A small community of desktop “skinners” has sprung up around Unsanity’s ShapeShifter, a utility for Mac OS X that allows the desktop interface to be customized in highly personal and sometimes strikingly beautiful ways. ShapeShifter, released earlier this month, is a $20 utility that can alter all the elements of the Mac OS X interface, including menus, windows, buttons and boxes.
How Mac OS X Can Shed Its Skin
About The Author
Eugenia Loli
Ex-programmer, ex-editor in chief at OSNews.com, now a visual artist/filmmaker.
Follow me on Twitter @EugeniaLoli
Looks like some people have been porting Stardock to Mac.
I always thought that WIN XP was a MACified WIN 2K.
The ‘Lady of the house” dreams about being able to have her G4 desktop buildable like my old Warp4 was.
A good effort though by people interested in revamping the ‘horid’ desktop Apple beleives you “should” have.
any new kinds of features other than what Kaleidescope for classic OSX had, or what XP, or WindowsBlindsX, or KDE or GNOME have?
this isn’t the first time a program offers theme customization on a MacOSX. The MacOSX theme is so horrible that it is copied on Linux and Windows but you really don’t see it the other way around with Mac people wanting the look and feel of XP, 2000, KDE or Gnome.
Yeah, that’s why there is a popular new UI customization/skinning tool… to keep the Mac OS the same.
I forgot… the rules of logic do not apply to Mac…
Anyone outside of Mac world does not wonder why Apple’s global market share is about 1.5%. Forcing everyone to do thing one way — Apple’s way — is really not compelling. And then even with this cheaper way of making Mac OS… it costs more?
Maybe you could say it is working… Apple increased their market share by 4% last year (it’s up from 1.43% to 1.49%).
Of course Linux with all the UI choice available — that the Mac heads gripe about — increased their market share by 96% during the same period.
I couldn’t live without Unsanitys SafariTimeout patch .. but do they now start wasting their time ? I can’t even think of an single widget I would like to customize ..
How is this for disturbing?
http://www.maxthemes.com/themes/macosxp.htm
I have to wonder why anyone would want to change the standard Mac OS X interface. As a total Linux+KDE zealot, I must admit that having recently played with Panther, I was blown away. Nothing, as in nothing, comes close to the sheer liquid-gold visual feast factor that is Mac OS X.
Personally, I find Macs impossible to use, but it’s just a different interface philosophy. The problem is that I can’t take my eyes off the screen, watching those transition effects and scaling icons etc. Perhaps KDE will rival this one day, but you know, if I become rich, I think it’s a PowerBook for me 😉
whoaaaaaaa that is SCARY…….
“Apple’s default “scanline” theme… is easily the worse UI Apple has ever made.”
it’s the most beautiful design / theme of an operating system ever.
Because you can?
“it’s the most beautiful design / theme of an operating system ever.”
Pah! Go out and use RISC OS, BeOS, QNX Photon and AmigaOS, and you’ll see that OSX is just eye candy. Gumdrop widgets and drop-shadows do not a productive environment make; hell, scientists and engineers have done fine with the hideously ugly CDE for so long because it GETS WORK DONE.
Go out and look at roadsigns. They’re not coated in glitter and anti-aliasing — they’re made to impart information cleanly and quickly, as does a good computer desktop.
So-called armchair “UI experts” wittering on about AA fonts and translucency effects have no clue whatsoever. Speed, legibility and efficiency matter on a desktop, and to Eugenia’s credit she does seem to focus on these things in here reviews.
Now to drink more beer!
it to be able to shrink the widgets just by a little. I run my screen at 1920×1080 just so the widgets take up less room in comparison to everything else. I know that OS X’s widget set has smaller versions of almost everything (scroll bars, buttons, and so on), if those were the normal sized widgets, i could keep my screen at a lower res.
The Apply button is disabled. And it says that I have a unsupported OS. My eMac is running Jaguar. Since, they are adding Panther compatibility… What OS are they targeting this program? Mac OS X 10.1???
