[FB Eye]

olorin15, I agree 100% with you...

Nice job

[I'mDaMac]

Originally posted by olorin15:
Jeez, what were you guys expecting it to be??? I expected exactly this when I first saw the description. iStyle is inspired by iMac line, XMetal by G5/powerbook. Of course they are similar. They were supposed to be similar - they are the same concept applied to two different lines of Macs ... I'm confused why so many here find XMetal disappointing It's a very nice theme that does what it promised to do - fits my powerbook perfectly! Thanks DaMac!!!

Thanks olorin15 you're one of the few that seem to "get" it. iStyle for "i" line and X-Metal for "Power" line. The hardware from Apple look similar as should these two themes which are based on said hardware. Also this should come as no surprise since I posted the following when I release iStyle:

No, it's not X-Metal. It is a mod of and a companion to X-Metal called iStyle. iStyle was originally planned to be previewed and released after X-Metal. FYI, this release uses modified elements that will be seen in X-Metal so if you want a sneak peek at what parts of X-Metal will look like I strongly suggest downloading and installing iStyle.

Also, I happen to think the icons designed by Hein are great. If I didn't I wouldn't have included them in the package. I did notice that there are a few icons missing from the package but you can easily "pull" those "no icon" placeholders and use the aqua ones. I'll contact Hein about this and see if he'd be willing to update it but he's been busy, as have I, and some of you people don't seem to realize that we do this stuff on our spare time. It's not a money maker for us themers and icon artists. So if you think I'm cutting corners then please do us both a favor and don't bother using it.

[cube3]

Originally posted by I'mDaMac:
Thanks olorin15 you're one of the few that seem to "get" it. iStyle for "i" line and X-Metal for "Power" line. The hardware from Apple look similar as should these two themes which are based on said hardware. Also this should come as no surprise since I posted the following when I release iStyle:

Also, I happen to think the icons designed by Hein are great. If I didn't I wouldn't have included them in the package. I did notice that there are a few icons missing from the package but you can easily "pull" those "no icon" placeholders and use the aqua ones. I'll contact Hein about this and see if he'd be willing to update it but he's been busy, as have I, and some of you people don't seem to realize that we do this stuff on our spare time. It's not a money maker for us themers and icon artists. So if you think I'm cutting corners then please do us both a favor and don't bother using it.

I like it, I think it's a great variation, I like the icons too. People forget that themers do this kind of stuff on their own time, and for free. Frankly some of the posts in this forum astound me, and I am slowly learning to not take it personally. I don't know what it is in this forum, but some of these people are never happy, yet I don't see them producing themes. On the up side, at least they're comparing it to your own theme it could be worse.