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file · Oct 9, 2002, 07:33 PM

I like aqua and dont mind it. I am a web designer though and all i see is code and etc all day.

Do you think aqua is appropriate for like a accountant's computer? I mean, i hate to say it but sometimes it feels inapproriate. I am not trumpeting boring design, but i think they need to make a second interface in which it can be not...boring...but more simplistic...

Anybody agree?

cpac · Oct 9, 2002, 07:42 PM

flame bait or???

Not sure what you think is so "cute."

If it's the fact that there's colors in the menu buttons, you can always switch to graphite...

Awimoway · Oct 9, 2002, 07:47 PM

Originally posted by cpac:
flame bait or???

Not sure what you think is so "cute."

If it's the fact that there's colors in the menu buttons, you can always switch to graphite...

Yeah, waht's wrong with graphite? Actually, I think the pinstriping of Mac OS X has something of a high-quality bond paper look to it. I think it's vastly more professional than Windows. Although, even in graphite, the scroll bars look a little funky for professional environs.

dawho9 · Oct 9, 2002, 07:52 PM

No more than WinXP is too cute for professional use. Business does not care what a computer looks like. They want three things:

Low cost of ownership
High uptime
Does the job get done

niner

mitchell_pgh · Oct 9, 2002, 07:57 PM

YES and NO

The standard install of 10.2 is a little candy like... Designed for novice users (which is good)...

but

... if you want your mac to look a little more advanced, turn on graphite, get a nice desketop image, run a useless shell script in the terminal that spits out hex characters 24/7 and then see who thinks your computer is eye candy...

Moose · Oct 9, 2002, 07:59 PM

Originally posted by mitchell_pgh:
run a useless shell script in the terminal that spits out hex characters 24/7

Why do this? top -uws5 is both useful and sufficiently cryptic to a casual observer.

file · Oct 9, 2002, 08:08 PM

it just seems to me graphite is not enough...

get a Apple designer to make a "theme" that is less curvy and colorful and more hard edged and sharp

THIS IS NO WAY FLAME-BAIT

i guess maybe more options atleast. from what i read, everything on the screen is little .pdf files that are called...why not create more options and colors then?

SupahCoolX · Oct 9, 2002, 08:40 PM

Oh, come on... Does it really make that much of a difference? Will a client come into your office, look at your screen and say, "Hey, that looks kinda fruity. I'm taking my business elsewhere"?!
I'm sorry, but I don't see it as that big a deal.

gorickey · Oct 9, 2002, 08:53 PM

One word: Themes

That's why themes are created, too give the end user more interface options. Hell, you can make OS X look like OS 9, XP, whatever you want! That's the beauty of a Mac, complete and total customization (unless you are the Jaguar "Utilities" folder, grrrrr).

Want "sharp/hard edges" in OS X? Look at Max Rudberg's Aqua Square.....

Mactoid · Oct 9, 2002, 08:57 PM

I don't understand why people would think OS X's appearance wasn't fit for a corporate environment. Look at many modern office buildings, there are curves and patterns and other decorative touches.

I can't imagine anyone other than perhaps the military preferring the concrete bunker look of Windows.

xyber233 · Oct 9, 2002, 09:00 PM

Yup. All you need to do is find a theme you like.

MindFad · Oct 9, 2002, 09:26 PM

It would be cool if Apple built theme support back into the OS, and maybe offered up a few more themes of their own. Graphite ... and Aqua. Stick one or two more in there, Apple.

The "concrete bunker look of Windows" line. Nicely done.

And yes, I think Aqua or Graphite is fine for the office, a business, whatever. Apps in X look great. I would think the user would get more joy out of using it. I do, and I get plenty of work done.

godzookie2k · Oct 9, 2002, 09:33 PM

I don't want theme variations, I want to be able to choose a color for my OS that applies across the board. I.E. if in a color picker I select yellow or something, every button scrollbar, etc that is currently graphite should switch, shading and reflections intact, to the color of my choosing...now that would be nice.

barbarian · Oct 9, 2002, 10:14 PM

I can tell you from experience that several clients have not gone with OS X because they feel the UI is too "childlike" or unprofessional (they went with Windows XP and the old-style interface instead). These people were reverse switchers (long time Mac users in need of an upgrade). I think they switched about 20 Macs. Only 4 designers held firm and upgraded to new Macs/OS X.

curmi · Oct 9, 2002, 10:55 PM

The company I work for like the Aqua look so much, they have now made it policy that all screen shots in user documentation for our Java based products be generated on a Mac, with the Aqua look and feel.

