Editiorial: Are skinners abandoning originality in exchange for popularity?
Thursday, March 25, 2004 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
I was doing an article today on the history of WindowBlinds skinning. And I firmly believe that the vocal "minimalistic skinsa re king" crowd have really done real harm to skinning. I say that because skin authors seem to have become so afraid of making anything that isn't "minimalistic" because not only will they not be appreciated for being creative and original, they're likely to get flamed by the "Minimastic" brigade.
Let me show you some skins from 1999 so you can see what I mean in terms of originality.
This is old but when was the last time you saw a skin that tried to look like something other than "Look, it's another generic GUI"? Or at least done reasonably well?
This is from 2000! Sure there's OS skins in here too but look at that Allend Bond skin. Or Dangeruss's skin.
This is from Shoggot. His title bar blade actually rotated (animated) when it was the active window and the blade stretched as you increased the size of the window. I can't even remember the last time someone made a good animated title bar. And it's so easy. It's just frames of animation. Some little glowing effect or SOMETHING other than the usual gradients that everyone seems fixated on.
I believe that the reason for the lack of creativity these days is because of the obsession with downloads combined with fatigue from being flamed by the critics who will look at a skin that took 2 weeks to make and shrug it off "I won't use that crap" simply because it's not Windows Luna (but red) or some skin that looks like a slightly more minimalistic version of Luna.
Here's one from DAK from Russia released FOUR years ago.
When was the last time you saw a skin that used animation this clever? This Matrix skin by Mercury was made 4 years ago.
These two skins from Dangeruss, which are going on 5 years in age, show what skinning is all about. Creative and yet outstanding quality. These are the kinds of skins WindowBlinds was made for artistic freedom to create cool and interesting looking things. Little touches like semi-transparent scrollbars (how often do you see that these days?) and captions on the title bar buttons.
Many skin authors seem to be skinning more for popularity rather than for themselves. Back before skinning was so popular, popularity wasn't an issue - there just weren't enough peopel using this stuff. But now, skinning is not just popular, but with popularity comes..well criticism. The skins you see here took real work to make. But who wants to spend weeks on a skin only to have some anonymous user slam it because they think it's "gaudy".
I wish I had the talent to create good artwork like you see here because I would create "gaudy" skins (if these are "gaudy"). I would rather create a skin that is new and different than yet another "It's very much like Luna but the title bar is slightly smaller and it has a gradient..." (not that I'm not guilty of that myself since those kinds of skins take less time and will get more downloads.
The skins you see here are available on WinCustomize.com in the WindowBlinds section. Just look at Dangeruss, Mercury, D.A.K. and Allen Bond if you, as a skin author, want to see how these skins were made or if you, as a skin user, want to try them out (of course, since they were made before XP, not all of xP will be skinned with them).
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st_nick
Reply #42 Friday, March 26, 2004 12:06 AM
Reply #42 Friday, March 26, 2004 12:06 AM
I think the biggest thing driving this was the limited nature of the XP Visual Styles that were out there. 90% of them for the first several months were little but recolors of the XP interface, and that sort of thing became acceptable. I don't think skin sites would have even accepted them as uploads before then, but it became mainstream and popular. I applaud the GUI Olympics, if only because some of the best skins of the last several months have come out in the opening entries, and some original stuff too.
Nomad529
Reply #43 Friday, March 26, 2004 12:23 AM
Reply #43 Friday, March 26, 2004 12:23 AM
~ I've had my OD subscription for 3 years now and what originally made me purchase it was Windowblinds. I loved the fact that the GUI could be changed to something completely different! I used to just fiddle with the colors in the display properties before I discovered WB. When I discovered Stardock and WinCustomize I was in heaven!!
~ I have to agree with Frogboy that some of the skins from 2-3 years ago did seem more original and creative, but there is an upper echelon of skinners(treetog, dangeruss and chadamus to name a few) that have consistently produced original skins, whtever style, that have graced everyone's desktop at some point in time!