“Go out and look at roadsigns. They’re not coated in glitter and anti-aliasing — they’re made to impart information cleanly and quickly, as does a good computer desktop. ”
First, people tend not to stare at road signs for hours on end. Second, OS X’s widgets tend to do a BETTER job imparting information (like using verbs in dialog buttons: Save, Don’t Save, and Cancel, vs the standard Windows OK/Cancel group. “OK” describes nothing, and people shouldn’t have to read senseless dialog info, just click the verb!
[/rant]
I dont understand why so many people complain about MacOSX being this and that as far as GUI is concerned when so many other operating systems already copy most of its GUI elements into their own.
check kde-look.org and see aqua themes everywhere including gnome.org
and alot of windows users wish they had such clean glossy embossed icons to look at. Thats why longhorn is planning on ripping off most of mac osx look and feel. The mac is light years ahead of everyone as usual and so with that comes alot of envy and hate. Just stop hating damn it go out and buy a mac.
Gumdrop widgets and drop-shadows do not a productive environment make; hell, scientists and engineers have done fine with the hideously ugly CDE for so long because it GETS WORK DONE.
My taste concerning user interfaces may be a little perverted, but Aqua (especially all that brushed metal stuff) and CDE (!) are my two favourite UIs, visually speaking.
Actually, most of the current crop of claims and abilities of OSX were in quantity use on a mainstream OS many years ago.
http://www.contact.net/os2/TOUR/index.htm
Enjoy….
“First, people tend not to stare at road signs for hours on end. Second, OS X’s widgets tend to do a BETTER job imparting information (like using verbs in dialog buttons: Save, Don’t Save, and Cancel, vs the standard Windows OK/Cancel group. “OK” describes nothing, and people shouldn’t have to read senseless dialog info, just click the verb!”
I don’t stare at icons for hours on end. If I want a pretty desktop, I’ll stick in a pretty desktop backdrop.
I don’t know what operating system you’re describing, but Windows 2000 has dialog boxes with “Yes/No/Cancel”, which I think is a perfectly clear question. I find reading the single piece of text in the “senseless dialog info” easier than reading several separate buttons to find what I’m being asked.
“Okay/Cancel” is used when there are only two required responses.
“My taste concerning user interfaces may be a little perverted, but Aqua (especially all that brushed metal stuff) and CDE (!) are my two favourite UIs, visually speaking.”
Yes, *visually* speaking. I think his point was that for a lot of people (myself included), how good a user interface is depends mainly on useability, and not how pretty it is to look at. I want a computer that I can use, not one that sits in the corner looking pretty.
I think his point was that for a lot of people (myself included), how good a user interface is depends mainly on useability, and not how pretty it is to look at.
You missed the “and CDE” part in my post, didn’t you?
I was simply telling that I, for some strange reason, find CDE, to which he (and probably most of people who have ever used it) refers as “hideously ugly”, one of the most visually applealing interfaces ever.
Still, I absolutely agree on your point about usability. No matter how good a UI looks like, if it’s bad usability-wise, it’s worthless.
I think shapeshifter is great. I am loving the new professional look to my desktop.
http://www.jcontonio.com/v5/images/desktop.jpg
If I get a Mac laptop, I would download Rhapsodized is a jiffy. I doubt I could last more than 2 days with Aqua…. maybe Graphite… but certainly not Aqua. On Windows XP, I immediately downloaded Style XP, using WinProNX currently.
this isn’t the first time a program offers theme customization on a MacOSX. The MacOSX theme is so horrible that it is copied on Linux and Windows but you really don’t see it the other way around with Mac people wanting the look and feel of XP, 2000, KDE or Gnome.
Actually, there is this really popular Luna theme for ShapeShifter, from the same guy that made Milk and ERGO. But frankly, something like a UI really depends on the person. A lot of people like Aqua, no doubt. Personally, I can’t understand them, but if it floats their boat, so be it.
But if I have a Mac, why should I stick to Aqua (or Graphite)? Even brushed metal looks better IMHO. Everyone has different tastes, why deny that?
