TiSkin - February 23, 2004
Author: Xanthic Eye
Version: 1.0.1
Reviewed by: Phillip Ryu
User Rating: 
65%
TiSkin is Xanthic's first theme, and what a theme it is. TiSkin is one of the most complete themes to date, succeeding in all aspects. Xanthic's debut not only features a slick look of grey and black plastic, but perfect usability and a slew of fine extras. One word can aptly describe this theme: bliss.
Aesthetics
The TiSkin GUI was created with usability first in mind, and for that reason, the theme is completely composed of grays, whites, and blacks. Nevertheless, for a theme that should be grounded by lack of color, TiSkin somehow manages to be one of the most aesthetically pleasing themes I have ever used.
What TiSkin amounts to is a very sleek, futuristic theme that looks like it was designed in a wind tunnel. The brushed metal windows are especially beautiful; they have a rounded, smooth look to them, somewhat reminiscent of NEOS, but with more grace. The smooth future metal surface is interrupted only when necessary by protruding buttons. Other elements such as the window widgets and scrollbars are recessed, black, and fashionably small, which ends up looking pretty fabulous. Even better, they are very press-able. The rubber surfaces makes you want to press them, even more so than glass or plastic, and their recessed state makes sense.
Many of us are probably bored by now of smooth gradients and bevels that are often overused in other themes, and this is another potential problem that Xanthic skirted and solved completely. While the smooth windows and menubar are very evidently smooth, even aerodynamically so, they are lit by a sharp light that produces a sharp and multi layered glare. (Yes, the mysterious "white line" has a purpose.) The effect is a smooth surface that is at the same time sharp. These multiple layers of glare work like a charm to bring variety and interest to a theme that really could have spectacularly failed. TiSkin with its lack of color and clichéd future smooth look by all counts should have failed, but doesn't, thanks to Xanthic's expert handling. In fact, the result is one of OS X's most beautiful themes, by a rookie themer no less.
Are there any complaints? The push buttons and tabs are at first glance rather intimidating and awkward; they somehow manage to look rather unpressable, perhaps due to the sharp plastic construction, which is certainly a problem for a button. Nevertheless, while these particular elements could definitely be improved, they are not much less pressable than Aqua's own glass buttons and tabs. Perhaps Xanthic could take a look at the soft rubber elements present in other parts of the theme, though I can see why he may have avoided overusing the substance by making tabs and push buttons grey plastic. In other words, you have to use your imagination to come up with aesthetic flaws, folks. TiSkin is one beautiful theme.
Usability
TiSkin was created from the start with usability in mind, and it really shows. While I can say with experience that TiSkin is so pretty it can be distracting in itself, the grays and blacks make this theme about as professional of an interface as you could get. Once you get over the glee of seeing and using TiSkin for the first time, the interface easily melts away, and becomes one of the most usable themes for OS X.
The only current usability problem comes with its use of slightly translucent black menus, which works most times, but turns pretty much invisible on dark desktops. This is the only usability problem that I could find after a week of joyful use, and it is a really excusable trade between usability and aesthetics. In fact, it's hardly a real problem, as the contents of the menus are always perfectly visible, but it's the only usability issue I could even come up with. The black provides such a nice contrast to TiSkin's greys that I am hesitant to suggest an alternative, but the minor blip is there, and could possibly be fixed without a hit to aesthetics. However, overall, TiSkin's usability is quite possibly the best I've seen so far.
Extras
So I've already praised TiSkin for it's rare and perfect merge of aesthetics and usability. Obviously, Xanthic's first theme has a glaring deficiency somewhere, right?
Actually, it doesn't. Xanthic's extras are comprehensive, diverse, and probably the best collection that any theme has yet to offer. Starting off with the small but appreciated details, menu extras have been modded to avoid the white jaggies that come with using Apple's default, and a custom Finder background image is provided for use with icon view. Second, Xanthic has provided a Safari toolbar icon set, for use with SafarIcon. Then, there are currently 10 desktops, each completely different and equally beautiful, with several colorful photoshop works, the standard simple gray desktop with logo, and even a few beautiful photos. The utter diversity of these desktops and the fact that TiSkin works well with them all is really a testament to the theme's great design.
Furthermore, TiSkin was designed with Xanthic's mature, top notch icon collection in mind. This means that the theme probably comes with the best, most complete, and most fitting icon set that any theme has ever come with.
To top it off, Xanthic plans to offer a few theme variants (darker variant / colors) and application make over sets in the future (iChat would look even more incredible with matching buttons), along with a possible cursor set. Could a theme get any better? Yes, apparently future versions of TiSkin will be better, and that's something to look forward to. Congratulations to Xanthic for creating what I consider to be the best GUI Kit available as his first theme project.
