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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > GUI Customization > where did those great themes go?

where did those great themes go?
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cruciarius
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May 26, 2005, 12:25 PM
 
what ever happened to some of the amazing themes that had progress topics about them?

cathode was one, but their were others.

another one that i was looking forward to, had several color variants. it was being made and named after a car, though i forget what one. maybe someone remembers what i'm talking about.

around that same time, their were a few other themes that were in development. someone even had mock ups of several themes and asked which they should work on.

does anyone know the themes i'm talking about? i want them

i haven't seen any amazing new themes lately.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 12:46 PM
 
Originally Posted by cruciarius
what ever happened to some of the amazing themes that had progress topics about them?

cathode was one, but their were others.

another one that i was looking forward to, had several color variants. it was being made and named after a car, though i forget what one. maybe someone remembers what i'm talking about.

around that same time, their were a few other themes that were in development. someone even had mock ups of several themes and asked which they should work on.

does anyone know the themes i'm talking about? i want them

i haven't seen any amazing new themes lately.
i think it's because there are not many resources out there about creating themes and it's not like it's the easiest thing to do. also creating a complete theme is a time consuming task so people are getting frustrated i guess...



[FONT=Arial Black]BTW- last year i contacted SWIZZ asking him if he would be interested in giving me themeing lessons for pay! but didn't hear from him since[/FONT]
     
Jaos
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May 26, 2005, 12:48 PM
 
It's easier to learn yourself.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 12:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by Jaos
It's easier to learn yourself.
it's always better to have a manual.

and it's not true there are thousands of reassures in a theme and half of the Questions on this fourm are about finding some reassures. it's like finding a needele in a haystack. such a waste of time
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 01:01 PM
 
i know themeing is time consuming, but some of those themes looked finished or close to being finished.

i've tried making my own theme a few times (see my topic about my theme ), but all i can really do is a decent menu bar. every time i try making the theme complete, it gets to the point that i just can't stand it anymore.

i haven't seen any themes released lately that i really like. no offense to the theme makers, but lately, they are just kind of boring to me. siro was great for a while, until i wanted more color. cathode is awesome, but i can't use a black theme for long. kamino is great, but again, i'd like some more color. some themes, i just hate the minimize/maximize/close buttons or the toolbar buttons. others have a brushed metal look to them, which is why i started using themes to begin with, to get away from brushed metal.
     
chezpaul
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May 26, 2005, 01:04 PM
 
Not as many themes coming out either... We used to get much more themes and now.. it's one a month if lucky. Not many 10.4 ready themes either.

I think Theme makers have had enough.
Dual 1 Gig DDR & 15' Powerbook 867 MHz, Sony Ericsson T637 phone
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 01:27 PM
 
Originally Posted by chezpaul
Not as many themes coming out either... We used to get much more themes and now.. it's one a month if lucky. Not many 10.4 ready themes either.

I think Theme makers have had enough.

Remember this http://forums.macnn.com/showthread.p...5&page=1&pp=10
     
MetalSnake
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May 26, 2005, 02:17 PM
 
Originally Posted by ZXspectrum
i think it's because there are not many resources out there about creating themes and it's not like it's the easiest thing to do. also creating a complete theme is a time consuming task so people are getting frustrated i guess...
Was it easier to create themes for Kaleidoscope? There were many more Themes for it. And they were released much faster.
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 02:24 PM
 
if the old theme makers have had enough, then where are the next generation themers?

please don't tell me that everyone is just doing mods of existing themes. make something new already!
     
Randman
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May 26, 2005, 02:49 PM
 
Better to see the themes once they come out instead of months of "previews" that end up as vaporware.