MSa: Go out and look at roadsigns. They’re not coated in glitter and anti-aliasing — they’re made to impart information cleanly and quickly, as does a good computer desktop.
Of course, roadsigns are meant to be seen by moving fast objects from long to short distances. Computer icons are meant to be seen by stationary people at a short distance. Comparing the both is kinda…. lame.
zephc: First, people tend not to stare at road signs for hours on end.
Try “truck driver”
zephc: Second, OS X’s widgets tend to do a BETTER job imparting information (like using verbs in dialog buttons: Save, Don’t Save, and Cancel, vs the standard Windows OK/Cancel group. “OK” describes nothing, and people shouldn’t have to read senseless dialog info, just click the verb!
But for some strange reason, though matter how many times I have read this, nobody have provided proof in the sense of UI testing. When I’m exiting, I doubt there would be a “Open” dialog, or a “Print” dialog, rather than a “Save” dialog. If I want to safe, “Yes” would be fine. “No” if I don’t want to.
If some strange dialog pops up out of no where, I don’t think verbs would be such a great help. I would prefer to read what’s the dialog’s about.
sgtshatta: I dont understand why so many people complain about MacOSX being this and that as far as GUI is concerned when so many other operating systems already copy most of its GUI elements into their own.
This article is about theming. Yes, there are some elements of Aqua that is nice, what’s wrong with copying it? Very few people actually imitate to the last detail Aqua. And besides, so what if other people like Aqua? It is about what I *like*, about what I’m *comfortable* with. If I like something dark and am comfortable with it, who’s to say that stipes and blue jelly beans is for me?
mark: Yes, *visually* speaking. I think his point was that for a lot of people (myself included), how good a user interface is depends mainly on useability, and not how pretty it is to look at. I want a computer that I can use, not one that sits in the corner looking pretty.
Yes, usablity does play a big role. But if you get extremely annoyed with flashing jelly beans, I don’t think that’s gonna help your usability. Usability is the job of the vendor. It is the job of the vendor to come up with a not-too-shabby default theme. But when you want something that suits you, theming can be a God-sent. I personally like grey-scale, not too flashy, dull desktops. I work better with it.
Apple isn’t stopping anyone from using different themes and the majority of MacOSX users will NOT be changing their themes. There is nothing wrong with Aqua. These so called “Mac UI experts” as usual don’t even own or have never used a Mac. That in itself is obvious.
Also the “useless eyecandy of MacOSX” will show up in Longhorn and Linux someday but when it does it will be hailed as major technological achievements unparalled in the history of computing blah blah blah.
There is obviously a double standard here. Why do the trolls need to lurk on Mac articles? Where is your bridge that you need to be guarding? I can understand if you know something about Macs and MacOSX but a majority of these troll comments come from people who have only seen Macs in pictures.
Where is your troll comments on the G5 revison? G6 Later in 2004? Apple’s move to IBM’s G4 which they are making exclusively for Apple?
Also where is the evidence for Linux’s 96% marketshare gain for desktop computers? Totally stupid stuff.
My comments may sound inflammatory but their are a lot of untruths being propogated by the trolls here.
Just because it’s in KDE doesn’t mean it’s great or that we have to use it. I personally think aqua is ugly.
Apple isn’t stopping anyone from using different themes and the majority of MacOSX users will NOT be changing their themes. There is nothing wrong with Aqua. These so called “Mac UI experts” as usual don’t even own or have never used a Mac. That in itself is obvious.
I don’t need to own a Mac to know that I can’t stand Aqua and its clones and look-alikes.
Also the “useless eyecandy of MacOSX” will show up in Longhorn and Linux someday but when it does it will be hailed as major technological achievements unparalled in the history of computing blah blah blah.
Useless eyecandy like flashing buttons, the genie effect, shadows, etc. would most likely be shutted off by most Windows and Linux geeks after the first few days of usage. Look, hardly anyone is trolling that Quartz is not a technological achievement, but it is hard to say the same for Aqua.
