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phillryu · Apr 25, 2004, 06:04 PM

Would anyone be interested in a mini application that read packages that included boot panels, log in panels, and bootx images? ShapeShifter does not support these, and it's a huge hassle atm to install them manually. I'd love to include such an app and skins with the themes that will be coming out at macthemes.net in the next couple months. What do you guys think?

d4nth3m4n · Apr 25, 2004, 06:14 PM

cant a themer just make a .dlta (without an extras.rsrc) that can be applied with themechanger?

phillryu · Apr 25, 2004, 06:19 PM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
cant a themer just make a .dlta (without an extras.rsrc) that can be applied with themechanger?

I think that's possible.. though I'm not sure of ThemeChanger supports a bootx image. But I don't see why we can't include a super light weight package that would install everything with a double click of a package. Do you?

dru · Apr 25, 2004, 06:36 PM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
cant a themer just make a .dlta (without an extras.rsrc) that can be applied with themechanger?

It's a vast themer conspiracy to sink the .dlta format.

phillryu · Apr 25, 2004, 06:41 PM

Originally posted by dru:
It's a vast themer conspiracy to sink the .dlta format.

Well, it's just that I don't see the point of keeping a second, unsupported theme changer just to change those things

rhythmicmoose · Apr 25, 2004, 10:37 PM

Hmm... interesting idea. I probably wouldn't use it. I mean, if you're going to be unsafe with themeing, you might as well use a dlta with an extras.rsc and get everything root-owned changed too. And as I understand it, those are some of the costliest pieces to mess up, bootx in particular. Well, that's the price of consistency.

Things will look more consistent, but still not consistent. I probably wouldn't bother... but then again, I didn't ever install Safari or iTunes skins... but then again again, now I only use themes that skin these apps.

Now I'm rambling.

Cool idea. I'm all for having the option. I vote yes.

NetworkShadow · Apr 25, 2004, 11:16 PM

I'd be into the idea.

Ozzpot · Apr 26, 2004, 02:18 AM

Personally, I'd like to see something like this incorporated into ShapeShifter. I know one of the main points of ShapeShifter is to keep themeing safe, but it has become so much more than that. It has become a tool to replace many other tools, to do a job previously done by several applications. People have been requesting the ability in SS to turn off things like iTunes skinning. I am in favor of this too. I think the SS prefpane needs a section full of checkboxes, where you can choose what gets modded and what doesn't. I think GUIkits should include Boot Panels, Login Panels and ATM Panels, and SS should give you an option to use use them or not.

Whether or not this is ever done or not is up to Smeger I suppose, but until then I am all in favor of a small application to change these panels.

justinp · Apr 26, 2004, 02:32 AM

BootX - No
Everything else - Yes

I'd like to see a checkbox to "Allow ShapeShifter to install potentially unsafe modifications"

That way themers could go back to including these things in their theme packages and it would be up to the user if they wanted to take the risk (with something like tcfix included).

BurningBright · Apr 26, 2004, 03:10 AM

Originally posted by justinp:
BootX - No
Everything else - Yes

Out of curiosity, why BootX no? If something's unsafe with a checkbox, why not be able to change it all?

Yes from me!

phillryu · Apr 26, 2004, 06:28 AM

I think version 1 of this program would probably exclude the BootX feature, simply for time crunch reasons. But I can see the check/uncheck options as a pretty practical and logical feature once BootX is in.

justinp · Apr 26, 2004, 12:31 PM

I should have made it clear that that's just how I feel (personally I like the gray apple

)

As far as the application, yes I'd like to see it made (though I do hope this is incorporated into ShapeShifter eventually).

kovacs · Apr 26, 2004, 04:06 PM

Go ahead but I will not use it, I'm happy with the level of customisation that SS offers and I almost never see the images this app will theme...

NetworkShadow · Apr 26, 2004, 04:30 PM

SS might be able to do log-in images the same way it does app skins if it did root processes... Jason hasn't done that since it would make SS less secure and safe to use, but if there was an option to do so at the users own risk it might be a good idea.

Jaey · Apr 26, 2004, 05:17 PM

Originally posted by NetworkShadow:
SS might be able to do log-in images the same way it does app skins if it did root processes... Jason hasn't done that since it would make SS less secure and safe to use, but if there was an option to do so at the users own risk it might be a good idea.

My words exactly. Well, almost.

smeger · Apr 26, 2004, 05:24 PM

It's possible that I might implement this into ShapeShifter at some point, but only if I can figure out a way to do it in an absolutely bullet-proof way. I'm really leery of changing stuff that your computer requires in order to boot properly, and I won't do it unless I'm pretty damned sure that there are absolutely zero possible breakage scenarios.

dole · Apr 26, 2004, 10:00 PM

I think this should be implemented into ShapeShifter since the Slogan for ShapeShifter is "Change Everything", although at the moment it is Not Quite Everything.

d4nth3m4n · Apr 26, 2004, 10:40 PM

i still dont understand why we need someone to develop something that we already have- themepark still makes .dltas (just dont make a extras.rsrc or a finder.rsrc) and themechanger still works just fine.

is themechanger unsupported? or did SS just steal its thunder?

we can do this today. its just up to the themers.

granted the bootx is not part of the themechanger experience, but thats easy enough to change.

NetworkShadow · Apr 26, 2004, 11:09 PM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
i still dont understand why we need someone to develop something that we already have- themepark still makes .dltas (just dont make a extras.rsrc or a finder.rsrc) and themechanger still works just fine.

is themechanger unsupported? or did SS just steal its thunder?

we can do this today. its just up to the themers.

granted the bootx is not part of the themechanger experience, but thats easy enough to change.