Comments
Posted by zed at February 23, 2004 03:03 PM | Edit | Delete
Sorry, but I saw the 100% and went right down to the bottom to post a comment without reading. NEARLY perfect, but not quite. I am using this now, but I would not say it is flawless. For reviews, there needs to be room for growth. The most glaring problems is the line at the top 3rd of the menu bar and the "ridge" at the bottom, which looks like a mistake. Just make it smooth please.
But the desktop pictures are really really nice. Apple should start shipping these instead of the tired ones they have now.
Posted by zed at February 23, 2004 03:05 PM | Edit | Delete
Oh, another think i love is this theme satisfies the dark theme category (though it's not really) without falling into the dark theme trappings of overly contrasting, blinding whitespaces, etc.
Posted by SB at February 23, 2004 03:22 PM | Edit | Delete
All I can say after reading this is that I am obviously not in tune with what's great in Theming...
SB
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 03:24 PM | Edit | Delete
What do you consider great?
Posted by wibs at February 23, 2004 03:36 PM | Edit | Delete
I agree with SB. I'm a big fan of the progress bars, but the push buttons and scroll bars just don't sit well with me. I don't know why.
Everything is very clean and is obviously of very high quality, just not my kind of theme. Maybe it's because it's grey... I have a big screen, far too much space to be so devoid of color.
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 03:48 PM | Edit | Delete
Well, I'll say this - I'm not sure that there is truly (yet) a great SS GUIkit. I like many - here are some I use and like a lot.
champagne v2.0.1
AquaPro.guiKit
AlumiteX v3.0.1.guiKit
NEOS 1.1.2.guiKit
Shinobi v2.2.1.guiKit
I also very much like the JetBlack project Swiz has been sneak-peeking...
I'm not trying to be a hardass here - I just don't seem to sync with a lot of the reviews here.
SB
Posted by Jason Williams at February 23, 2004 03:57 PM | Edit | Delete
Personally, I'm just not a fan of the scroll (to an extent; i could live with it though) or the bevel buttons (butted and round). Besides that, I like this theme a lot, and I'm using it now.
Posted by radd at February 23, 2004 04:10 PM | Edit | Delete
Granted, there are some things that could improve here (I STILL don't see this white line in the menubar... and I've got a 21" Trinitron & a 17" powerbook... all I see is the intended glow... looks fine like it is)
That said, I'm not sure why so many people seem to dislike grey themes... and everyone who does dislike grey has certainly felt the need to speak up... so here's my two cents:
Personally, I find themes with too much color very distracting & thus poor for extended use. Interfaces should stay out of the way, like this one and several others do.
Sometimes, "subtle" color is nice... but we really don't have that choice yet... we've got elegant shades of grey like this and other well execute themes... or glaringly poor uses of color like some other themes which I won't name. I don't see how anyone can compare and contrast a theme like this with "those" and complain that TiSkin is grey. Yes, it's grey... but most of the colored themes are simply hideous. I'll take quality any day.
As for the specifics of why TiSkin is so appealing... well... if you don't get it intuitively, you probably never will. At that point, you might as well be using Windows or X-Mas Kaleidoscope schemes on OS 9.
If you want something that looks like an explosion of vomit all over your screen, that's your call...
... just don't kid yourself that it's better because there's "color".
Posted by Jason Williams at February 23, 2004 04:26 PM | Edit | Delete
Gray themes DO tend to stay out of the way more. Usually when I use a gray theme or one with not a lot of color, I end up using it for a LOT longer before I rotate to another one. I'm gonna be using Kowloon after TiSkin, and Kowloon doesn't have a lot of color either.
It's just that sometimes that blue doesn't go with this purple desktop or that red doesn't go with this green. But gray goes with everything :-)
Posted by Shawn Medero at February 23, 2004 04:28 PM | Edit | Delete
I think the scroll bars in this theme are some of the best I have ever used (across many different OSes). The small scroll bars really breathe life into smaller screens (like 12" powerbooks and iBooks).
I really don't like darker themes normally, because ShapeShifter support is not quite there yet... this the only theme to pull off a "dark" look so far. Kudos for working with limitations.
The backgrounds provided were awesome, there are many icons (most of which are top-notch) and the Safari theme is great (although limited to the Aqua interface... other Safari themes work just fine with the Metal interface so I don't understand the limitation.)
