Poll: Do you skin/theme your Mac OS X?

[MacRumors]

Vote: Poll: Do you skin/theme your Mac OS X? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=123&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

[medea]

no, i used to do it with XP (to look like a mac no less) but it f'd it up sometimes, the aqua look is fine so I leave it alone.

[yzedf]

i am more worried about function.

as long as it works, i don't really care what it looks like.

not that i think it looks bad mind you, quite the opposite.

[jkojima]

How would one go about skinning OS X? Are there sites out there for this?

[jgivens12]

Yeah I skin mine. I use a powerbook Ti and found that Aluminite X works pretty good.

[DreaminDirector]

I heard that there are alot of problems with all of the skin programs and OS 10.2.3. I don't know from first hand experience, but I would love to find a skin program that is stable. Any suggestions?

[davy the bunny]

I can't speak for everyone, but I personally had an awful time with such programs as Duality and I think the name was Themer Anche (that may be wrong). I thought it would be funny to annoy my wife by changing her beautiful OS X into something as ugly as Win XP, but when I tried to change it back to the default it wouldn't go back at first. After about an hour of trying different things to restore it I finally got Aqua back but I wouldn't do it unless I really had a good reason to change Aqua. I can't really think of any though. . .

[FattyMembrane]

i had always been very wary of theming programs after hearing horror stories of systems screwed up to the n-th degree, but one day, i couldn't take the stripes any longer. i installed aquafix first (do this before doing anything to your system) and then used themechanger to install max rudberg's smooth stripes theme (the old one, not the new one). i have not had any problems so far. i really hope that apple decides to get rid of stripes soon, they look ok sometimes, but make other things look funky. smoothstripes is perfect.

[jrv3034]

I don't have a Mac yet, but I doubt I'd skin OSX.

I have an XP box, which is skinned to look like OSX.


I really want a Mac.;)

[synthetickittie]

where can I find a site that I can download something for my xp computer that Im on right now (waiting paciently for my 1.42 powermac) look like os x

[gotohamish]

Originally posted by Macrumors

Vote: Poll: Do you skin/theme your Mac OS X? (http://www.macpolls.com/?poll_id=123&ref=forums.macrumors.com)

No! It screwed my powerbook BIG TIME.

[Bear]

I don't theme/skin OS X. I do use a custome background image.

And for Netscape, I use the Toy Factory theme. Maybe someone should come up with an Auqa theme for Netscape?

[melchior]

yeah, i skin osx 10.2.3 with a pearl theme. much better that aqua.

[MacFan25]

No, I like the aqua background.

[beez7777]

i like the way it looks, so i've left it alone. also, i don't know if any of that stuff slows down overall performace, or what not.

[shadowfax]

I don't actually run anything like duality.

I ran XP themes before i got my mac, with an OS X skin i spent forever editing myself. i got a resource hacker and changed a lot of the buttons and things to look more like OS X than the original author had done. :) it worked pretty well.

On my TiBook, i still like the aqua theme much too much to change it, though i've tried brushed metal and watercolor for about 5 minutes each. it was neat, but annoying. i didn't notice any stability issues. that said, i mod my dock and things with application enhancers, have my own custom dock icons for almost all my programs (including finder), and i have the desktop background set to change through a folder of about 20 background images i like, some of which i have made, others of which i have cut out from deskmod.com or breedart.org.

[melchior]

actually theming can increase performance, but you might not like the way those particular themes look...

[Chisholm]

I learned my lesson back in OS 7. I was at work one day when my wife called me screaming and crying and there was a loud banging sound on her end. Aparently, 22 or so pages into her semester end senior project due that afternoon, the screen saver came out (an animated mouse) and pooped in the middle of the screen and the computer crashed. The loud banging was her bashing the computer with the keyboard.

The computer survived (damn those LC's were built well!) but her paper didn't. It had not been saved at all. I guess that 4MB of RAM just couldn't handle WordPerfect and the screensaver at the same time. I know its not the same as skinning, but I just prefer to leave such variables out of my computing.

cheers!