~ The fact that minimalistic skins have become so popular is because Windowblinds itself has become so popular. Nowadays, people don't just use it at home, they use it at work also. Unfortunately, some skins aren't appropriate for the workplace...enter the minimalistic skin. I work at a law firm and use a minimal skin there but my laptop and home pc's have whatever I want on them, usually something a little more eye-catching. I'm not saying I don't like minimalistic skins, they have there place, but I prefer something a little more flashy. I'm not saying that minimal skins aren't creative or original because they can be.
~ Personally, I think the simple fact that someone creates a skin in the first place...is creative, but is it original? Regardless of what type or style it is, the artist obviously devoted their time to make it and criticism from people who don't like it because it's not something they'd use, should be ignored. The artist isn't making it specifically for you, they're making it for themselves because they enjoy doing it.
~ One thing I don't like is when I see someone pumping out 3 or 4 skins in a week that are so similar they could be bundled as substyles of the original. To me, that isn't really original.
~ I have to agree with Frogboy that some of the skins from 2-3 years ago did seem more original and creative, but there is an upper echelon of skinners(treetog, dangeruss and chadamus to name a few) that have consistently produced original skins, whtever style, that have graced everyone's desktop at some point in time!
~ The fact that minimalistic skins have become so popular is because Windowblinds itself has become so popular. Nowadays, people don't just use it at home, they use it at work also. Unfortunately, some skins aren't appropriate for the workplace...enter the minimalistic skin. I work at a law firm and use a minimal skin there but my laptop and home pc's have whatever I want on them, usually something a little more eye-catching. I'm not saying I don't like minimalistic skins, they have there place, but I prefer something a little more flashy. I'm not saying that minimal skins aren't creative or original because they can be.
~ Personally, I think the simple fact that someone creates a skin in the first place...is creative, but is it original? Regardless of what type or style it is, the artist obviously devoted their time to make it and criticism from people who don't like it because it's not something they'd use, should be ignored. The artist isn't making it specifically for you, they're making it for themselves because they enjoy doing it.
~ One thing I don't like is when I see someone pumping out 3 or 4 skins in a week that are so similar they could be bundled as substyles of the original. To me, that isn't really original.
c242
Reply #44 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:11 AM
Reply #44 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:11 AM
Best animated skin for XP is 'Sex Pistons'. Such a good idea. 
Dreww
Reply #45 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:43 AM
Reply #45 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:43 AM
First of all I don't skin...don't have the gift. Having said that, I have been coming here almost daily since the demise of skins.org so I have observed the evolution of this thing called "skinning" for several years.
Some observations: 1. I agree with Hippy in that, if all a person wants is recolored windows, or a small border then WB is a waste of time. Size is not everything however. When I think of some very good skins from, say...Dangeruss, Treetog, Jafo, etc. I don't always think of skins that take up a lot of real estate. In fact, most of the skins that Frogboy uses as examples above aren't especially "thick", just very creative and eye catching (use of texture on window backgrounds, the illusion of light without distracting from or making the labels unreadable, uniquely shaped scrollbars that are at the same time not distracting) These are the qualities that I look for in a WB skin. Sadly, these are qualities that I do not seem to find nearly as often any more. I download very few WB skins any more for this reason. 2. Time may be a factor. With not only more things to skin on WB there are now a pleathora of other skinning programs. (DX, Cursor XP, Icon Packager, Object Dock, Logons and now even Boot Screens) With the emphasis on "Suites", the really good artists will not produce as many strictly WB skins. 3. Lastly I have noticed that every time a new skinning program comes out (and thay seem to come out like clockwork ((and Yes I think this is a good thing)))a lot of people rush to make skins in the new medium (human nature / new toy) and kind of forget the older programs for a little while.