The line in the top of the title bar really seems to be confusing everyone, it is just part of the design... I'm not sure why it is such a big deal. Perhaps on brightly calibrated monitors it might stand out too much? I use a sRGB based profile because I have to do cross platform GUI work... not sure what this theme looks like with the out-of-the-box color profile.
My only gripes are:
The fact the NEOS skin is now bundling a sharp looking iTunes Skin has raised the bar. Any truly 5 star theme has to have a iTunes skin now. I know it is a pain in the ass to skin the app and that you don't have a lot to work with... but if the NeOS themer can do it so can everyone else.
Along the same lines, a *great* theme has a few variants (darker tones, colors, perhaps slightly different widgets, etc.) - that's the only reason I would say this theme is not a 5 out of 5.
Xanthic seems rather open to suggestions and has handled the onslaught of our opinions pretty well - I imagine he'll make a few variants based off all the input he has collected.
Posted by wibs at February 23, 2004 04:37 PM | Edit | Delete
wow sb, I didn't think anyone else liked champagne :).
hey radd, I'm using Neos right now... it's probably my favorite theme. I'm a big fan of FatalE, too. I have nothing against themes that don't depend on color. While other people like tiSkin because it can be both a light and dark theme, I see it as the exact middle neutral part of boring. Neither light, or dark, and no color anywhere, and everything is so smooth... it just makes me very bored very quickly.
Look at Apple's aqua. It's not bad, and it uses color, but to describe that as an explosion of vomit would be going a bit far no matter how much you dislike the traffic lights.
and if you don't see the white line it's probably BECAUSE of your big screens, you're using a high resolution right? so things look smaller than on other screens?
Posted by Ben at February 23, 2004 04:47 PM | Edit | Delete
Huh. So it's usable. Great. How about boring as [explative]. Aside from the black menus, this wouldn't have even been on the top 50 if it was a Kaleidoscope scheme. Theming sucks on X. A couple from Max Rudberg are decently creative and that's about it. Xanthic failed to do anything interesting here at all.
Posted by Billy at February 23, 2004 04:57 PM | Edit | Delete
This theme owns. Excellent review. I love the scroll bars, progress bars push buttons, etc. My only complaints are the little x-+ widgets and the checkboxes. But they're not bad.
Posted by walkingmac at February 23, 2004 05:01 PM | Edit | Delete
well... I am quite surprised to see all these negative posts on this truly HI QUALITY theme; a first edition theme and a 1st shot.
As for the menu bar that was pointed out form the initial Insider interview... it is there and seems to be on purpose and is an accent for a 3D look... and it looks good.
The buttons, scrolls, and status bars are very unique, simple, and clean. Very professional look and feel. Granted no cutesy stuff, but it seems to be always intended to be a pro-user theme anyways. Most of those colorful themes, while might look good in the Finder or basic apps, are a vomit mess in pro apps. A vast majority of the 'cool and colorful' themes are just not usable when working with apps that have lots of palettes like the Adob* apps or the Macrom*dia apps. This theme handles them very well and stays clean, clear, and out of the way.
Xanthic seems to be working and different variations with color so that should make some happy, but is very good as is now and we will probably see updates as well or even an evolution of this. Not to mention it raises and sets the bar for future themes.
Great theme! thanx for your hard work!
Posted by radd at February 23, 2004 05:21 PM | Edit | Delete
wibs...
Sorry... I guess that came off as though I was referencing you and SB... I actually wasn't really. I was more perturbed by the growing number of people who blatantly voice disgust at grey (or subtlety in general)... something neither of you did. But it is something that has been growing in general with user comments... like Ben's... which are just random pointless jabs without constructive points, any consideration for the difficulty in creating themes for OS X, or indeed any clue at all as to what makes an "interface" vs. a random kludge of, well... screen vomit.
As for the vomit... hehe... that's more a reference to a great many of the old Kaleidoscope schemes, which it seems that some people want to return to. I like aqua a lot. My personal favorite is Aluminum Allow, Toxic variation... and I like many of the others you and SB mentioned. I have nothing against color at all... just against color for the sake of color as a design decision without regard for the usability issues... which we've gotten a few offenders lately.
As for the white line... the big screen downplays things like that for sure... but I took screenshots & went into PhotoShop to check closely the second it was first mentioned... there is no difference between the menubar and the window titlebars that I can see under scrutiny.
Posted by swiz at February 23, 2004 05:28 PM | Edit | Delete
Im pretty disappointe with this review too. It is a very complete theme especially as a first attempt and release but as others have said it is a bit on the borish side visually and really is getting way more praise than I feel it is worth. Call it what you will I feel justified in my thoughts.
