EYLO - January 12, 2004
Author: Max Rudberg
Version: 1.0
Reviewed by: Steve Streza
User Rating: 
62%
EYLO, which is included with ShapeShifter and is based on the critically acclaimed Halo, is a very unique theme inspired by the blue, futuristic interfaces present in the game. However, a theme must be functional as well as good-looking and, as always, Max does a great job creating a beautiful look while retaining the feel of the Mac.
Aesthetics
The first thing you see, as soon as you apply or preview this theme is blue. Lots and lots of blue. Almost everything is either white, black, or some shade of blue. And it's a well chosen blue, too; the hues are crisp and cool, and they all fit together naturally and comfortably. Light blues are always on top of darker ones. The color scheme, while initially shocking, actually turns out to be surprisingly well chosen.
As always, Max's attention to details and attempts at creativity show. The scroll bars, which are slanted, glide along their paths to get from one side to the other. When they get there, it seems like they lock into place. Sliders are very impressive as well. Usually, a slider's position is indicated by something interrupting the line, and in EYLO, that interruption is a curve in the line. Sounds boring, but it is an interesting take on sliders that shows how innovative Max is willing to get.
Usability
EYLO has its problems. Safari, while definitely better looking here than in darker themes such as Shinobi, still needs some more work, such as making the bookmark bar more visually pleasant and the URL/Google fields actually readable. Like Shinobi, EYLO unfortunately suffers the same problem of extremely light highlighted text. Also, none of the iLife apps, except iDVD, appear totally with the theme's GUI, so it can be kind of strange (however, the January 16th updates reportedly bring theme compatibility across the board). In addition, the default icons in System Preferences and toolbars appear glaringly out of place to the flat EYLO.
But enough negatives. EYLO, in practical use, works wonderfully and is definitely usable. Menus are more translucent than they are in Aqua, and this minor modification is simply stunning. Sheets and drawers are also extremely effective at getting out of your way. The blues actually coexists comfortably with the default Aqua icons. It all blends in very nicely, and beyond first application, does not clamor for your attention.
Extras
EYLO comes with two desktops. Both are apparently a "granite" surface, and done very well. The texture resembles smooth, black rock scarred with subtle gouges and scratches that bring a very interesting blend of the natural and the synthetic to the EYLO experience. In addition, the included Safari toolbar is perfectly matching in style. The minor quibble of course is the lack of a system icon set, which, while tolerable, somewhat ruins the overall effect. Hopefully Max will include an icon set in future versions.
EYLO is an excellent theme that is both aesthetically pleasing and form fitting. It's a true demonstration of Max's skills as a theme creator and as an emulator of existing entertainment. The theme is top notch, and one that I will be using for awhile.
Comments
Posted by Eric Dietrich at January 13, 2004 12:25 PM | Edit | Delete
Pardon what might be the obvious...but how did you get Safari's URL text black? That's what's keeping me from using Max's wonderful theme.
Posted by Jeremy at January 13, 2004 12:53 PM | Edit | Delete
Hmm. A 10 by the reviewer's weight? That category seems a bit sketchy to me, but I guess it's personal opinion...
Posted by Phillip Ryu at January 13, 2004 01:36 PM | Edit | Delete
Eric, that's a limitation with this theme and ShapeShifter currently. I'm sure it will be fixed soon.
Jeremy, the reviewer's weight is solely personal opinion. The category is there to push up a theme that may have been hurt by, say, extras, but deserves a better score, or has usability issues but pushes the bar in creativity. Otherwise, an otherwise fine theme could be knocked down severely by a lack of desktops for an example.
Posted by wibs at January 13, 2004 04:13 PM | Edit | Delete
"f you look at just the preview window of ShapeShifter, where all of the widgets are shown off, then the aesthetic of Shinobi is brilliant (we'll get to real world tests in a bit)."
say what?