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ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 02:57 PM
 
Originally Posted by MetalSnake
Was it easier to create themes for Kaleidoscope? There were many more Themes for it. And they were released much faster.
i didn't use K but it looks that way.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 02:58 PM
 
Originally Posted by Randman
Better to see the themes once they come out instead of months of "previews" that end up as vaporware.
yeah, but a lot of Themers are looking for guidelines and help...
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 03:01 PM
 
Originally Posted by Randman
Better to see the themes once they come out instead of months of "previews" that end up as vaporware.
i agree, but i also disagree...

where i'd love to see themes released, some themers need the encouragement to finish. cathode, for example, showed previews and had a few people beta testing it. i'm sure not as many would have wanted to beta test it, if they didn't see a preview for it first.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 03:14 PM
 
the problem is that the entire community is depending on 2-3 themers. and unfortunately they moved on. spending nights going through recourses is not their main priority anymore to say the least.
     
Zimphire
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May 26, 2005, 04:50 PM
 
The thing is, it's just not as in demand.

When OS X first came out, it was really ugly. People wanted to change it.

Now OS X has matured, and the GUI is actually usable.

People are themeing it less.

The Demand has gone down.
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 04:57 PM
 
i did notice that tiger got rid of the ugly stripes in the menu bar, but thats not a reason to stop themeing. i've always thought all us mac users like to be unique, as in we all use different icons, themes and just about everything (other than major apps like PS). when i get tiger, will their be any themes? i know a few were updated to be used with tiger, but those few aren't to my liking. this is actually a major thing that makes me stick with 10.3.9.
     
booboo
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May 26, 2005, 05:03 PM
 
I actually think Tiger is one hell of a mess, UI-wise. In every other respect, it's great, but UI wise we've got the regular Finder windows, now with a white status area. wtf? Where else is pure white used? On the new copy status windows. Ugly as sin. We've got a hideous new menu bar that relates to nothing else. The metal Finder and iApp windows. The new System Pref style windows, which is an improvement, and then we've got the Apple 'Pro' interface, as used in FCP and Logic, with a whole new set of blue/grey dialogue boxes and Open/Save windows, all mini-sized, which is stupid as their 'pro' users are exactly the people likely to have huge cinema displays. Nothing more stupid than a modal preference window about the size of a postage stamp in the middle of a screen about the size of a piano.

If 10.5 only unifies the interface, and certain other UI behaviours, I'll be very happy.

Meanwhile, any non-APE themes that get rid of all the metal in all app's, including iApp's?
     
Zimphire
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May 26, 2005, 05:57 PM
 
booboo I agree about the inconsistency. It sucks.

They need to stick with a GUI and be done with it.
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 06:17 PM
 
what they SHOULD do is make so the OS has a built in theme changer. they already have themes in apple's download section, so just let us theme without paying extra $ already.

if they did that, i'm sure they'd release something to make making themes easier. then we'd see tons of themes being released.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 06:37 PM
 
Originally Posted by cruciarius
what they SHOULD do is make so the OS has a built in theme changer. they already have themes in apple's download section, so just let us theme without paying extra $ already.

if they did that, i'm sure they'd release something to make making themes easier. then we'd see tons of themes being released.
they are very strict when it comes to their OSGui look and feel. i am actually surprise that no themer has got a lawsuit by now
     
Zimphire
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May 26, 2005, 07:00 PM
 
They haven't went after themers since after well after 10.0 was out.
     
hihowareyou
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May 26, 2005, 08:06 PM
 
Originally Posted by cruciarius
what they SHOULD do is make so the OS has a built in theme changer. they already have themes in apple's download section, so just let us theme without paying extra $ already.

if they did that, i'm sure they'd release something to make making themes easier. then we'd see tons of themes being released.
but then we'd get to hear the whole apple vs konfabulator thing again only with unsanity instead. $20 isn't much to pay and there are plenty of nice themes out there already.
i keep starting to make my own but then get tired of it after just sorting out the menu bar. there needs to be an easier and less time consuming themepark.
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 26, 2005, 08:24 PM
 
Originally Posted by hihowareyou
but then we'd get to hear the whole apple vs konfabulator thing again only with unsanity instead. $20 isn't much to pay and there are plenty of nice themes out there already.
i keep starting to make my own but then get tired of it after just sorting out the menu bar. there needs to be an easier and less time consuming themepark.
your right, i didn't even think of that.

heh i'm the same way with my themes.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 08:41 PM
 
this is an underground community and a lot of people don't believe that you can make money out of gui stuff so what you have is :

1 company = SS
1 guy = TP

Look at the Windows community they have everything (besides style ) and we don't even have a manual for TP...