Posted by swiz at February 23, 2004 05:31 PM | Edit | Delete
I just read the overall rating and comment and I must say, what a crock. If this theme is the best guiKit out there I am quitting today. Please!!
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 05:36 PM | Edit | Delete
Let's get some things straight - as it appears to be constructive is now always welcomed.
Sorry. I rarely fawn over someone's work unless it's truly groundbreaking or otherwise worthy. My wife is an artist - and I know how hard that gig is - she does special/visual FX in HollyWeird, and that's a stresser.
What I need to make clear is that yes, color for the sake of color blows - as was mentioned, there are gobs of AWFUL KS Schemes in the archives to prove that - and the invention known as ShapeShifter has made Theming easier, hence some of the more "amateur" submissions of late.
I like variations on/of gray - gray is of course the preferred background for unobtrusive artwork creation.
I don't like that I can't point out something I don't like and have hoards of tools tell me I "don't get it"
Right.
Since themes are inherently visual, there's nothing surprising about people disagreeing over what "looks good"
I however, would like to post my thoughts without getting flamed over my opinions...
SB
Posted by Mark at February 23, 2004 05:37 PM | Edit | Delete
Love this handsome, elegant interface. One of the best ever!
Am a photographer and find that it is perfect for this too.
Posted by Jamie Hoover at February 23, 2004 05:41 PM | Edit | Delete
"... one of the most usable themes for OS X."
How can this statement possibly be true when the close, minimize, and maximize buttons are identical?
Xanthic, please address this usability issue on your otherwise flawless theme. Users should not have to memorize through trial and error which button does what.
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 05:48 PM | Edit | Delete
Hold on to your hats folks,
Yes, I think this is the greatest GUI Kit so far, and I should have emphasized this more, but by GUI Kit, I was implying that this was the most complete theme out so far. A whole kit, rather than just a theme, with a complete, high quality icons, great desktops, etc.
Now, the basic agreement here seems to be that TiSkin is indeed a very usable theme, and indeed has a plethora of high quality extras, but has been overrated in the aesthetics department. Does this theme deserve an A+ for its aesthetics? Is it beautiful?
First off, yes, this is my opinion, that TiSkin is a beautiful theme, and that it deserves an A+ in this regard. I find the grey and black about as boring as a G5, and cannot possibly take off points because it is not quite as innovative as say, NEOS, or daring as JetBlack, or perfected in technique as many of Max's themes. To me, the end result is a sweet spot in terms of how visually pleasing the theme is, and I could not find any major flaws. To me, TiSkin represents more polish than shock, but it's pretty damn polished.
Now, I think I've narrowed down the critics of this review to those who didn't like my "the best GUI Kit so far" and those who didn't like my aesthetics score, so for those who dissent, feel free to voice your opinions here as always. Full reasons why are always appreciated.
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 05:51 PM | Edit | Delete
Oh, and please, so far the user ratings has worked out pretty well, so don't abuse it. I see there's been some knee jerk reaction 1 star ratings here, and I ask that you give a rating that reflects what the theme is worth, rather than what you think may sway the final to your range.
Posted by radd at February 23, 2004 05:56 PM | Edit | Delete
swiz...
From what I can see... ALL of your themes have higher regard in the comments area (though they have been around a lot longer and have had more time to settle in the ratings) than TiSkin. No one made sweeping generalizations in the comments about how ANY of your themes sucked or were boring. I think people, in general, have been far more fair of your themes, which I myself enjoy greatly, than they have of TiSkin.
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 06:06 PM | Edit | Delete
Jamie, I've commented about this in a few other themes, but basically my opinion is that 99% of most Mac OS X users at this point understand what each widget does, and I believe a lack of clear symbols acceptable, or at least, not really hurting usability. Most theme users have probably graduated from Aqua.
Posted by Lord Sith at February 23, 2004 06:18 PM | Edit | Delete
I agree, the most complete GUIKit to date......... A whopping iconset, Safari Skin, Finder BG, 10 DP's and an ultra-sleek, highly polished theme. I work in color all day and don't need my GUI to interfere with what I'm working on. Most usable theme yet.
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 06:37 PM | Edit | Delete
Just for kix, I setup my test mule with some different themes - I even asked some of my PeeCee weenie coworkers what they thought - TiSkin rated at or below most of my list above.
hardly scientific, but I thought I'd ask some not knee-deep in theme shit just for level-setting.
SB
Posted by fulano at February 23, 2004 06:49 PM | Edit | Delete
I still don't understand why we are so intent on making our GUIs looks like phyisical objects when we all know perfectly well that they are not. I'm using a modified version of the black Milk theme, not that it's perfect. Can't wait for a port of the NeXT theme; that's how a GUI should look -- not water, not brushed metal, but as the abstract interface that it is.