Just some thoughts... for what they are worth
Some observations: 1. I agree with Hippy in that, if all a person wants is recolored windows, or a small border then WB is a waste of time. Size is not everything however. When I think of some very good skins from, say...Dangeruss, Treetog, Jafo, etc. I don't always think of skins that take up a lot of real estate. In fact, most of the skins that Frogboy uses as examples above aren't especially "thick", just very creative and eye catching (use of texture on window backgrounds, the illusion of light without distracting from or making the labels unreadable, uniquely shaped scrollbars that are at the same time not distracting) These are the qualities that I look for in a WB skin. Sadly, these are qualities that I do not seem to find nearly as often any more. I download very few WB skins any more for this reason. 2. Time may be a factor. With not only more things to skin on WB there are now a pleathora of other skinning programs. (DX, Cursor XP, Icon Packager, Object Dock, Logons and now even Boot Screens) With the emphasis on "Suites", the really good artists will not produce as many strictly WB skins. 3. Lastly I have noticed that every time a new skinning program comes out (and thay seem to come out like clockwork ((and Yes I think this is a good thing)))a lot of people rush to make skins in the new medium (human nature / new toy) and kind of forget the older programs for a little while.
Just some thoughts... for what they are worth
Dreww
Reply #47 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:44 AM
Reply #47 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:44 AM
One more thing, I agree that in general not very much effort is put into the preview on most skins. I want to see the WB skin, not the authors desktop
wombat_1
Reply #48 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:45 AM
Reply #48 Friday, March 26, 2004 1:45 AM
I've been a user of W/B and an addicted downloader of most skins (just to see how good they look on my box!) for over 5 years.
Most of the classics that appear here are archived on my back up and many remain in use.
Almost anything by Mercury, Shoggot, Crumbutt and Dangeruss top my 'best of' list.
My 'daily drivers' are either 'Grizzle 2' by adni18 or 'Skink' by essorant .... different but very user friendly and about as minimalist as I would go.
With the evoloution of WB4 it would be great to see some of my favourites up-dated to take advantage of the new features, but only for that reason, as the designs are so good.
I must add my 10c worth re the current trend .... 'porting' is not a great idea IMHO, but there are certain people who need to go for numbers and I guess a port of an average skin gets them a quick starting point.
And Nomad529 is right on the mark re those who knock out several 're-coloured' versions of the same skin ..... I've just culled my files and there are are lot of skins that fill the bill in this case.
'Originality' requires a mind that can visualise an original design concept, sadly there are few of these left .... and I'm not one either.
Most of the classics that appear here are archived on my back up and many remain in use.
Almost anything by Mercury, Shoggot, Crumbutt and Dangeruss top my 'best of' list.
My 'daily drivers' are either 'Grizzle 2' by adni18 or 'Skink' by essorant .... different but very user friendly and about as minimalist as I would go.
With the evoloution of WB4 it would be great to see some of my favourites up-dated to take advantage of the new features, but only for that reason, as the designs are so good.
I must add my 10c worth re the current trend .... 'porting' is not a great idea IMHO, but there are certain people who need to go for numbers and I guess a port of an average skin gets them a quick starting point.
And Nomad529 is right on the mark re those who knock out several 're-coloured' versions of the same skin ..... I've just culled my files and there are are lot of skins that fill the bill in this case.
'Originality' requires a mind that can visualise an original design concept, sadly there are few of these left .... and I'm not one either.
kenjamd
Reply #49 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:09 AM
Reply #49 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:09 AM
Where do I start?
I am a longtime lurk around these parts and am proud to say I paid for my first Object Desktop Subsciption almost a year before it was released, mostly because of Windowblinds. While I don't think I could ever get to the point where I could actually sit down and try to construct my own skin, I am very appreciative of everyone who has contributed. I just counted them all up, and I have an archive of over 600 skins. Almost half of them I dont do much with any more, but would love to be able to if they were updated. While this would be an ideal opportunity to get my rear into gear and try updating some of them myself, I am no longer the bachelor-with-no-life that I once was and can't find the time I think I should take to do the kind of job these older skins deserve to have done for them. One of the happiest times for me was when Essorant went back and updated many of his skins to work with Windowblinds 3.x. Alas, I wish he had been able to do more, but to have had him actually do the updates was the best part.
