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Hrothgar15 · 05:34 AM

I feel that apple is going in the entirely wrong direction replacing all brushed metal with the crappy, simplistic platinum theme used in iTunes. Brushed metal is realistic, unique, and just plain cool, and getting rid of it is a HUGE step backwards. It's just so intricately designed and looks great especially with apps like Safari and the Finder. I can't Apple is just throwing this amazing interface design away.

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In Leopard I will do everything I can to restore the user-interface to how it is with Tiger: brushed metal for apps like Safari and the Finder, platinum for iTunes, and regular Aqua for apps like TextEdit and Preview. I for one like a little variety in my UI...why should everything be the same?

That said, there is a program called UNO that can be used to change brushed metal in Tiger to the platinum theme by backuping then replacing resource files. Here's my question: will a program like this be possible in Leopard, as in a program that will allow apps that would normally be platinum to return to brushed metal like they should be?

Thanks in advance.

iranfromthezoo · Jul 11, 2006, 06:36 PM

why is this post here? how do you know leopard will look like that?

- - e r i k - - · Jul 11, 2006, 08:53 PM

Thank you for your opinion. Unfortunately most of the world disagrees.

Jim Paradise · Jul 11, 2006, 08:57 PM

**** brushed metal. Point - counterpoint.

voodoo · Jul 11, 2006, 09:02 PM

Originally Posted by Hrothgar15

Here's my question: will a program like this be possible in Leopard, as in a program that will allow apps that would normally be platinum to return to brushed metal like they should be?

Thanks in advance.

To answer your question: yes, there is no reason why such a program can't exist, but will it exist..? Maybe.

Most people hate brushed metal or are very tired of it. Myself included.

V

Steve Bosell · Jul 11, 2006, 09:13 PM

I like Brushed Metal, it matches my powerbook.

jmiddel · Jul 11, 2006, 09:36 PM

Although I prefer the brushed texture, I find both themes annoying. I wish Apple would allow us to set the color using the color palette, so I could have back some of the functionality of Kaleidoscope from the other wise frustrating OS9 days.

mac128k-1984 · Jul 11, 2006, 09:46 PM

I really don't care either way, just stick with one theme. Apple seems to want to straddle between Aqua, brushed metal and platinum. Just be consistent for the love of Pete.

Cadaver · Jul 11, 2006, 10:19 PM

I had no problem with brushed metal when it was restricted to "real-life" utilities, like Calculator. This is how it was meant to be used per Apple's own User Interface Guidelines.

Unfortunately, Apple chose to violate their own guidelines by using brushed metal in iTunes, Finder, Safari, .Mac Backup 1.x, and several others.

Now, we're stuck with two (three if you count the Unified style of 10.4's Mail) different UI styles that seem to be essentially used at random.

Brushed metal, basically due to Apple itself, is over used and pointless (IMHO). I say good riddance to brushed metal.

However, I very much doubt the authenticity of the above screen shots. Its very easy to change the look of brushed metal apps to use the Unified-look. In fact, I'm using the Unified window style with Safari on my machine right now. No Leopard required.

- - e r i k - - · Jul 11, 2006, 10:41 PM

Unified is just Aqua with the title bar extended down where the pinstripes used to be. My vote goes to making everything unified as it is the most professional looking of all the styles currently in OS X. Thank goodness for UNO* to make this possible already today.

* Which coincidentally is used to make the 'Leopard' screenshots above.

Simon · Jul 12, 2006, 03:04 AM

1.) Where are those Leopard screenshots from?

2.) I don't care if it's BM or Platinum or Aqua as long as they finally decide which one it should be and stick with it. I have a preference for BM, but I'd rather have Apple chose one and stick with it across the board than having three different themes. OS X should be a production OS and not some testbed. I don't like Apple testing interface appearances in the OS version they sell. That's what developer releases are for.

- - e r i k - - · Jul 12, 2006, 03:45 AM

Did you read this thread? The screenshots are NOT leopard, but rather Tiger with UNO - or similarly through Shapeshifter theme judging by the screenshots - to unify the windows.

Simon · Jul 12, 2006, 03:58 AM

Originally Posted by - - e r i k - -

Did you read this thread?

Rather quickly.