John

[melchior]

geez! who writes 22 pages in a single sitting the day the projct is due without saving!

nevermind the the carelessness, but that's an impressevie feet if you ask me! something to be proud of!

[macfreak]

As much as I enjoy using different themes on OS X, I have had too much trouble with them. Several times I have almost lost Aqua, if it weren't for Aqua Restore. And other times I've had chunks of the previous theme still hanging on after I've switched back to Aqua. If only Apple made OS X a bit more friendly to themes like OS 9 is...:(

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by macfreak
As much as I enjoy using different themes on OS X, I have had too much trouble with them. Several times I have almost lost Aqua, if it weren't for Aqua Restore. And other times I've had chunks of the previous theme still hanging on after I've switched back to Aqua. If only Apple made OS X a bit more friendly to themes like OS 9 is...:(

my experience with themes is that they don't apply to any application till after you restart that app, so that might explain why some parts of it wouldn't work right for you when you switched back. what app were you using?

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by melchior
geez! who writes 22 pages in a single sitting the day the projct is due without saving!

nevermind the the carelessness, but that's an impressevie feet if you ask me! something to be proud of!

lol. I've lost a good bit of stuff in my time, but i don't think i have ever even had a document that long. but shoot, i save profusely on 5 pagers. dealing with a paper that has more pages than you have megabytes of RAM, though, seems like you really ought to save. i mean, short of having a crash due to some kind of multimedia thing or theme, there are things like electrical storms, earthquakes, "accidental" force quits, kids pressing the power button or pulling the plug on accident... man. imagine if god just struck your computer down with a bolt of lightning?

[scem0]

nah, I like it just the way it is. ;)

[FelixDerKater]

No skinning or theming on this Mac. Aqua is beautiful. Why mess with it?

[beez7777]

Originally posted by Chisholm
I learned my lesson back in OS 7. I was at work one day when my wife called me screaming and crying and there was a loud banging sound on her end. Aparently, 22 or so pages into her semester end senior project due that afternoon, the screen saver came out (an animated mouse) and pooped in the middle of the screen and the computer crashed. The loud banging was her bashing the computer with the keyboard.

The computer survived (damn those LC's were built well!) but her paper didn't. It had not been saved at all. I guess that 4MB of RAM just couldn't handle WordPerfect and the screensaver at the same time. I know its not the same as skinning, but I just prefer to leave such variables out of my computing.

cheers!

John

...bummer...

[shadowfax]

Originally posted by scem0
nah, I like it just the way it is. ;)

kinda sounds like your best friend or something ;). that said, i do too, though i would be theming if they didn't have graphite :rolleyes:.

One thing that would be cool is iff i could get all the buttons to be dark purple instead. anyone know of a place where i can get that? i think i am leery of trying to make a theme on OS X. i messed with it in XP, as i said, but OS X's complexity scares me.

[dmmcintyre3]

my desktop background is still the one that comes with Tiger! (or on my PMG3 the Jaguar one) but I did on Junk OS XP(windoze xp)

My First Post!

[gauchogolfer]

Whoa, nice thread resurrection!

And for the record, I only use UNO to change appearances, as well as Candybar to switch some icons.

[Shadow]

No. Well, sorta. UNO and CandyBar only. I tried ShapeShifter but it royally screwed everything up, requiring and format.

[iJawn108]

Nope, I tried UNO but it was just messy looking sometimes to me. Shadowing in some windows didn't look right. I have my XP machine skinned like os x still <3

[Fearless Leader]

dang this is old. I was reading and I saw stripes being ugly and I went, HUH? I tried it once but couldn't get it to work right. I would like a darker theme. apple should make a couple of different themes like <gasps> xp.

[iBookG4user]

I don't skin Mac OS X and never have. I find the default skin to still be appealing and functional, I probably never will skin Mac OS X. (Maybe if they go to the iTunes 7 look for the entire OS, but it will just be an Aqua skin)

[Father Jack]

Why would you want a distracting background when working with Photoshop? :(

FJ

[Cassie]

I do. I use shapeshifter.

Aqua is is just too bland.

[SpookTheHamster]

My PowerBook has the Chocolate Milk skin. My iMac is as it came.