I would like to point out a few other skins and skinners besides the ones Frogboy mentioned that made me wonder how people could come up with such ideas or were just a blast to use or show off:
Many other skins by Aleksyandr, Donna Spadafore, Mangas, APB, jcg, and digital FX would all be worth the time taken to check out.
F2B by Jef
FuturaIII by Jay-z2k (see also the other Futura skins by CRUMBUT)
Iridium by Shawn Murdock
Violaceous by hyaline
There are so many WB skins that would see a wonderful revival if only somebody would update them. Anybody up for it?
I am a longtime lurk around these parts and am proud to say I paid for my first Object Desktop Subsciption almost a year before it was released, mostly because of Windowblinds. While I don't think I could ever get to the point where I could actually sit down and try to construct my own skin, I am very appreciative of everyone who has contributed. I just counted them all up, and I have an archive of over 600 skins. Almost half of them I dont do much with any more, but would love to be able to if they were updated. While this would be an ideal opportunity to get my rear into gear and try updating some of them myself, I am no longer the bachelor-with-no-life that I once was and can't find the time I think I should take to do the kind of job these older skins deserve to have done for them. One of the happiest times for me was when Essorant went back and updated many of his skins to work with Windowblinds 3.x. Alas, I wish he had been able to do more, but to have had him actually do the updates was the best part.
I would like to point out a few other skins and skinners besides the ones Frogboy mentioned that made me wonder how people could come up with such ideas or were just a blast to use or show off:
Many other skins by Aleksyandr, Donna Spadafore, Mangas, APB, jcg, and digital FX would all be worth the time taken to check out.
F2B by Jef
FuturaIII by Jay-z2k (see also the other Futura skins by CRUMBUT)
Iridium by Shawn Murdock
Violaceous by hyaline
There are so many WB skins that would see a wonderful revival if only somebody would update them. Anybody up for it?
Max-Pixel
Reply #50 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:13 AM
Reply #50 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:13 AM
I have been making skinz since the windowblinds version .3 era. I was also one of the first to make minimalistic skinz. Back then you could only skin the basics (scroll bars, frame, buttons). I made some skinz on my lunch hour. It was fun because it was not that much of a chore. It did not seem like anyone cared about popularity, I did not. It was nice but I enjoyed the emails that people from all over would send me telling me how they liked what I had done. I had some great skinz and I had some really bad ones but I had so much fun making them.
I miss that time. Back then there was a small handfull of us giants. I thinks that is why things were also alot different. Back in the early days there was not much to go on. Everything we created was new and no one had ever tried that before. Now with so many people its kinda hard to come up with something new, but not impossible. Its sad to see how things have evolved. Everything either looks like some Aqua rip or a recolored XP rip.
I also agree that time is a factor. Even really good skinz back then took at most a couple of days maybe. Now things are so complex and a good skin can take a few weeks. I just dont seem to have that much time anymore to skin like I want to. I always did find the time making skinz relaxing. I have had a swelling in the number of people wanting me to come back and I probably will to a degree. I will probably just redo all my old skinz. Alot of people want a XP version of Gel. Its amazing to hear that people still use some of these skinz even though they were made for like windowblinds 1 or 2.
I really hope that people start to create something different. I see tons of talent out there. I am always playing around with customization. I have tried just about everything but I always come back to windowblinds, and desktopx. I have gone spells without anything on my system only to come back and say 'wow look what they have done'.
What is come down to I think is there is a line between usablitiy and looks. If something is usable then its probably is not a very 'crazy' looking skin. The other side is if something looks great then it might be so graphic that is might be hard to find a button or something. People I think seem to have leaned towards the usablitly side, for good reasons. No one want an unusable skin even if it looks great. The result is that the untraditional skinz get bad reviews or some negative feedack or something then those skinz get made less often. Everyone wants there skin to become popular. The whole thing is like natural/artificial ion just for skinz.