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 06:56 PM | Edit | Delete
Anyone that tells others "how it is" or "how it should be" or that they "don't get it" is an egomaniac.
I try to post what are supposed to be opinions - and we all have those, which are all valid - unless it's just done for the sake for putting someone down.
My beef is with the reviews. I think that maybe we should have a totally user-driven review - much like VersionTracker. Let the users decide and rate the themes - broken down into their pieces.
Anyone else agree with that?
SB
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 07:53 PM | Edit | Delete
SB, there is certainly a place where you can do that. (Macupdate) I definitely encourage user opinions, in fact, user ratings were just added recently, however MacThemes was created with staff reviews in mind, and while this means one person's opinion gets the spotlight, there are ways to show your own. I hope you weren't implying that I tell others "how it is", "how it should be", "they don't get it", etc. because I try not to do that at least.
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 08:08 PM | Edit | Delete
Phil - NOT you! I meant some of the commentary...
How about we split the difference? Make the user-ratings more like VT where you have the same categories as your Editor's ratings - then you (we) can compare them? I think that's the best of both worlds, if you don't mind the suggestion?
SB
Posted by wibs at February 23, 2004 08:11 PM | Edit | Delete
sb, isn't that what this is, more or less?
There's a big review, written by someone with the website so objectivity is presumably emphasized. Of course reviews will tend to be positive to encourage more themes and themers, but overall (in theory) they'll be fairly accurate.
Then on the same page there's a spot for us to post our thoughts, discuss why we feel that way, even contribute towards a consensus rating.
One thing I can think of to improve on the rating system is to have the same fields as the review for individual scoring. For example, you are given the comments field along with fields for Aesthetics, Usability, Extras, Reviewer's Weight, and Overall. If the fields are left blank they are ignored, if a value is entered it is displayed along with the comment in addition to being tallied in an overall vote much like the 5 star system now, except with the different review categories.
one last thing... I did the same thing as sb, sort of. One of my PC buddies came by, I showed him some themes on my computer (NEOS, tiSkin, Aluminum Alloy, Latium, Digital Device, and GUiPod), as well as scrolled down the list of reviewed themes here on MacThemes (so he saw the preview images). tiSkin certinaly wasn't the one he mentioned as looking really cool, and in fact his comment was that themes on macs look good one at a time but when you take them as a whole there isn't a whole lot of variation. I just took a tally, and here's the breakdown for themes reviewed on MacThemes (not counting Aqua)...
Grey/White: 9
Blueish Grey: 2
Black/Dark Grey: 3
Other: 2
Many of them are great themes, to be sure. But they're all the same! If I want a light grey theme, there are a bunch waiting to serve me... and quite frankly I don't see a reason why to use any of the other 8 of them over my favorite one. If people keep making grey themes, sure they'll look nice, but I really only need one good one.
I guess I've gotten off topic here. My point is not that tiSkin is bad... it is very, very good. However it's (yet another) slightly different take on something that has been done many many times, the classic light grey. From the previews I've seen of themes in the works, we're in for a lot more of the same, with a higher ratio of dark themes than we're used to.
Yay.
Posted by ah sa at February 23, 2004 08:11 PM | Edit | Delete
I have to say, I think I fail to see how this theme lives up to it's appreciation that it is getting. But I will try my best to be as constructive as possible in this comment...
Perhaps it is just personal preference, although the theme together with the icon sets, desktop, safariskins is indeed feature filled, I really don't find them having enough visual consistency. The icons particularly, while I can see the effort put into making these, there really is a lack of "polish", or lets say they just don't look they are belonged to the theme. For once I look at the rad8 and I can tell his newer icon set (MINIUM?) actually suits this theme even more. I don't really know why, perhaps the colors (lack of)?
Also there are alot of places need serious balancing/polishing. More notably (to me) is that quite a handful of widgets, particularly the ones with black shadows really have too much fuzziness to them. I think someone on the macnn forum pointed that out too (so it isn't just me). I am suspecting it is a monitor specific thing (mine is 12" iBook screen) and I can imagine the theme would look "right" on a CRT (with the inevitable real-life anti-aliasing...).
There are certainly great things about the theme, basically I would say the structure is really there, and it has rooms to improve. The author did this as a first-time theme and he indeed did a good job at that, I can certainly give much kudos. But I really think there is still a way for him to go. I am not saying the theme doesn't deserve a review like this, I just mean in contrast to other theme reviews this one seems to have too much personal flavor added.