There is obviously a double standard here. Why do the trolls need to lurk on Mac articles? Where is your bridge that you need to be guarding? I can understand if you know something about Macs and MacOSX but a majority of these troll comments come from people who have only seen Macs in pictures
So it is trollish to say “I don’t like Aqua”? Wow.
Must tell everyone there’s a new defination of troll.
Get off your high horse. Aqua may be much better a UI than Windows XP, KDE and GNOME, but it is crap in comparison with OpenStep or Platinum. For one, inconsistency (look at Apple’s own apps, makes you wonder the use of the HIG). As for the looks, which is what the article is talking about, is the kind where you either can’t live without it or you can’t live with it.
It is personal taste. Not some kind of offensive troll. And what’s wrong with theming OS X? If I get a Mac (which is a high chance), what’s wrong with spending $20 to get something I can actually live with? It’s not changing the UI per se, just the looks.
“Gumdrop widgets and drop-shadows do not a productive environment make”
I never said it dit. I simply stated that I find the aqua theme of 10.2 (and to some extent 10.3) to be the most beutiful theme of an operatingsystem ever.
I’ve tried it, because I don’t like the titlebar of Panther; it’s to aggressive. It’s my only problem with the new look (besides the brushed interface of Safari, but that can easily be changed with Interface Builder). Unfortunately there’s no such skin. Maybe I make my own, but it’s not that important.
One of my favourites with Rhapsodyzed. Funny I feel everything faster with it!
Hehe, ShapeShifter is also one nice Mac-M68k emulator for AmigaOS.
apple is turning into M$
first you have to lay down $130-150 for their os, then the new version is not free…
now to customize your own OS you payed for you need to pay another $20…
*sigh*
Rajan, Too many times in Mac articles I see people misrepresent info on the Mac and this is usually from people who have no idea about how a Mac works and their experience only goes so far as seeing a picture of the original iMac and MacOS 8.6 and some how this gives them knowledge and experience of the latest G5 hardware and MacOSX.
This pseudo knowledge of Macs is what bothers me. That is what I consider to be trolling.
Now there are people such as yourself who seems to be learning quite a bit about Macs and your posts reflect that despite the fact you are critical of certain aspects about MacOSX and Apple hardware. That doesn’t bother me, you say something sucks and can back it up.
I think that the Aqua UI may not be the best for everyone but does satisfy a majority of MacOSX users. I really like the idea of being able to customize the Mac desktop but its not something that I am interested in.
I hope you get a Mac soon and enjoy it when you do.
So, you’ve seen that it was $20, but you haven’t seen it was a third party app, and that Apple had nothing to do with it?
There already is a Macintosh related software program called “Shapeshifter”.
It’s a Mac Emulator for the Amiga.
I hate it when an open sourced project can’t be bothered to come up with an original name.
As much as the name fits the project, it’s already in use.
I hope you get a Mac soon and enjoy it when you do.
Do remember, when I get a Mac, it isn’t because it is a Mac, rather it is one hell of a good, well-priced laptop. And since even if I buy a PC laptop I would buy all the software I use again, there’s little difference in using a Mac.
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Al Hartman: I hate it when an open sourced project can’t be bothered to come up with an original name.
1. It isn’t a open source project.
2. I doubt much Mac developers know much about Amigas in the first place, so I doubt the name copying is intentional.
“Do remember, when I get a Mac, it isn’t because it is a Mac, rather it is one hell of a good, well-priced laptop.”
That seems an odd stance. Is there no PC laptop comparable in price and functionality?
Apple’s default “scanline” theme… is easily the worse UI Apple has ever made.
Even if you’re correct (and I don’t think you are) OSX’s “Pinstripe” is still one of the best UI’s ever made. After all, since Apple’s legacy “Platinum” UI is without dispute one of the best ever made, if not the best, it’s not hard for Apple to make the worst UI they’ve ever made.
I was working on my iBook one day, and I realized… My goodness, I’m working on my iBook… Not working “around” it, but working “on” it. Coming from a world of Unix UI’s, Amiga, and Windows, this was something of a revelation — and I say that even though my favorite UI (in terms of flexibility) is still Amiga.