- Shawn Murdock
I miss that time. Back then there was a small handfull of us giants. I thinks that is why things were also alot different. Back in the early days there was not much to go on. Everything we created was new and no one had ever tried that before. Now with so many people its kinda hard to come up with something new, but not impossible. Its sad to see how things have evolved. Everything either looks like some Aqua rip or a recolored XP rip.
I also agree that time is a factor. Even really good skinz back then took at most a couple of days maybe. Now things are so complex and a good skin can take a few weeks. I just dont seem to have that much time anymore to skin like I want to. I always did find the time making skinz relaxing. I have had a swelling in the number of people wanting me to come back and I probably will to a degree. I will probably just redo all my old skinz. Alot of people want a XP version of Gel. Its amazing to hear that people still use some of these skinz even though they were made for like windowblinds 1 or 2.
I really hope that people start to create something different. I see tons of talent out there. I am always playing around with customization. I have tried just about everything but I always come back to windowblinds, and desktopx. I have gone spells without anything on my system only to come back and say 'wow look what they have done'.
What is come down to I think is there is a line between usablitiy and looks. If something is usable then its probably is not a very 'crazy' looking skin. The other side is if something looks great then it might be so graphic that is might be hard to find a button or something. People I think seem to have leaned towards the usablitly side, for good reasons. No one want an unusable skin even if it looks great. The result is that the untraditional skinz get bad reviews or some negative feedack or something then those skinz get made less often. Everyone wants there skin to become popular. The whole thing is like natural/artificial ion just for skinz.
- Shawn Murdock
KC
Reply #51 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:46 AM
Reply #51 Friday, March 26, 2004 2:46 AM
Sorry y'all... but I am NOT even going to bother reading all the comments. Wasn't it a long long time ago in a galaxy far far far away that skinning was about skinning you're OWN shit and sharing it with others??? If y'all have gotten so far off base from the heart of skinning... ( explicative here). It is about YOU... no other. Who gives a rats ass about download counts, or featured skins... If you are a true skinner, you do it for the passion. You do it for the release... you do it FOR YOU. All the rest of y'all... GET OVER IT.
My 2 cents Luv, peace and PRIDE!
My 2 cents
Luv, peace and PRIDE!
EventHorizon
Reply #52 Friday, March 26, 2004 3:37 AM
Reply #52 Friday, March 26, 2004 3:37 AM
Way back when skinning was 'young' and Wincustomize hadn't even been created, skinning was about playing around and showing your friends what you could come up with. There we no 'huge' download numbers and it really was quite a small world...
NOW, we have over ONE MILLION regestered ppl on this site alone...
Skinning has become about downloads, not about having fun and coming up with the most original design. As someone pointed out earlier, skinning has also become more time consuming with the addition of more features in Windowblinds and XP's plethora of customizable images. (IE icons by themselves can be a pain sometimes.)
Most people would rather 'get it done' than take the time to do a 'good job' and be creative...
And as I mentioned earlier, skinning has become 'commercialized'. No, not necessarily by money, but by the huge user base that is out there...If ppl like these minimalistic skins that are very 'good' as eye-candy but not at all creative, then thats what the skinners will create.
On the other hand, If a skin is functional and doesnt make me squint to read the text/see the buttons, I dont give a damn weather its trendy or not. For me, skins are about functionality.
If its the most original and creative skin on the internet, but its not 'pleasing to the eye'...then its worth a download just to look at, but Id never use it for more than a couple minutes.
KC: Skinning has become about getting the most downloads...again 'commercialized' in a way. It is time consuming, and difficult to come out with a good skin that is original, and if no one downloads it, then most skinners consider that skin to be a waste of their time. As a result, ppl skin to get the most downloads and to make the most skins in the least time...As a result, simplistic, and 'pretty' (but not creative) skins come out.