*the only nice thing is that Unsanity doesn't have any competition but they are still doing their absolute best in coming with updates. also Jason is replaying to eMails and posts but i am not sure that TP will be with us forever...
     
efuseakay
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May 26, 2005, 11:04 PM
 
It would be cool if the Unsanity folks put a manual together to at least get people started with some of the basics.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 26, 2005, 11:30 PM
 
we need a resources Catalog



And a manual for creating themes.
     
Randman
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May 27, 2005, 01:17 AM
 
There are some very good guides available on using ThemePark and theming.

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Zimphire
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May 27, 2005, 06:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by hihowareyou
but then we'd get to hear the whole apple vs konfabulator thing again only with unsanity instead.
Why? Apple did themeing before Unsanity.
i keep starting to make my own but then get tired of it after just sorting out the menu bar. there needs to be an easier and less time consuming themepark.
It's not themepark. It's Apple's Extras.rsrc. There is no fixing that.

And Unsanity doesn't make ThemPark. So they aren't the ones that need to make a manual I would guess.
     
Gerrit Vanoppen
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May 27, 2005, 07:52 AM
 
Learning ThemePark, in fact, comes down to finding your way in the macOSX UI resources.

From my own limited experience in theming, I dare say that - at first sight at least - macOSX is somewhat chaotic, resulting in hundreds of buttons and/or parts of buttons, often divided over carbon and cocoa apps, that are cumbersome and boring to work through - not in the least because it can be hard to find out where your graphics would eventually show up, that is : IF they do already…
Also : Jaguar, Panther, and recently Tiger prove to change some of their approaches without any significant reason at all.

What I'm trying to say is, that writing a ThemePark manual may not be the most tempting job one can imagine. If only macOSX was a bit more structured, GUI-wise…

Again, I have limited experience, therefor I can be wrong about this.
     
phillryu
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May 27, 2005, 10:19 AM
 
Originally Posted by ZXspectrum
this is an underground community and a lot of people don't believe that you can make money out of gui stuff so what you have is :

1 company = SS
1 guy = TP

Look at the Windows community they have everything (besides style ) and we don't even have a manual for TP...



*the only nice thing is that Unsanity doesn't have any competition but they are still doing their absolute best in coming with updates. also Jason is replaying to eMails and posts but i am not sure that TP will be with us forever...
Actually it's more like 1 guy (Jason Harris) = TP and SS.

MacThemes.net Editor in Chief
     
ZXspectrum
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May 27, 2005, 01:00 PM
 
Originally Posted by phillryu
Actually it's more like 1 guy (Jason Harris) = TP and SS.
that's crazy! it looks like the guy is amazing but probably needs some help. i will be happy to pay a yearly upgrade fee if it will help.
     
smeger
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May 27, 2005, 04:59 PM
 
Originally Posted by hihowareyou
but then we'd get to hear the whole apple vs konfabulator thing again only with unsanity instead.
Just for the record, if Apple were to come out with their own theme engine, all you'd hear from me would be "nice work dudes." I don't expect it to happen, though.

Originally Posted by ZXspectrum
they are very strict when it comes to their OSGui look and feel. i am actually surprise that no themer has got a lawsuit by now.
guiKits generally only include graphics that were created by the themer. This was one of the design goals behind guiKit, both to make smaller files and to avoid including stuff that was copyrighted by Apple.

