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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.

15 of 589 comments (clear)

  1. This is silly by NitsujTPU · · Score: 3, Funny

    I don't think that they will ever be able to claim rights to "all pretty translucent themes."

    Just name it something else already.

    If you get into trouble, throw some prior work, like your favorite drinking glass into evidence.

  2. Re:In All Honesty... by John+Miles · · Score: 2, Funny

    Seriously, a lot of work goes into the UI design at apple, and it's a shame that it's constantly ripped off.

    You're right, it's not just a shame, but a travesty! These thieves have to be stopped. This aggression will not stand. What kind of worthless, sociopathic people would deliberately rip off important UI design elements from another compan...

    Oh, wait.

    We're talking about Apple, right?

    Never mind.

    --
    Dahlmann tightly grips the knife, which he may have no idea how to use, and steps out into the plain.
  3. Better translucent theme idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

    "KaKa", the translucent runny brown theme.

  4. Apple legal by Stenpas · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apple legal has always been very brutal. If you go back far enough, you'll see that they have not lost a match yet, except for Apple vs. Microsoft. Even so, they did get Microsoft to basically admit that they just ripped off the MacOS. They won the legal battles with Colorsync, Quicktime VR, some company that copied the imac, and some other stuff. Not to mention a million and one Cease And Desist orders to places like macosrumors.com.

    Personally, I think Apple should sue Microsoft for stealing the rubber ducky and putting it in Windows XP! That's just SO WRONG!! it's Apple's ducky, and those punks at Microsoft think they can just horizontally flip it and call it theirs. It doesn't work that way! I'd go so far as to say the rubber ducky should be Apple's mascot.

    Wait. I think I heard from somewhere that Microsoft did remove the rubber ducky. Any truth to this?

  5. Sosumi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Funny

    All I have to say to Apple is:

    SOSUMI

  6. Re:Eric Yang, Sociopath? by Ridge2001 · · Score: 5, Funny
    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.

    Funny, I would think that misusing the word "sociopath" would be far more serious than misusing the word "ironic".

  7. Irony? No. by michaeldouma · · Score: 2, Funny

    > 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?

    If I babysit your kids a few times, is it okay for me to smack them around a bit also?

    Whew, that was close. That car nearly killed you. I saved your life. Shall we go back to my apartment?

    Irony? No. Misplaced entitlement? Yes.

  8. Re:Eric Yang, Sociopath? by Moofie · · Score: 2, Funny

    Is there an analog of Godwin's law that states the first person touting their membership in MENSA automagically loses?

    Well, there should be. We can call it Gibson's Corollary to Godwin's Law.

    --
    Why yes, I AM a rocket scientist!
  9. Re:Eric Yang, Sociopath? by Legion303 · · Score: 2, Funny
    but I am a member of MENSA [...]

    BAHAHAHAHAHA! You should have stopped while you were ahead.

    -Legion

  10. Re:Eric Yang, Sociopath? by dangermouse · · Score: 4, Funny
    ...but I am a member of MENSA...

    Translation:
    "...however, I am a card-carrying tool..."

    Christ, I hate MENSA. There's nothing quite like a Smarter Than Everybody Else Club.

  11. When you outlaw themes..... by teambpsi · · Score: 1, Funny

    only outlaws will have themes!

    --

    Old age and treachery almost always overcome youth and skill.
  12. Re:Ferrari is the only company. . . by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny
    Jesus, where do you people get this stuff? What a load of BS.

    Any paint shop can replicate damn near any color of paint. The only limitation would be the actual formulation of the paint (polyurethane, enamels, lacquer, whatever, from various mfgrs - Dupont, Glasurit, etc) but that has nothing to do with the color.

    In fact, the actual shade of paint is highly dependent on how the end-user thins & applies it.


    You know, every time you losers try making computer-automotive analogies, you really look like fools...don't bother, huh? I'm almost outta whoopass..

  13. Operating System religion by mrfiddlehead · · Score: 2, Funny
    Apple is like the catholic church, all image. Microsoft is like a southern fundamentalist bible thumper, get in my way and you'll pay! Linux is like your basic secular humanist atheist. BSD is like Judaism, bow down before my OS, the first, the only, the true.

    Jobs is the pope and he can bite my arse. My favourite theme is fvwm2. Default.

    I'll leave Islam out of it for now. Feel free to contribute.

    --
    :wq
  14. Lingerie by Pseudonymus+Bosch · · Score: 2, Funny

    You don't have to sit behind a one-way mirror and watch a user rip the result of the last 3 months of your life to shreds.

    That sounds interesting, if you are a lingerie designer.

    --
    __
    Men with no respect for life must never be allowed to control the ultimate instruments of death.
    GW Bu
  15. Re:This is why I'll lock my code out of OS/X by naasking · · Score: 3, Funny

    Apple is lame attempting to lock people out of assimulating a decent theme.

    Is everyone so unoriginal that they can't come up with their own stuff? Do you have to copy someone else all the time, even after they've asked you not to?

    Well too bad Xerox can sue thier ass for copying a window environment similar to thier own.

    They tried, they lost.

    This is why once my Multifli code gets out, I'll have a GPL, but I will lock it out of any use on OS/X.

    Well hey, no one can stop you from being an idiot.

    Also Why don't we design a theme that rivals Aqua,

    Hey! There's an original idea!

    copyleft it,

    Sure, it's your decision (just like it's Apple's).

    and make it illieagal for them to assimulate it.

    They wouldn't be interested anyway.

    Apples days are numbered anyway.

    uhuh. Are you a financial analyst? You have some inside info you'd like to share?

    I have a multiplatform environment at home. I've got ... [blah, blah] ... w 1.3GHZ Athlon and 256MB DDR RAM Linux box, everything is supported by the 2.4x kernel, including the DVD ROM and 1394 firewire.

    That's nice. Obviously you know what you're talking about since you have so many computer in such an impressive setup.

    This box is much faster then the Apple G4 that I had on lone. My kernel compile times are less than half the time taken with the G4.

    If I hadn't been so impressed with your knowledge of computers (based on that impressively long-winded description) this statement would normally indicate someone completely ignorant of CPU architecture. Someone with your impressive knowledge would have to know that the G4 is a RISC CPU, and that compilation for RISC architectures is significatantly more complicated than CISC CPUs. You see, the RISC architecture moves code optimization into the compiler, while CISC moves it onto the CPU. Consequently, compilation for RISC machines undergo more optimization cycles. But I'm sure you already knew that! You had to! I mean, you have a ethernet access to your mpeg player! If that's not an indication of expertise, I don't know what is. Well, besides an engineering degree like I have...

    Yes the CPU speed is faster on the AMD

    I'm glad you noticed that too.

    And the 7200RPM hard drives aren't bad either.

    Ya, I'm sure those would help a little. Just a LITTLE though.

    So, go ahead apple. be a scrooge and put all your eforts into preventing others from using a simular desktop. What goes around comes around. You take from the Open Source movement and you don't reciprocate.

    uhhuh

    Well, I'm done. Have a nice day. :-)