Seriously, why should UNO/Shapeshifter/whatever devs know what Leopard will look like?

kick52 · Jul 12, 2006, 06:01 AM

i like brushed metal, and the itunes theme looks okay, but i dont like the square corners at the bottom.

chris v · Jul 12, 2006, 09:28 AM

It's Uno all the way for me. Not a big BM fan. It would be nice to see Apple sort out their own interface, and quit breaking their own guidelines.

production_coordinator · Jul 12, 2006, 09:40 AM

IMHO, I think it's fine to move away from brushed metal (they did it with iTunes). I just want them to be consistent. Mail has a light version of the non-brushed metal, iTunes has a darker version, iChat has brushed metal, Safari is brushed metal...

I just don't see one consistent theme... and it doesn't really bother me, but I just wish they would pick something and go with it. If they want to change it again in 10.6... I'm down with that, but lets get all the apps under one house.

kick52 · Jul 12, 2006, 01:46 PM

maybe apple could release both, allowing you to choose which theme in Appearence.

production_coordinator · Jul 12, 2006, 02:06 PM

Originally Posted by kick52

maybe apple could release both, allowing you to choose which theme in Appearence.

I would rather have Apple pick. I'm not a big fan of themes... and this would be going down that road.

lpkmckenna · Jul 12, 2006, 03:23 PM

I vote for a consistent "iLife 06" appearance.

I've never liked Aqua. Way, way too bright. Hard on the eyes.

I preferred Brushed Metal, but it sometimes looks like crap. QuickTime and Safari look awesome because their "toolbar" is full. Half-empty toolbars in Brushed Metal look way too "heavy." Look at FontBook or Automator if you don't know what I mean.

Unifed Aqua is less bright than normal Aqua, and less heavy than Metal, but the inactive "pinstripe" windows look like compete ass.

I prefer the darker gray of iLife 06. I think Apple has finally got it right.

Kevin · Jul 12, 2006, 11:26 PM

I like the darker grey as well. Hate pin-stripes and brushed metal.
I've from the start edit out the stripes and metal and such.

Even before I made Sosumi

- - e r i k - - · Jul 12, 2006, 11:47 PM

FontBook and Automator are metal? I guess I've been using UNO too much

Velocity211 · Jul 13, 2006, 02:38 AM

Brushed metal looked really cool back when I got panther, but it's getting a bit annoying now. Yes, everything would look simple but IMO it looks better without the brushed metal.

TheoCryst · Jul 13, 2006, 03:19 AM

I'd be perfectly content if they would eliminate Brushed Metal and the old-skool Aqua windows, replacing them with iLife '06-style and Mail.app-style unified windows, respectively. I enjoy a small amount of variety, but Aqua and Brushed Metal both grate my nerves a little bit. The Unified looks, however, are surprisingly attractive, professional, and usable. My 2¢, at least.

Tyre MacAdmin · Jul 13, 2006, 06:37 AM

For me Brushed Metal looks good some of the time... the rest of the time I like the smooth theme. But remember this depends on my frame of mind. When I'm over the edge it seems the smooth theme looks better, when I'm concentrating it seems Brushed looks better.

Gossamer · Jul 13, 2006, 09:35 AM

People need change. They get bored with the same thing, so Apple's got to make changes every so often to keep some people interested.

himself · Jul 13, 2006, 07:28 PM

Whatever Apple decides, they need to make inactive windows easier to discern from active ones (especially with brushed metal and platinum). It's very frustrating.

Franz · Jul 14, 2006, 03:54 AM

Brushed only looks good when it's barely used in the app - such as Safari. Unfortunately a lot of the brushed metal apps have a lot of empty space which makes it look like crap (look at Automator for example).

No third party developer has really done brushed well IMO (besides maybe VLC).

Tyre MacAdmin · Jul 15, 2006, 02:57 AM

Originally Posted by Gossamer

People need change. They get bored with the same thing, so Apple's got to make changes every so often to keep some people interested.

That's exactly why I used ShapeSifter.

TheGreatButcher · Jul 15, 2006, 03:53 AM

... and 5 years later I still want my Trash back on the desktop and my menu bar font at 12 point.