I think Gerrit pretty much pegged why there isn't a comprehensive manual for ThemePark. The comments that accompany some of the items in ThemePark were originally written with that in mind, but they're from Jaguar and if you use ThemePark, you can see how out-of-date they are.
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ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 06:16 AM
 
it's not going to be fun..but what's the problem...everybody on this forum can help to create and update a resources catalog.
     
esXXI
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May 28, 2005, 06:53 AM
 
Maybe some sort of wiki-like catalog? That'd let themers/modders add information on each element with tips in their own time, so it's all built up. Would probably be a lot friendlier to add to then a megalithic document.
     
smeger
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May 28, 2005, 06:56 AM
 
Originally Posted by esXXI
Maybe some sort of wiki-like catalog? That'd let themers/modders add information on each element with tips in their own time, so it's all built up. Would probably be a lot friendlier to add to then a megalithic document.
That's a rather good idea...
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digitaljames
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May 28, 2005, 07:05 AM
 
On that note, I made a rough picture-book style pdf of my "How to mod themes with Tpark". I am planning on expanding it as questions pop up and also to briefly deal with the changes in Tiger as well as what you can and can't do by manual editing of the extras.rsrc file or the .dlta framework...

Mod your Theme
     
esXXI
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May 28, 2005, 07:13 AM
 
Originally Posted by smeger
That's a rather good idea...
Me and Chris (Not McElligot) are going to set one up then.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 07:20 AM
 
Originally Posted by digitaljames
On that note, I made a rough picture-book style pdf of my "How to mod themes with Tpark". I am planning on expanding it as questions pop up and also to briefly deal with the changes in Tiger as well as what you can and can't do by manual editing of the extras.rsrc file or the .dlta framework...

Mod your Theme
very nice, that's a great start for a theming catalog

*what do you think about a simple resources - find your way catalog??? how many resources you really use when creating a theme?


BTW - Maybe is better to have these Tutorials/catalogs on a website so they can be updated? like DigitalRamen ThemePark Tutorial...i can also help with hosting if needed.
( Last edited by ZXspectrum; May 28, 2005 at 07:38 AM. )
     
digitaljames
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May 28, 2005, 07:57 AM
 
Originally Posted by ZXspectrum
*what do you think about a simple resources - find your way catalog??? how many resources you really use when creating a theme?
2000 at least....
     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 08:06 AM
 
2000 wow...but if somebody will create a system with an admin tool or something similar everybody can help building and updating the tutorial.
     
esXXI
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May 28, 2005, 10:08 AM
 
Okay I finished setting up GuiKi, it uses Mediawiki so anyone can add pages/information/etc on elements.

You can click here to go to GuiKi and add information on resources or tips/etc. Please read the guidelines first.

     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 10:12 AM
 
Originally Posted by esXXI
Okay I finished setting up GuiKi, it uses Mediawiki so anyone can add pages/information/etc on elements.

You can click here to go to GuiKi and add information on resources or tips/etc. Please read the guidelines first.


wow you are fast thanks
     
cruciarius  (op)
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May 28, 2005, 10:19 AM
 
i know i've mentioned this before in another topic, but i know i've made attempts at making my own theme. i know others have too. so how about a place that would host the TP files? of course the file should only contain the persons work (exp: i only upload a TP file with resources i made, not any resources of another theme). by doing this, possible full themes could be created by the community. of course any themes made from any of the resources provided, have to give credit and anyone who uploads their resources are willing to share them with everyone.
     
ZXspectrum
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May 28, 2005, 06:34 PM
 
Originally Posted by cruciarius
i know i've mentioned this before in another topic, but i know i've made attempts at making my own theme. i know others have too. so how about a place that would host the TP files? of course the file should only contain the persons work (exp: i only upload a TP file with resources i made, not any resources of another theme). by doing this, possible full themes could be created by the community. of course any themes made from any of the resources provided, have to give credit and anyone who uploads their resources are willing to share them with everyone.
that's a good point
     
   
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