You've got a good point.

iNeusch · Apr 27, 2004, 05:11 AM

add this feature to SS

d4nth3m4n · Apr 29, 2004, 08:20 PM

so whats happening with this idea? im all about getting the login/atm.. all that "root" stuff themed, dont get me wrong. if this is what it takes to get those themed, then by all means.

phillryu · Apr 29, 2004, 09:21 PM

Originally posted by d4nth3m4n:
so whats happening with this idea? im all about getting the login/atm.. all that "root" stuff themed, dont get me wrong. if this is what it takes to get those themed, then by all means.

We're aiming to get this out by Monday along with another release. So hang tight.

rhythmicmoose · Apr 29, 2004, 09:42 PM

Originally posted by phillryu:
along with another release. So hang tight.

YUMMY!

justinp · Apr 29, 2004, 10:52 PM

Sounds like a theme to me.

iNeusch · Apr 30, 2004, 03:14 AM

llee · Apr 30, 2004, 05:45 PM

Well, if there's a thread on the forum to throw this into, I guess this is it.

It's getting hard to find themes for Panther that don't require ShapeShifter and if you want to install icons, bootpanels and other stuff, you still have to use different methods.

Until now.

If you want to skin all those apps, you've still got quite a bit of work ahead of you, but if you're willing to put in an hour or so for your first transcription, you CAN use many ShapeShifter themes without having ShapeShifter at all.

Drop by here and take a look at the first link or two, if you're interested.

I can provide a list of ShapeShifter Panther themes that I've successfully transcribed, if anyone's interested.

Better get GUIKitty while you can.

Yours 'til you can't,

llee

chezpaul · May 1, 2004, 06:57 PM

Am I wrong or has this already been done ??

Imagine BootX

Mac Boot

Even thought it seems like MacBoot doesn't work on Panther and the developper dissapeared.

Visage

Also dead in the water...

And

Panel Maganer

I guess that one didn't even take off...

Your program would really be cool if it could look into user/library/application support/Shapeshifter things and find the boot panel in the guikit theme. Now that would rock... It's always such a pain to have to download all these different part of a theme in order to change the look of your mac.

llee · May 1, 2004, 09:25 PM

Originally posted by chezpaul:
Your program would really be cool if it could look into user/library/application support/Shapeshifter things and find the boot panel in the guikit theme. Now that would rock... It's always such a pain to have to download all these different part of a theme in order to change the look of your mac. [/B]

Oh, you mean a program that takes GUIKits and does with them what ShapeShifter does, plus installs whatever theme elements you want installed that ShapeShifter doesn't do, all for free. That would be cool!

Some of the programs you mentioned deal with the BootX file rather than the BootPanel, I think. ShapeShifter doesn't do that, of course, or the BootPanel or the Startup progress bar or icons. If I wrote a program to do all those things, I would have to make some assumptions about what you want, because most ShapeShifter GUIKits don't contain the data needed for all of those elements.

What my method (it's not a program) does is give you the information you need to collect the elements you want and make an installer that activates them for you in a single step. Actually I realize it's not all that simple, although using that method I can now build an installer for a suitable ShapeShifter theme in about 10 or 15 minutes, then I can switch themes whenever I want.

I could, I suppose, provide a link to each theme that I've transcribed, but I'm not sure that would be too cool or too legal.

To be perfectly honest, I'm sort of hoping that some theme developers that have adapted to the ShapeShifter method and have worked really hard to release a ShapeShifter theme might just decide that it's worthwhile to use some of the methods described in my tutorial to provide a standalone version. That way they could offer users the choice between the things that ShapeShifter does and the things that a standalone installer can do as well as the choice not to have to pay Unsanity to use the theme that they made available for free.

In other words, I didn't just complain that nobody releases any themes other than ShapeShifter themes anymore, I did something about it, swimming upstream though I surely am!

Yours 'til I go with the flow,

llee

chezpaul · May 1, 2004, 09:57 PM

Well I've already bought Shapeshofter so I don't care much.

But I was saying that it would be cool if this "NEW" Boot panel program use resources that were assimilated into the GUikits that already exist.
I understand that all guikits already made don't have these resources yet, but it would be a nice idea. So that for example, Max can update his Milk theme to with a boot panel and bootx Screen. He would still distribute only one file (guikit).

Us, the users would use shapshifter to turn on Milk and use this new program to change the boot panel.

Anywa.. this program is coming out Monday so it's already written so forget it...

NetworkShadow · May 1, 2004, 11:06 PM

Originally posted by chezpaul:
Well I've already bought Shapeshofter so I don't care much.

But I was saying that it would be cool if this "NEW" Boot panel program use resources that were assimilated into the GUikits that already exist.
I understand that all guikits already made don't have these resources yet, but it would be a nice idea. So that for example, Max can update his Milk theme to with a boot panel and bootx Screen. He would still distribute only one file (guikit).

Us, the users would use shapshifter to turn on Milk and use this new program to change the boot panel.

Anywa.. this program is coming out Monday so it's already written so forget it...

I've seen one or two guiKits (that are in development now) that do have log-in screens in the resources, as strange as that seemed to me...
You should talk with Jason about making some helper app or something that would work with guiKits like you suggested, I think that would be great.

realmeatychunks · May 5, 2004, 12:02 PM

Any news on this program?

phillryu · May 5, 2004, 12:07 PM

Originally posted by realmeatychunks:
Any news on this program?

The developer and I are both in the midst of AP testing, so it's on hold. Sorry.

realmeatychunks · May 5, 2004, 01:24 PM

Originally posted by phillryu:
The developer and I are both in the midst of AP testing, so it's on hold. Sorry.

Well best of luck on those (whew, I remember physics being very difficult!) hopefully we'll see this application soon ;-)