As to the look, is there a reason why Camaelon still isn't part of
the standard GNUstep distribution? Yes, the default look is
clean, but it's clean and very 80s. Nesedah is clean and modern,
and Narcissus is even cleaner. Using GNUstep apps without
Camaelon feels like stepping through a time warp.
For what it's worth, I like the "very 80s" look. What's wrong with
the 80s look?
User interface is very hard to design well, and NeXT did an
excellent, and, in my opinion, ever since unsurpassed, job. It is
not easy to tinker with a good design and make it better.
The NeXT look-and-feel is consistent and minimalist. The (i)
simple, (ii) square (iii) gray (iv) static GUI elements remain
subdued in the background, and do not compete with the user's own
data for the user's attention. The design looks as if it was
carefully designed by a single brain who understood the design from
a holistic point of view, had considered every angle of it, and
trimmed out all the fat.
...
I'd be more conservative in making claims we can so easily improve
on the NeXT original design. I've looked at some of the themes
offered in Camaeleon. They look interesting/OK. I personally prefer
the NeXT design.
I think a theming engine is useful; but I'm not convinced it's such
a great priority and I can see good reasons not to have it a part
of the standard distribution (see pitfalls above).
Not that there is tons to look at yet, but this is the current status
of the Narcissus theme:
http://jesseross.com/clients/etoile/ui/themes/narcissus/02.png
I really like the NeXT style too -- it is by far one of the most
consistent and elegant UI's ever designed. I think you'll find that
Narcissus is honest to the NeXT style, but is more approachable to
people used to current GUIs with their gradients and smooth edges.
J.
_______________________________________________
Discuss-gnustep mailing list
[email protected]
http://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss-gnustep