G0Ducks · Jul 15, 2006, 08:32 PM

No no no... Go back to the OS 9 look. Better yet, make switchers and themers happy by making the OS reasonable theme-able... Sheesh already apple! XP is like a gazillion miles ahead of apple in this dept (please just because the quality of most wintendo themes is poor, this doesn't negate the fact that they can theme the hell out of their OS).

R

Apfhex · Jul 15, 2006, 09:39 PM

Originally Posted by himself

Whatever Apple decides, they need to make inactive windows easier to discern from active ones (especially with brushed metal and platinum). It's very frustrating.

Yes yes yes. Although I like it, "platinum" is equally as bad as brushed metal when it comes to this.

SLiMeX · Jul 15, 2006, 10:18 PM

I don't like the brushed metal look. In fact, I hope they retire it with the release of Leopard.

fuzzball963 · Jul 16, 2006, 11:56 AM

I personally don't like the brushed metal. what I'd really like is something where the window borders and title bar are totally transparent save for the buttons up top. I like having my windows "float" for lack of a better term

Kevin · Jul 17, 2006, 09:53 PM

I just think Apple needs to STICK with a GUI and make it system wide.

OS 9 was SO elegant that way.

We used to make fun of MS for their non-consistant GUI.

Dog Like Nature · Jul 17, 2006, 10:44 PM

Originally Posted by Kevin

We used to make fun of MS for their non-existent GUI.

Fixinated™...

asodamiac · Jul 18, 2006, 12:33 AM

I don't want to sound like a jerk, but who cares? It's not really a big deal is it?

goMac · Jul 18, 2006, 01:52 AM

Originally Posted by Hrothgar15

That said, there is a program called UNO that can be used to change brushed metal in Tiger to the platinum theme by backuping then replacing resource files. Here's my question: will a program like this be possible in Leopard, as in a program that will allow apps that would normally be platinum to return to brushed metal like they should be?

Uno should run on 10.5. I wrote the software that the Uno guys used to get Uno running on Intel. I'll be at WWDC, and will update it for 10.5 as appropriate.

©öñFü$íóÑ · Jul 18, 2006, 03:16 AM

Originally Posted by Kevin

We used to make fun of MS for their non-consistant GUI.

My my my..... how the tables have turned!

I wonder what would've happened if Kaleidoscope was ever ported to Windows, back in the day....... lol

bokeyxms · Jul 18, 2006, 12:47 PM

Honestly, I don't see the big deal w/ the theme. Seems fine to me and works very well. There are many things you can do to tweak it.

As for the "Leopard Theme," I have the same question as everybody else... How do you know what Leopard looks like? There haven't been any leaks or post by apple? Moreover you can get in big sh*t with apple for posting screenshots of it (as I understand it).

iPond317 · Jul 21, 2006, 10:42 AM

My my my..... how the tables have turned!

I wonder what would've happened if Kaleidoscope was ever ported to Windows, back in the day....... lol

Now that's an application name I haven't heard in a really long time!

iREZ · Jul 21, 2006, 12:16 PM

they should A. make all apps consistent and B. give us the ability to choose from the three.

TheoCryst · Jul 21, 2006, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by iREZ

they should A. make all apps consistent and B. give us the ability to choose from the three.

Four, actually: Old-style Aqua, brushed metal, unified (a la Mail), and the new "Dark Unified" of iLife '06. And yeah, I'd love the ability to pick and choose between those, similar to the way UNO works.

brokenjago · Jul 21, 2006, 09:06 PM

I personally love the new dark Unified look. It's quite obvious that Apple is going to do away with brushed metal in Leopard, as seen in iLife '06 and iTunes. I welcome the change. The mock-ups of Safari and Finder in dark unified are too sexy for Apple to pass up!

Simon · Jul 22, 2006, 02:58 AM

Originally Posted by TheoCryst

Four, actually: Old-style Aqua, brushed metal, unified (a la Mail), and the new "Dark Unified" of iLife '06. And yeah, I'd love the ability to pick and choose between those, similar to the way UNO works.

Plus, AFAIK many of Apple's pro apps come with yet another GUI flavor.

The fact is, if all Mac software developers would be a sloppy in terms of UI as Apple is now, the Mac would have never had the consistent and rational GUI it became famous for.

Apple really needs some serious UI discipline again.