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You are here: MacNN Forums > Software - Troubleshooting and Discussion > Developer Center > Whats wrong with Brushed Metal?

Whats wrong with Brushed Metal?
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TampaDeveloper
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Aug 25, 2004, 10:26 AM
 
I see lots of places where people make fun of it. I was looking at a review of browsers and the con for Safari was that it had brushed metal look. So whats wrong with it? I like it.
     
Kristoff
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Aug 25, 2004, 10:40 AM
 
Yeah...it's purely subjective.

I don't know why Apple doesn't just do a full theme engine.
signatures are a waste of bandwidth
especially ones with political tripe in them.
     
djohnson
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Aug 25, 2004, 11:01 AM
 
Brushed metal works well in some cases. Why someone would put an opinion on how something looks into a review of how something works is beyond me though... I guess they have to find something to gripe about ;-)

Themes would be great, but there are some stability issues that might arise from their use. Maybe it will be the next big thing in 10.5?
     
TampaDeveloper  (op)
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Aug 25, 2004, 12:17 PM
 
OK, cool. I thought maybe it was some kind of wierd Mac-Purist thing or something. I'm a convert so I'm still not up on the culture yet. But I'm getting there I now piss off my PC friends regularly with my Mac bragging.
     
Chuckit
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Aug 25, 2004, 01:51 PM
 
Originally posted by djohnson:
Why someone would put an opinion on how something looks into a review of how something works is beyond me though... I guess they have to find something to gripe about ;-)
Nobody said it was purely a review of how it works. I know I don't like to use a program with a hideous interface.
Chuck
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Catfish_Man
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Aug 25, 2004, 02:44 PM
 
Originally posted by TampaDeveloper:
OK, cool. I thought maybe it was some kind of wierd Mac-Purist thing or something. I'm a convert so I'm still not up on the culture yet. But I'm getting there I now piss off my PC friends regularly with my Mac bragging.
Actually it is. There are a few reasons the (we) UI nuts get pissed off about BM:

1) It's used inconsistently. Apple has guidelines for its use but they change frequently and even Apple doesn't follow them
2) It gets rid of some subtle window state distinctions that show up in Aqua windows (I forget exactly what)
3) It's slightly slower than normal windows, from what I've read

otoh, you can drag windows by their edges when they're metal, which can be nice.
     
TampaDeveloper  (op)
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Aug 25, 2004, 03:35 PM
 
Originally posted by Chuckit:
Nobody said it was purely a review of how it works. I know I don't like to use a program with a hideous interface.
The problem with that is that its hard to quantify "hideousness". Catfish_Man pointed out that its actually missing some of the functionality from the Aqua equivalent, so theres a point. But to just say its hideous is kind of, well, hideous. For example, maybe some reviewer doesn't like the Aqua interface. Should he then say that all Mac software is crap simply because he doesn't like the color blue? A reviewer has to be able to recognize the difference between quantitative and qualitative assessments. Maybe he likes his minimize button on the right hand side of the window, not the left. How is that relevant to anybody besides him, unless he's got some sort of criteria to quantify it, such as "difficult to use/find/see, etc"?

Your comment is the same. How is its "hideousness" relevant to anybody besides you unless you add some criteria to quantify it?
     
arekkusu
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Aug 25, 2004, 04:26 PM
 
     
TampaDeveloper  (op)
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Aug 25, 2004, 05:22 PM
 
Originally posted by arekkusu:
Read this thread.
Don't you think that these are all problems that they will eventually work out? But I do agree that I, as a developer, will avoid the brushed metal interface. I have no problem using it in the applications I have used so far.
     
Chuckit
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Aug 25, 2004, 08:13 PM
 
Originally posted by TampaDeveloper:
The problem with that is that its hard to quantify "hideousness".
No, it isn't. If I say it's hideous, then it's hideous. That's why it's called "a review" and not "the Truth as delivered to me by God Himself." I'm sure many actors whose performances have been called "unconvincing" have in fact managed to convince some 4-year-old somewhere. Unless you're comparing cold, hard statistics (which this review apparently was not), reviews are inherently somewhat subjective.

Originally posted by TampaDeveloper:
Your comment is the same. How is its "hideousness" relevant to anybody besides you unless you add some criteria to quantify it?
It's about as relevant as how easy a time I had using it. Some (not most, but some) people actually have an easier time using "bad" interfaces just because their minds are wired that way. Like I said, it's pretty much a judgment call if you're not using just statistics, and often even then.
Chuck
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arekkusu
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Aug 26, 2004, 01:29 AM
 
Originally posted by TampaDeveloper:
Don't you think that these are all problems that they will eventually work out? But I do agree that I, as a developer, will avoid the brushed metal interface. I have no problem using it in the applications I have used so far.
The inconsistencies will probably eventually be sorted out. But that doesn't do anything about the core problem, which is that making your digital applications resemble real world devices is a Bad Idea.

Unfortunately Apple is on a big consumer-oriented kick right now, with DashBored and so on. So it may take two or three fire-and-hirings of the UI team to restore sanity.

[/IMHO]
     
ruttopia
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Aug 26, 2004, 09:15 AM
 
As a wanna-be developer, I'm working on an app and staying away from brushed metal because I don't want people to look at it as another iApp. I think using brushed metal makes it look like you're trying to replicate iTunes and other iApps. Not that it's a bad thing necessarily, but I don't want the connotation that can sometimes come with a brushed metal app ("You're coping Apple!").

I mean, there's a lot of people who think brushed metal is ugly and a lot who think it's nice looking. But I think the majority of folks like the standard window style - so it's less risk by going with it.

Having said all that, it does look nice for some things. But it seems like there are more widgets available for non-brushed metal apps in XCode that don't look out of place when used on the standard window display.

Just my opinion ...
     
driven
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Aug 26, 2004, 01:25 PM
 
Originally posted by TampaDeveloper:
OK, cool. I thought maybe it was some kind of wierd Mac-Purist thing or something. I'm a convert so I'm still not up on the culture yet. But I'm getting there I now piss off my PC friends regularly with my Mac bragging.
Welcome to the club.
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TampaDeveloper  (op)
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Aug 27, 2004, 10:37 AM
 
Originally posted by driven:
Welcome to the club.
Thank you. I love my powerbook, even if the casing is brushed metal
     
   
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