Hope I didn't sound too much of an arse...
Posted by wibs at February 23, 2004 08:12 PM | Edit | Delete
hehe, those last two comments were posted as I wrote mine... guess we were thinking the same thing then sb :).
Posted by Robjared at February 23, 2004 08:13 PM | Edit | Delete
I have to agree with Fulano. I think the Nextstep interface is still the best. Recently restored the drive on my mint condition Next and reveled in how elegant and efficient that interface is. While TiSkin is quite handsome there is something just too unbalanced about it and I went back to the Aqua after using it a couple hours as I do with most themes.
Posted by dv8 at February 23, 2004 08:49 PM | Edit | Delete
Curious why so many people are chiming in with "don't know why everyone like this so much" when it seems that more than half of the posts are just people saying "don't know why everyone likes this so much".
As for the ratings... who cares?
I make up my own mind when I see the preview. If it gets a great staff review... swell... if not... oh well. If a bunch of people hate it... same deal... people love it... equally boring. I think this site is far more useful as a news source and showcase of quality work (ie... all the themes that get reviewed have at least SOME relatively tangible quality).
I think comments make a lot more sense than ratings any day. We should be guiding the developers though our feedback... not frustrating them by handing out stars.
I'd rather a see a large collection of quality work than designers like swiz, max, and xanthic get caught up in the competition of it.
Posted by swiz at February 23, 2004 10:21 PM | Edit | Delete
dv8,
I agree that I too would rather see a large collection of great themes, I just dont see this as being as great as so many others do. A prexisting iconset is hardly a good enough argument for this theme being the most complete ever. As far as getting caught up in the competition of it, my work speaks for itself and Im confident with it.
Posted by Phillip Ryu at February 23, 2004 10:29 PM | Edit | Delete
But Swiz, the fact is, it IS the most complete Mac OS X kit ever. What other theme has a complete icon set and 10 diverse desktops? Perhaps it's not even pushing what themes could become, and maybe JetBlack will push the boundaries even further, but at the moment, yeah, TiSkin IS the most complete theme available.
Posted by sb at February 23, 2004 10:33 PM | Edit | Delete
I will be honest here - I never use a complete "kit" I like to make my own, using different components.
I don't use anything but Safari Skins, and an occasional iTunes skin.
I get bored, and I need something to break things up, but still let me get my work done - and some of these themes just don't work.
I stand by my suggestion to break-down the star ratings and give the users more say, in a abbreviated form, then let the comments say the rest.
Swiz - get Jet Black done - please? ;)
SB
Posted by swiz at February 23, 2004 10:47 PM | Edit | Delete
Firstly, I really dont want to come off like Im personally attacking xanthic or his theme. Ive never met him, the theme is tight and he obviously put alot of wellexecuted work into it.
Lets be honest though, there is ONE desktop included which was actually designed FOR this theme, the others are great and aesthetically pleasing but the others would also look great with plenty of other themes. And if were talking strictly about the completeness of a theme as opposed to its originality or "pushing the boundries" of theme development, Max's Aqua variants are the most complete. Afterall, we all start with Aqua icons. Max's Classic Platinum theme also comes with an iconset as does Rhapsodized I believe. Im not speaking of this theme in relation to JetBlack or any other of my themes, but voicing my thoughts on the theme itself within the realm of OSX theme design as a whole.
SB, I am trying to get it out asap, its been a while since youve been in my corner so I've got some high standards to reach :). I can say confidently however that JetBlack will be the best thign I have ever released regrding theme design. Handsdown. And I wasnt even a fan of dark themes before I started it. Not in the least. Now I cant stay away from it.
Posted by NetworkShadow at February 23, 2004 11:16 PM | Edit | Delete
Not the best theme around, but one of them. I don't like the icons that much, I think they are a lot less polished or consistent than the theme is. I wish he'd make the icons on the teaser poster into an icon set: http://www.mathgamehouse.com/mt/news/12004/tiskin.png
Posted by go at February 24, 2004 05:05 AM | Edit | Delete
"don't know why everyone like this theme so much" ;)
I tried the theme and found it pretty, but lacking a bit of polish.
I really don't think it deserves that kind of review on the aesthetic side. But as a first kit, it's not that bad.
But then I saw the review and felt a kind of connivance between Phillip Ryu and xanthic. Don't get me wrong, I don't say there's connivance, but that's the feeling I got.
And that kind of thought from a user is not a good thing for a guikit designer. Why do you think that some people have reviewed it only 1 star ? because of the review above.
Do people tend to hate a designer when a reviewer seems to praise his work too much ? I think so.