Posted by synotic at January 13, 2004 07:23 PM | Edit | Delete
I think it'd be helpful if some of what the reviewer mentioned were within review such as the sliders and the scrollbar. The screenshot next to the aesthetics section is pretty pointless because it's essentially identical to the first one.
Also, not particularly related to this review but it might be good if the front page news and this page shared comments. I saw zero comments for the last three reviews and figured nobody was reading these anymore :)
Posted by NetworkShadow at January 13, 2004 08:03 PM | Edit | Delete
Ya SS will fix most of the usability problems with 1.1.
It's just too bright for me though/
Posted by Ernest Liu at January 13, 2004 10:28 PM | Edit | Delete
This theme just doesn't have that appeal to me...
Posted by danielgrenell at January 15, 2004 05:52 PM | Edit | Delete
i always thought this theme was ugly, but maybe it's because i've never played halo.
Posted by Phillip Ryu at January 17, 2004 12:32 AM | Edit | Delete
Just some input from me.
I think I'd love to see a black with white lines version of this, that would be very sexy in my opinion (2d black). Max, are you listening? The blue and style is very interesting, and I appreciate that, but obviously some people think the blue is a bit too colorful for their tastes. I'm sure a different color variation would be very popular.
Posted by Taylan Pince at January 25, 2004 04:15 PM | Edit | Delete
It looked great on the preview pictures, but it took me about 2 minutes to take it off when i installed it. The main reason is the contrast between the white background of the finder windows and EYLO's blue. I am always using columns view in the finder, so i cannot change the background colour. It could be a nice change for me, it's a shame that it doesn't fit the finder appearance. Still needs a lot of work.
Posted by Three Drives at February 14, 2004 01:24 AM | Edit | Delete
I am the windows porter featured on Max's homepage.
I have worked with many themes in the past. This one theme is my favourite. It is incredible how at first glance you say, wow too bright. But how the theme grows on you is amazing. Almost like it has a soul.
I have always looked for a glowing blue electroluminescent style desktop. Well this is it.
It really is an amazing theme, much, much more than what it appears to be at first.
I have not found a wallpaper that shows it off better than what's included though.
Amazing fluorescence. The electroluminescence is awesome, just what I have been searching years for.
~TD
Posted by josh at February 26, 2004 01:13 PM | Edit | Delete
After using this theme for 2 weeks now, it is amazing how well everything works together.
The look and feel of this theme is just amazing.
Highly recomended, once you get used to it (about a day or so) it will really grow on you
Posted by Dave at April 23, 2004 09:09 PM | Edit | Delete
This is a great theme. I'm especially impressed with the attention to detail.
I like the desktop pics that came with it - I haven't seen other desktops that look as good with EYLO as the included pics do.
Posted by at September 15, 2004 08:05 PM | Edit | Delete
I didn't like the white text on light blue (photoshop), so I had to modify it to all text black, but it still looks really god, and in my opinion better.
Posted by f1refly at November 18, 2004 06:07 PM | Edit | Delete
I love everything about this theme except that I can't see what I am typing, url's buttons in my browser, etc... because of the super light blue letters on white... The theme ROCKS as a whole, but change that one thing to maybe a darker blue or black and that would help alot...
Posted by outsider at February 4, 2006 10:55 AM | Edit | Delete
zdrowa żywność, mieszkania Warszawa, ogłoszenia nieruchomości, projektowanie stron, tworzenie stron, agencja reklamowa, reklama w internecie
Posted by git at February 4, 2006 11:50 AM | Edit | Delete
zdrowa żywność, psycholog, nauka angielskiego, soczewki kontaktowe, psyche sf, jk, ns, projektowanie wnętrz, hydraulik, opcat, domy opieki, freetimes, jidds, fabrykapoe, sfworks, polskepoeje, pb, pp, jk, wypadki, opony, agroturystyka, klimatyzacja, apteka, dentysta, fs, kray, eway, angs, gits, akupunktura, sw, sf, puz