Zimphire · Oct 9, 2002, 11:01 PM

I personally think it's the colors and stripes, They are annoying to me when I am in Photoshop, that Is why I got rid of the stripes and made Simple Aqua and use the graphite theme. Much better, much cleaner. Grey is easier on the eyes than white, or even stripes.

Apple Pro Underwear · Oct 9, 2002, 11:41 PM

zimphire...i like the no-stripes look and graohite...

how did you do that?

Zimphire · Oct 10, 2002, 12:06 AM

Originally posted by Apple Pro Underwear:
zimphire...i like the no-stripes look and graohite...

how did you do that?

I got your private message and it was responded to.

Subzero Diesel949 · Oct 10, 2002, 12:11 AM

Where is this theme?

cpac · Oct 10, 2002, 12:15 AM

Originally posted by barbarian:
I can tell you from experience that several clients have not gone with OS X because they feel the UI is too "childlike" or unprofessional (they went with Windows XP and the old-style interface instead). These people were reverse switchers (long time Mac users in need of an upgrade). I think they switched about 20 Macs. Only 4 designers held firm and upgraded to new Macs/OS X.

Well i will say that if people are that easily fooled and/or choose their operating system based on a (clearly uneducated) opinion that the interface is childlike, we're better off without them.

Zimphire · Oct 10, 2002, 12:29 AM

Originally posted by Subzero Diesel949:
Where is this theme?

I will tell you what I told The Ass Man,

Download this file

http://webpages.charter.net/zimphire...AquaforJag.sit

Then boot into OS 9 or Root and go here

"/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Extras.rsrc"

Make a backup of the original Extras.rsrc and put the one you downloaded from me in it's place.

relogin or reboot. No theme switcher needed.

Enjoy

Subzero Diesel949 · Oct 10, 2002, 12:36 AM

Thanks dude

Zimphire · Oct 10, 2002, 12:53 AM

Originally posted by Subzero Diesel949:
Thanks dude

Anytime.

Subzero Diesel949 · Oct 10, 2002, 01:04 AM

Originally posted by Zimphire:

Anytime.

Wow...it's really easy on the eyes.

My eyes thank you.

peace

MDA · Oct 10, 2002, 01:58 AM

Originally posted by file:
I like aqua and dont mind it. I am a web designer though and all i see is code and etc all day.

Do you think aqua is appropriate for like a accountant's computer? I mean, i hate to say it but sometimes it feels inapproriate. I am not trumpeting boring design, but i think they need to make a second interface in which it can be not...boring...but more simplistic...

Anybody agree?

Uhmmm... have you seen XP? OSX is far more "appropriate" for the business place than it is.

MDA

Cipher13 · Oct 10, 2002, 04:30 AM

Has AlumiteX been updated for 10.2? Or does it not need to be?

I think it was the best theme...

clarkgoble · Oct 10, 2002, 04:31 AM

While XP is pretty damn ugly in its default mode, it still has the other themes which are more subdued. (Although none of them fix that new task bar. Dang that is fugly)

I find OSX very refined, especially with the changes in 10.2 that made is "less bubbly." But it really looks classic to me - far better than the grey heavy MacOS9.

Having said that though some of the others in my office disagree. They actually like that old Win95 look. Yeah, I know.

On the other hand it looks vastly better than any theme I've seen on Linux. What is it about Linux window managers that makes them so ugly? The only ones that look half decent are the Win95 appearance of KDE. Even then half the default apps don't even fill in the buttons properly and haven't been updated since someone probably wrote them on an old MIPS back in '91.