I plan to design my own complete guikit, and I surely don't want it to be displayed and reviewed here... no matter the rating.
Too much praise can kill. And a bad rating is better sometimes.
Posted by Dave at February 24, 2004 05:22 AM | Edit | Delete
I have to agree with Swiz: the theme is good, well-crafted and attractive. But I don't think that it merits a 9.6/10 review. For me, it's one of the themes that looks good in preview mode, but isn't that attractive in use. That's just me though. It's still a solid theme.
Whether a theme is 'all that' to people is subjective. I'm happy that Xanthic has gotten some great reviews. He obviously put a lot of work into it and deserves a credit for his efforts.
- DAT
Posted by MacDog at February 24, 2004 09:46 AM | Edit | Delete
The reviewer may call this theme "Bliss" - but I call it a boring, poorly done copy of Max's Brushed theme
Posted by NetworkShadow at February 24, 2004 09:51 AM | Edit | Delete
It has nothing to do with Brushed, looks nothing like brushed.
Posted by Blacktiger at February 24, 2004 11:44 AM | Edit | Delete
Zed - the 100% rating is a user rating not a reviewer rating.
Just a suggestion, but shouldn't the overall score be put at the top so the reader knows what to expect from the review?
I have been using TiSkin for awhile and have noticed or rather ceased to notice it. It has melted into my system which tells me that it is a good theme! My favorite themes so far are still Regia III and Raphsody. I just like the updated OS 9 look.
Posted by Ben at February 24, 2004 12:13 PM | Edit | Delete
Y'all don't know what you're talkiing about. Somebody bring back folkin Zeff! Zeff is the owningest scheme ever there was. http://www.kaleidoscope.net/schemes/screensnapz/zeff.gif
Posted by JoE950 at February 24, 2004 01:01 PM | Edit | Delete
zeff was pretty damn amazing. oh wait.. amazing but intrusive. the kind of stuff missing from our filthy boring lives..
its gonna be a special kind of, good lovi'n night.
Posted by sb at February 24, 2004 01:08 PM | Edit | Delete
Come now Swiz, I emailed you about those nice pix of the little woman - I mean how nice the new theme is going to be!
Dark themes heretofore have been unusable - SS 1.1 changed that. I know it sounds stupid, but the Safari Bookmark Bar is a major part of my daily viewing, and if I can't read it, life sux.
I see now much better themes coming (along with the not-so) and that's why I bought SS.
Now, for this mystery "Omega" that's sure to bring on the threads - if it's ever released!
SB
Posted by derdomi at February 24, 2004 02:34 PM | Edit | Delete
Can't understand why everyone is so upset?
I like the theme but is it the best theme ever? I highly doubt that. I don't like the iconset and it's not created especially for the theme. I agree with NetworkShadow that the icons from the teaser would have been a great addition.
For now it's my favourite theme, just because it is not too bright nor is it too dark. It gets out of my way. That's all that matters to me.
The whole discussion here is useless though. It's a THEME. An absolute visual thing. All things visual are not reviewable. Because everyone has another taste. Philryu praises the multilayered glare on the titlebar, for me it's the only thing I really don't like on the theme.
So get over with this whole useless discussion. We are all only humans, aren't we?
Posted by bluesilence at February 24, 2004 04:20 PM | Edit | Delete
i really want a SQUARED tiskin theme i really hate the rounded windows :)
Posted by Rhythmic Moose at February 24, 2004 07:14 PM | Edit | Delete
Maybe it's just me, or my monitor, but I can't live with the sharp gradient. It hurts my eyes.
That having been said, I'd use a smooth version in a second if it were released.
Posted by Gramage at February 24, 2004 09:37 PM | Edit | Delete
I guess you have to be a minimalist to enjoy themes like this.
"Form ever follows function."
I like plain, simple, easy to look at themes. The LAST thing we need is a theme like Zeff.
Also, any review is mostly based on the reviewers opinion. You don't have to agree with him. I, for one, do.
And I think it might be your monitor, moose, because the gradient isn't THAT sharp.
I think a version where all windows look like the metal windows would REALLY be a thing of beuty.
Posted by Holigen at February 25, 2004 03:46 AM | Edit | Delete
Haha, sorry Phill, but this theme pales in comparison to JetBlack. JetBlack has an iconset, Safari skin, Synergy skin, Mighty Mouse cursor set, AND 7 original desktops. This puts TiSkins three different extras to shame. Not to mention, JetBlack is an amazing step forward for dark themes.