NOW, we have over ONE MILLION regestered ppl on this site alone...
Skinning has become about downloads, not about having fun and coming up with the most original design. As someone pointed out earlier, skinning has also become more time consuming with the addition of more features in Windowblinds and XP's plethora of customizable images. (IE icons by themselves can be a pain sometimes.)
Most people would rather 'get it done' than take the time to do a 'good job' and be creative...
And as I mentioned earlier, skinning has become 'commercialized'. No, not necessarily by money, but by the huge user base that is out there...If ppl like these minimalistic skins that are very 'good' as eye-candy but not at all creative, then thats what the skinners will create.
On the other hand, If a skin is functional and doesnt make me squint to read the text/see the buttons, I dont give a damn weather its trendy or not. For me, skins are about functionality.
If its the most original and creative skin on the internet, but its not 'pleasing to the eye'...then its worth a download just to look at, but Id never use it for more than a couple minutes.
KC: Skinning has become about getting the most downloads...again 'commercialized' in a way. It is time consuming, and difficult to come out with a good skin that is original, and if no one downloads it, then most skinners consider that skin to be a waste of their time. As a result, ppl skin to get the most downloads and to make the most skins in the least time...As a result, simplistic, and 'pretty' (but not creative) skins come out.
George Rogers Jr
Reply #53 Friday, March 26, 2004 4:40 AM
Reply #53 Friday, March 26, 2004 4:40 AM
Have to agree with FB on this one...I just wish more of the early wb skins displayed in this article were updated to wb4...there are so many original ones like the kind on this page that will never be used anymore! It is striking just how advanced these were & still are up to this day!! 
SickPuppy
Reply #54 Friday, March 26, 2004 5:04 AM
Reply #54 Friday, March 26, 2004 5:04 AM
Brad I think you (Stardock) are partly to blame for this lack of innovation. Most of the skins these days are created with your 'widgets' and just coloured. Perhaps it's all a little too easy to 'create' a bland, minimalistic skin.
MarkMcQ
Reply #55 Friday, March 26, 2004 5:47 AM
Reply #55 Friday, March 26, 2004 5:47 AM
"Brad I think you (Stardock) are partly to blame for this lack of innovation. Most of the skins these days are created with your 'widgets' and just coloured. Perhaps it's all a little too easy to 'create' a bland, minimalistic skin." Possibly the most untruthful thing I've read.There's certainly a lot of first time skinners uploading a badly recoloured Luna, but Stardock didn't create Luna, neither did Brad.Skinstudio may include it as a template, but it's merely that, a guide for people to work over.As for minimalistic widgets, I don't recall ever seeing any of those.
c242
Reply #56 Friday, March 26, 2004 6:06 AM
Reply #56 Friday, March 26, 2004 6:06 AM
Hmm, I tried to start something by updating old skins like 'Synapse' to XP, but that try failed. 
Andy Hutchinson
Reply #57 Friday, March 26, 2004 6:21 AM
Reply #57 Friday, March 26, 2004 6:21 AM
Are skinners abandoning originality for popularity? Of course they're not. There are several things going on here. Firstly, you added a feature to Skinstudio which made it possible to port over .msstyle skins to WB. Since the vast majority of skins created in .msstyle format are 'minimalistic' and since WB users clearly want to use them, they got ported over. Secondly, the skinning scene has matured to the point where skinners and end-users alike have grown weary of nasty novelty skins. People just don't want disgusting violent green obscenities on their desktop, they want usable skins that won't frighten small children.
Frankly, the skins you chose to illustrate your point are hilarious, pig-ugly monstrosities for the most part and I think the majority of people are glad to see the back of them. You're seriously telling me that you'd leave something like 'What is the Matrix' on your desktop? Those animated numbers and the ugly colour-scheme would drive you nuts. It's almost an object lesson in how not to design a useable interface. The fact is that people actually like to use their PCs, not just power them up and stare at them from afar. 'Minimalistic' skins can actually be used while you go about your PC business, they tend to be far less resource hungry, they won't scare small children and they look excellent.
