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Rickster · 10:13 PM

Since we've found it's impossible to please everyone when it comes to toolbar icons and the like, we're producing a plugin for OmniWeb 5 that will let users easily switch out entire sets of icons at once. Actually, you could consider it more of a "themes" style utility, in that it allows for easy replacement of any image resource in the running app, including the images we use to build custom widgets (such as the ones seen in the tabs drawer and workspaces window on our screenshots page).

This plugin will be released as a separate download (it won't be part of OmniWeb by default), and will come packaged with a few starter themes. I'll be putting together a couple of themes based on older OmniWeb versions, but we'd like to also like to include a few themes from other artists in the Mac GUI editing community.

So, if you've got an idea for how you'd like OmniWeb 5 to look -- or a Mac OS theme you'd like OmniWeb to fit into -- and want to contribute a theme for use with this plugin, please drop me a line at (rick at omnigroup.com). Volunteers will receive beta versions of OW5 and the themes plugin for testing, and contributors whose work is included in the plugin release will receive a free OW5 license.

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The second round of beta testing for the themes plugin has begun, and we're looking for more artists. If you'd like you work to be bundled with the 1.0 release of our plugin, please email [email protected].

cloudaj · Jan 23, 2004, 08:20 PM

im not an artist in any sense of the word but i want that beta, anyone interested in a stick-figure esque button theme

NetworkShadow · Jan 23, 2004, 08:21 PM

Is it going to be open to anyone to make buttons for once it's out? I'm sure most people like myself like matching buttons for ALL their themes.

wibs · Jan 23, 2004, 08:43 PM

i'd be surprised if you couldn't just get into the Resources folder to edit it... even iTunes lets you do that much. Let's just hope it's a .rsrc file instead of just a bunch of images, like in Safari

ambush · Jan 23, 2004, 09:04 PM

Originally posted by wibs:
i'd be surprised if you couldn't just get into the Resources folder to edit it... even iTunes lets you do that much. Let's just hope it's a .rsrc file instead of just a bunch of images, like in Safari

.rsrc is so deprecated...

wibs · Jan 23, 2004, 10:21 PM

Originally posted by ambush:
.rsrc is so deprecated...

better than nothing.

Rickster · Jan 23, 2004, 10:50 PM

I suppose I should have pointed out... we'll be negotiating with volunteers individually to add them to this program, and we will be trying to make sure we're getting actual artists who intend to contribute and not just people who want an early beta.

Besides, you'd only be getting a beta at most a few days before the public beta comes out.

Yes, this will be an open format, and once the plugin is released, anyone will be able to create iconsets/themes for it. Right now we're just trying to line up a few early themes to be bundled with the plugin when it comes out.

The theme format is basically a folder (file package, really) full of images that have the same names as those in the OmniWeb app wrapper and its bundled frameworks. You can do essentially the same thing now by digging into our app wrapper and replacing images -- we're just making it so that users can just flip a switch to see different icons, without having to replace app-wrapper files.

NetworkShadow · Jan 23, 2004, 10:56 PM

I'd be interested if I didn't already have 100 of my own design projects and school design projects to work on... a beta would be cool too... oh well, maybe you'll get some other talented designers form this board.

cloudaj · Jan 23, 2004, 11:38 PM

oh, i was kidding

Mike S. · Jan 24, 2004, 01:53 AM

That sounds similar to the way iCab handles themes. You'd just drop a folder with custom resources into it's main folder, rename it, and it would use those icons. I thought it was a simple and effective way to have customization.

Speaking of iCab, I approached an icon designer to make an OmniWeb theme based on your old 3.x appearance years ago; it got made :-)

I always had a thing for the photo realistic button set in that release so your basing a theme on the old version sounds nice.

mac15 · Jan 24, 2004, 02:22 AM

Emailed away.

dru · Jan 24, 2004, 08:07 AM

Don't forget to include your own Icons.cx iCandy for OmniWeb.

kovacs · Jan 24, 2004, 10:22 AM

Hehe, I was already working on making some new application icons for Omniweb 5 so I might as well send them an e-mail, anyone interested in a lime and orange aqua ( read shiny ) theme ?

Hi I'm Mike · Jan 24, 2004, 01:41 PM

how much money do we get?

ZXspectrum · Jan 24, 2004, 02:41 PM

Originally posted by Hi I'm Mike:
how much money do we get?

You people are getting as much as you think you are worth!

And it looks like you are not worth a lot $29.99 but...�only if you are good�

TheDisaster · Jan 24, 2004, 02:50 PM

I'm definitely in on this. Glad to hear about this, anything that makes GUI customizing of any kind easier and better is good to me.

kovacs · Jan 24, 2004, 03:31 PM

Rickster, Is there a deadline ?

Rickster · Jan 24, 2004, 08:18 PM

There's no explicit deadline, as there's no specific release date for OW5 final yet announced. However, if we get a large number of good themes early on, we may choose to release the first version of the plugin sooner. So... I guess you could call the end of February an informal deadline.

Thanks to all the people who've volunteered so far -- we'll be contacting you to work out the details this coming week.

CubieDubbie · Jan 26, 2004, 02:50 AM

Rickster,
as a registered user of all your products thank you for including themes. I must admit I like em a lot. It makes things more fun for a fact. The only browser I have personally seen that has themes is Mozilla and Mozilla Firebird. Can't wait for the new Omniweb. See it soon hear!!!

jonhicks · Feb 18, 2004, 08:49 AM

Great idea. My only dislike on Omniweb is a few of the toolbar icons. I'm currently using a version of a theme I originally created for Camino. You can see it at:

http://www.hicksdesign.co.uk/downloads/camino/

If this looks like something people would like to use, I'll develop a proper theme.

Rickster · Mar 31, 2004, 10:25 PM

The second round of beta testing for the themes plugin has begun, and we're looking for more artists. If you'd like you work to be bundled with the 1.0 release of our plugin, please email [email protected].

mac15 · Mar 31, 2004, 10:55 PM

How about emailing Jason Harris from geekspiff and seeing if it can be built into themepark. This way it would be easier for themers?

cgc · Apr 4, 2004, 10:41 AM

I'd love to see a Crystal theme like from http://www.everaldo.com

Rickster · May 21, 2004, 05:21 PM

Just a reminder: the (extended again) deadline for entries is June 1.