[sunfast]

Never seen the need to - I'm very happy with the interface as is.

I made my dock transparent but that was it. I didn't like what UNO did to my system so that went pretty fast.

[iMacZealot]

I used to use UNO, and it's what I'd really like to see in a future Mac OS interface. However, it would get messy with some apps, like Office, and I'd eventually turn it off because I'd miss Aqua, but I go back and redo that cycle from time to time.

[dnordstrom]

As many of you, I also use UNO to get a more universal look.

I have also changed my icons with CandyBar but I'm thinking about switching back.

[NewSc2]

wow this thread is 4 years old... where'd the bumper dig this up from...

[Scarlet Fever]

wow this thread is 4 years old... where'd the bumper dig this up from...

nothing wrong with a bit of nostalgia :rolleyes:

[traderonline]

i love the default interface. no skinning required :)

[wmmk]

I used Uno as of a few days ago, but then my mac crashed, and I realized that having a non universal look is actually really nice because it makes it easier to tell windows from different apps apart. Stripes and brushed metal are starting to piss me off, so I may use an old theme I used to use that got rid of these two elements of aqua but left everything else the same called SmoothStripes (http://www.maxthemes.com/themes/?theme=SmoothStripes).

[nateDEEZY]

I tried milkshake for a while, but after my 20" iMac''s logic board fried I traded it in for a 24" iMac and never bothered to try and skin the entire os... I still use CandyBar though ;p

[dnordstrom]

I have now changed back to the original icons, which in fact look really nice. Much more colorful than the ones I applied with CandyBar.

Apple design forever. :apple:

But I'm still using UNO though. ;)

[Mr. MacBook]

wtf does skinning os mean

[wdlove]

I use the default that came with Tiger. I Love Blue.

[solvs]

I use UNO. Don't have any stability issues. I like the white look of some apps, but it's mostly for the Finder. I can't stand the brushed metal in the Finder windows. Leopard is supposed to have some new cool look, but I haven't seen it.

I use the default that came with Tiger. I Love Blue.
Wow, long time no see... where have you been?

[EvilDoc]

i use shapeshifter , BUT after running it for several months i have ran into random errors and "issues" with other programs when i apply skins. So to make a short story long.. No not any more ;)

[Str8edgepunker]

I've themed using Shapeshifter with mixed feelings. I just keep coming back to aqua because it feels so natural, I dunno. :rolleyes:

[Tehy]

No, I like the default skin :)

[Benjamin]

yes, but only resource level editing, no 3rd party apps.

[jadekitty24]

I have tried stuff like Shapeshifter in the past and found that it really farked up my system. I currently use Transparentdock on my dock, and I manually change some app and folder icons, but that's about it. But my account on my boyfriends PC? Oh yeah...themed to look like Mac. I can't stand the Close/Minimize/Maximize buttons being on the opposite side of the screen. That's just plain wrong.

[D-rock]

Themes FTW!!!111!!!1

I don't really understand how so many people are having issues with Shapeshifter... I've been using it for months without a singe glitch. Maybe I'm just lucky? (And watch, as soon as I hit "submit reply" Shapeshifter will obliterate my system :p )

But yes to answer the question, I love using themes. I used to do it all the time back in the Kaleidoscope days, but held off for a few years before trying it in OS X. I just wish Apple made it easier and less risky to change the way the system looks. I don't like the default Aqua theme, and I think it's ridiculous that TransparentDock gets broken with each OS update.

I hate to admit it, but I like the fact that XP allows you more control over how your system looks.

[DrDoOdMoNdAnG]

Never tried skinning OSX, but I've been skinning my windows machine for years now with no ill effect.

[dmmcintyre3]

wow this thread is 4 years old... where'd the bumper dig this up from...

It came up on google! And here am I reviving this thread again ( I was looking for my first post and saw your post!)

[Scarlet Fever]

This thread is the zombie of all zombies! 6 years spanned in 3 pages! This thread should be framed...

[SFStateStudent]

+3 ^^^ I was brushing cobwebs off of my ACD.... lol :p:D:p:D:p:D