When TiSkin came out, I was underwhelmed. We have enough gray themes with the little shine here and there. I dont understand why grey is such a popular color for a theme. Personally, grey is ok sometimes, but Im more into either all white (Milk) or black (JetBlack).
Really now, the best guiKit for OS X? I dont think so.
Posted by carnAge at February 25, 2004 05:50 AM | Edit | Delete
the best guiKit for OS X?
i work with 2 monitors and have really a lot of windows open, most of them with their own thousands tool windows. i found
that the most beautiful themes aren't the most usable ones ...
TiSkin is a good example: it rocks if i don't have to work but
when there are many windows open i can't "see" the thing "fast", because everythinf looks scrumbled and i have to "search" for my atual edit area in the program.
it may sound strange, but the darker themes (NEOS, shinobi, etc.) give me more contrast so i can really work faster ...
i think "a best guiKit for OS X" should consider in which area it
will be used.
sorry for my bad english
Posted by Jahnoth at February 25, 2004 08:58 PM | Edit | Delete
My best rating is how long it stays on my TiBook. TiSkin's been on it since the day it came out, along with all the extras because I love the completeness of the kit. There was about 30 minutes where I tried JetBlack when it was released. The almost immediate headache of trying to actually do my work while using that theme made me quickly dash back to the smoothness of TiSkin. The only other themes that have come close to this are GUiPod and Brushed.
Posted by Christopher Blomqvist at February 26, 2004 01:30 PM | Edit | Delete
I like this theme. I maybe not agree with the review. But, bitching around and spreading bad feelings is kind of childish. If you don't agree, you don't. Everyone does in fact have different taste. Mac OS X themers are the most bitching and whining pepole on the bloody internet. Just look at the Macnn board. No wonder why pepole don't want to get into start making themes. Encourage pepole instead!
Posted by Ender at February 26, 2004 02:11 PM | Edit | Delete
TiSkin is definitely my personal favorite. For me, the gradient and the "mistake" in the menu bars are really what sets it apart from all the other smooth, flat themes out there. TiSkin really has a great feel to it, and I love the small widgets. Remember though, this is only my PERSONAL OPINION. Draw your own from your experiences, not what anybody else has to say.
Posted by IceBook77 at February 28, 2004 04:54 PM | Edit | Delete
TiSkin is definitely one of the most well-done themes; I'll definitely give it credit in that department. However, it still failed to get Aluminum Alloy Toxic out of my top spot for two reasons: First, I hate Safari in Aqua mode, which this theme forces me to use. Secondly, many of the widgets are too low-contrast. Sure it melts into the background - but the widgets shouldn't melt into the WINDOW background! Add some sharper metallic elements to the widgets, enlarge enlarge the window controls and make a brushed variant that supports Safari (if possible), and it'll be great.
Posted by Gramage at April 10, 2004 06:51 PM | Edit | Delete
"Haha, sorry Phill, but this theme pales in comparison to JetBlack. JetBlack has an iconset, Safari skin, Synergy skin, Mighty Mouse cursor set, AND 7 original desktops. This puts TiSkins three different extras to shame. Not to mention, JetBlack is an amazing step forward for dark themes.
When TiSkin came out, I was underwhelmed. We have enough gray themes with the little shine here and there. I dont understand why grey is such a popular color for a theme. Personally, grey is ok sometimes, but Im more into either all white (Milk) or black (JetBlack).
Really now, the best guiKit for OS X? I dont think so."
Have to majorly disagree with you there. TiSkin is better than JetBlack.
Extras don't make up for an almost complete lack of useability.
White is too hard on the eyes. Black creates useability problems, and contrast with bright stuff that hurts the eyes. Grey finds a nice middle ground.
Posted by bladekutt at May 3, 2004 02:00 AM | Edit | Delete
this tiskin is the zhit!!! its clean and simple design is very elegant!!!....this skin could be part of the panther package.
great work!!! x-man good design!!!
Posted by brian at May 25, 2004 02:55 AM | Edit | Delete
best theme until siro hits final.
Posted by text link at August 19, 2004 09:41 PM | Edit | Delete
I totally agree. Thanks for the post!
Posted by norsketim at August 29, 2004 06:20 PM | Edit | Delete
I think TiSkin is a beautifull skin, but can anyone tell me why I can't get it to work with iTunes?
No problems with any other app or window!!!!
Posted by outsider at February 4, 2006 07:15 AM | Edit | Delete
Posted by outsider at February 4, 2006 07:15 AM | Edit | Delete
mieszkania Warszawa, ogłoszenia nieruchomości, projektowanie stron, tworzenie stron, agencja reklamowa, reklama w internecie
Posted by git at February 4, 2006 11:29 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