Your assertion that "vocal "minimalistic skinsa re king" crowd have really done real harm to skinning." is singularly hilarious. If anything, they've opened up the whole area of skinning to a far wider audience - the kind of people who'd rather dangle their nether-regions in hot fat than use a skin as ugly, childish and down-right nauseating as Driftwood. The scene's matured, that's all, it's still every bit as inventive and innovative as it always was, it's just becoming less of a novelty arcade. I for one, am very relieved.
Frankly, the skins you chose to illustrate your point are hilarious, pig-ugly monstrosities for the most part and I think the majority of people are glad to see the back of them. You're seriously telling me that you'd leave something like 'What is the Matrix' on your desktop? Those animated numbers and the ugly colour-scheme would drive you nuts. It's almost an object lesson in how not to design a useable interface. The fact is that people actually like to use their PCs, not just power them up and stare at them from afar. 'Minimalistic' skins can actually be used while you go about your PC business, they tend to be far less resource hungry, they won't scare small children and they look excellent.
Your assertion that "vocal "minimalistic skinsa re king" crowd have really done real harm to skinning." is singularly hilarious. If anything, they've opened up the whole area of skinning to a far wider audience - the kind of people who'd rather dangle their nether-regions in hot fat than use a skin as ugly, childish and down-right nauseating as Driftwood. The scene's matured, that's all, it's still every bit as inventive and innovative as it always was, it's just becoming less of a novelty arcade. I for one, am very relieved.
keymastr1008
Reply #58 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:07 AM
Reply #58 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:07 AM
There's nothing wrong with minimalistic skins. Personally, I am 30, and spend most of my computing time at work. In fact, my OD subscription is for use on my work laptop... I don't even use any of the OD apps on my home computers. When I was 16, sure, I spent countless hours playing games and looking at porn just like the rest of the 16 year olds. And back then, I would have loved to see/use some of those funky skins. But now, I need something easy on the eyes, practical, and totally usable in an everyday environment. For me, that means minimalistic.
c242
Reply #59 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:25 AM
Reply #59 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:25 AM
What is the sense in doing a skin that resamples the clasic look changed by 3DCC (If anybody still knows that tool) ? I don't need any files to do that nor a visual style. There were more original 3DCC colorschemes floating arround a few years back than 50 % of those minimalist msstyles look nowadays.
c242
Reply #60 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:28 AM
Reply #60 Friday, March 26, 2004 9:28 AM
Of course, something like CopperDeck II is nothing I would use at work (use more easy on the eyes skins there), but I still enjoy it at home from time to time. I have used Universe Metal for example at work for 1 year with the full range of office apps and even programming and I was fine and had some eye candy at work also.
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Reply #41 Thursday, March 25, 2004 10:56 PM
Skins: Artistic or Usuable. The difference between these two is simple functionality. While creativity is applied to either type of skin, those intended for daily, productive use are generally sleeker. Creativity is suppressed in favor of producing a skin that loads/redraws quickly with little or no problems in a wide range of software/hardware. Artistic skins are intended more for a "Wow!" effect generally they are not used daily by the average user with the average powered computer.
Users: Average vs Power. Generally the power user is more likely to have the artistic skin. With more capable computer systems they appreciate the added functionality built into the skin. Power users are less affected by the added processing overhead.
Most people are going to find a visually appealing skin with the features that they need. Once installed the skin will probably remain for ~6-18 months.
Personally, as per an email discussion with Frogboy over a year ago, I doubt their will be any serious GUI advance/"killer app" until vector-, instead of pixel-, based graphics become the Windows standard. Particularly if the design separates into three files: Shape/Layout (round, square, etc) , Color Palette, Light (transparency, glassiness, etc).
Unfortunately this is something that MS will have to implement. Not Stardock.