Gul Banana · Oct 10, 2002, 06:00 AM

They're not all bad. I quite like the default look of pwm, with a black or dark background...
In fact, there are quite a lot of window managers that, while not actively looking nice like Aqua does, don't actually look bad. Consistency, though, is something you will never find between X11 apps... nor an amazingly cool compositing engine like Quartz.

TC · Oct 10, 2002, 09:46 AM

I found this in a Lightwave Tutorial:

I think aqua looks a hell of a lot better.

file · Oct 10, 2002, 10:29 AM

now that we have thoroughly soken about the subject...

i think it's the stripes and the edges! gorickey and zimphire's pics makes it look really refined!

is gorickey's and zimphire's solutions safe to use? and where can i get aqua squrae?

Zimphire · Oct 10, 2002, 03:20 PM

yeah most any themes are safe to use, it's just like using Aqua. It's SOME of the theme switchers that are screwy.

wadesworld · Oct 10, 2002, 03:38 PM

There are three primary factors that keep Mac out of the corporate world:

1) Cost
2) Software
3) Single source

Let's face it, when all you need is a machine for your employees to read email, browse the web and run an excel spreadsheet, a PC is going to be *much* cheaper. You can make all the cost-of-ownership arguments you want, but when the CFO has to write out a $2 million dollar PO instead of a $1 million PO, that's when cost-of-ownership goes out the window.

Additionally, if that's all the software tasks they need to do, it should invalidate argument #2, but it never does.

Wade

Zimphire · Oct 11, 2002, 01:12 AM

Most hardware/software are tax write offs anyhow.

sniffer · Oct 11, 2002, 09:18 AM

Support costs more than both hardware and software together, so cheap hardware doesn't bring down the total cost per PC anyhow..

sniffer · Oct 11, 2002, 09:24 AM

BTW: I kind a got used to Aquas' "cute" interface.. Was playing a bit with themes for a while, but in the end I actually prefer Aqua..

a-poria · Oct 11, 2002, 09:51 AM

okay, i really like the way of implementing a theme without a theme changer -- the manual style, so to speak. now, i am curious as to whether i can do this with the different themes available, particularly Milk. i downloaded the file but it is not an Extras.rsrc file but a metamorphix theme. is there any way to change this so i can do it manually? surely there must be?

Thanks Zimphire for the file and directions!

file · Oct 11, 2002, 10:50 AM

okay, everybody send a email to apple suggestions about themes or more options for puma!

Mediaman_12 · Oct 11, 2002, 11:18 AM

Originally posted by a-poria:
okay, i really like the way of implementing a theme without a theme changer -- the manual style, so to speak. now, i am curious as to whether i can do this with the different themes available, particularly Milk. i downloaded the file but it is not an Extras.rsrc file but a metamorphix theme. is there any way to change this so i can do it manually? surely there must be?

Thanks Zimphire for the file and directions!

.theme .dtla are both 'packages' like apps control (or right) clik on the file and select show package contents you should then be able to navigat to the Extras.rsrc. The problem with implementing a theme this way is that you will only get 'half' the 'look' the theme designer intended (you will still have Aqua buttons in the finder windows, Aqua icons, etc.).

file · Oct 11, 2002, 02:01 PM

thanks zimphire

the extras file worked and i thank you

Zimphire · Oct 11, 2002, 02:07 PM

Originally posted by Mediaman_12:

.theme .dtla are both 'packages' like apps control (or right) clik on the file and select show package contents you should then be able to navigat to the Extras.rsrc. The problem with implementing a theme this way is that you will only get 'half' the 'look' the theme designer intended (you will still have Aqua buttons in the finder windows, Aqua icons, etc.).

You could always install those files manually too.

This is better I IMHO for people who use only one theme. If you find yourself switching themes allot Theme switchers are better.

euphras · Oct 11, 2002, 03:15 PM

Zimphire, does this theme (SimpleAqua) also works in 10.1.5?

Pat

His Dudeness · Oct 11, 2002, 04:52 PM

Originally posted by cpac:
flame bait or???

Not sure what you think is so "cute."

If it's the fact that there's colors in the menu buttons, you can always switch to graphite...

Took the words right out of my mouth... If you think Aqua is bad, you like Win XP? That's horrible!