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Apple Still Says No To Aqua-Like Themes
JoFo writes: "Eric Yang, creator of several Aqua-like themes and skins for GTK+, KDE, Mozilla, gkrellm, and others, was forced by Apple to take down all Aqua-related projects on his web site. It appears they went to his employer as a way to strong-arm him. He writes on his web site 'I went to Apple to test cocoa for Mac OS X 10.1, and found a drag and drop problem with NSPopUpButtonCell. They didn't even pay me for my effort, yet they try to shut down my project. Isn't that ironic?'" Apple seems at least to be consistent in objecting to nearly any non-Apple project that reminds the company of Aqua, so maybe this was just a matter of time.
This might be flame bait for some, but why are we so upset about companies wanting to keep their own image?
Of all things to fight about, it seems that the appearance of a desktop should be the least of our worries. If Apple wants to keep their Aqua desktop to themselves, fine. Let's be creative and make something better. There are many themes out there that rival Apple in functionality and appearance.
This is why IBM Compatible computers have the majorty of the computer market, Apple doesn't let anyone use any of their stuff, they are even more of control freaks then M$. Like a year ago our school got a price list from apple with upgrades and to upgrade the IMac 233mhz to 350mhz was fricking $300??!?!? Well, it really seems they haven't learnt their lesson, have they? They have made the same mistake they did years ago by closing off most 3rd party support. Proof? Pricewatch.com check out all the PC components to Apple components same with eBay Download.com, look at the huge selection of PC Software compared to Apple software..
[First, please don't use the word "ironic" until you learn its meaning. That goes for all of you out there. This has been a major pet peeve of me since the early 90s when all those black and flannel-clad, angsty gen-Xers were big on the word "ironic" without actually knowing the definition of the word.]
Oh, they didn't pay you for your "testing" of their OS? Did they ever say they would pay you? Did they imply they'd pay you? Did they insinuate in any way that they'd pay you? Then why would you expect to be paid? This attitude is disconcertingly common in Free Software types. The 'look at me, I'll fix this problem for you, nevermind the fact you didn't ask me to, and you're a bastard if you don't pay me for it' attitude reeks of social maladjustment.
I don't see how the fact that you've pestered Apple for money makes it any more "ironic" that they'd try to shut you down when you rip off their interface. Apple went easy on IP-theft once, ONCE, which was enough to give Windows, the cut-rate Mac imitator, take over the desktop market.
I think Apple has learned its lesson. Just because your project is "free" doesn't make it any less of a threat to Apple's resurgence. Apple is hanging by threads as it is. Rats biting at the heels of elephants should not be surprised when they are trampled upon.
The bottomline? Apple invested heavily to develop the Aqua look and feel to set the new standard for desktop computing; Eric Yang attempts to profit (if only in terms of community recognition) from Apple's work. Who can be surprised when Apple takes offense?
If you have a problem with my views, REPLY, don't moderate!
So whose side are you on? Your comments have no useful basis. Aqua is not just a single color, it is a whole user interface, correctly the property of Apple.
Why don't apple do some real work and put out real usable machines with a real operating systems. Ssshh, the way they (or any other company for that matters) has to pull out all stops just to defend a couple of colors like it is really important. If you make a usable and good product, people will like it and help you defend it - regardless if it's stripped purple and painted to look like your dog's butt... Oh well, the color schemes they have now aren't that far from that!
Spend your time, money, and effort doing something worthwhile. Stop harassing other people who are trying to do real work. Spin better Karma! Spread it around.
Microshaft stole thier implementation of Xerox's "desktop" operating system and ruined thier OS business.
Then a clone maker came along for IBM hardware and ruined the margin on making machines.
Apple has been screwed by others since the day computers became available to the people.
Regardless of my (or your) opinions of thier hardware, software, OSes, and so on, if you were Apple, would you not fight with every single fiber of you being to protect everything you could?
They are not going after people for money... they are simply saying "we made Aqua, at consideralbe expense (and again, I don't care what you think of it... it cost them heaps of money to develop) so please don't give it away to other platforms".
Windows XP, Linux, or whatever does not DESERVE a GUI as nice as Mac OS X. My mom can buy a crappy box with Win XP and be frustraed by it. Having an OS X look alike theme could amke her biased agiant Macs. My mom would have no f*ing clue how to use Linux, so if see ever had to use a machine with Linux installed, and it had an Aqua theme, she might think that So X was hard to use. I *did* buy my mom an iMac, and installed OS X on it. She damn well humps the machine she loves it so much.
So porting one is not only an infrigement of copyright, but just plain wrong as well.
Department of Homeland Security: Removing the rights real patriots fought and died for since 2001
Artistic expression my butt.
Directly copying something is not artistic expression. Making an original change or twist to someone else's artistic expression could be AE, but outright copying... is stealing. Just be glad that Apple hasn'd called the IP police.
BTW, as for the fellow not getting paid... shut the hell up man, it is OSS. Did they tell you that you were going to get paid? NO, so shut up and get back to work whine-o!