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OroborOSX: XDarwin Aqua-Like Window Manager

Posted by timothy on from the eyes-bulge-out-of-your-head dept.

UnanimousCoward writes: "I've just downloaded OroborOSX, "A modified Oroborus-based X11 window manager for use with XFree86 and XDarwin on Mac OS X." It's truly a wm worthy of standing side-by-side with Aqua in rootless mode. Here are some screenshots from Jonathan Tyzack (I'm too lazy to create my own, but my experience is the same). Using MacGimp under OroborOSX is awesome ..." The original Oroborus looks interesting as well; the original author has discontinued work on Oroborus, but it looks like the code has found a nice new application.

6 of 114 comments (clear)

  1. When can we expect a lawsuit from Apple? by ostiguy · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I am saying 2 weeks. Should be the next slashdot poll.

    ostiguy

    1. Re:When can we expect a lawsuit from Apple? by Howie · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Since it only runs on OS X, I doubt they care that much. It isn't emulating the Aqua look & feel, it is the Aqua look & feel: "OroborOSX is a Carbon-based application for Mac OS X.". It requires the Apple Developer Tools to build.

      I wish it said that more clearly on the site though, so I didn't have to download it and decipher the RTF (!) format readme to find out for sure.

      --
      "don't fall into the fallacy of believing that Perl can solve social problems. Maybe Perl 6 can, but that's a ways off"
  2. More ripoffs by sg3000 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I know a lot of people think that anybody should have the right to make a window manager that looks like Aqua, since Apple doesn't own the idea of a "liquid-looking" interface. However, I think this attitude misses an important point.

    Would any of the Aqua rip-offs have been created if Apple hadn't created Aqua? Would Microsoft's Luna look like it does without Apple's Aqua? Of course not, they would have continued with the chiselled grayness look that they did for years.

    It's easy to take the excellent work someone else has done, tweak it, and then claim it's original work. It's a lot harder to start from scratch and build something truly original. Sure, everybody is influenced by something, but the important thing is to make sure that the influence isn't completely obvious. When it is obvious, that's the sign of simply derivative work. If the influence is not obvious, then you've got creative work. And Apple should have the right to sue the hell out of anyone who creates derivitive works that dilute their own stuff. That means, if it isn't running on Apple hardware running Mac OS X, it shouldn't look like Aqua.

    The general consensus at Slashdot seems to be: (1) Aqua sucks, (2) but looky, I can recreate it as a Window manager for my putty colored, 15-mouse-button-equipped, hand-assembled computer, (3) and Apple doesn't have the right to protect their look/feel anyway.

    Not intended to be a flame; it's just too early in the morning for me.

    --
    Insert simplistic political, ideological, or personal proselytization here.
  3. Gah by phwiffo · · Score: 3, Interesting

    People, people. It's a window manager that makes X programs fit in better with OS X programs visually. Sure, technically, it could be used on an x86 port of darwin but that really doesn't exist at least in any useable variety.

    So why would apple give a flying fuck? It's making apps that run only on it's hardware platform a little prettier. Whoopie.

    Ya know, sometimes I think the /. editors enjoy watching us fill in the blanks of their half-assed reporting. Then again I guess that's part of the charm of this site..

    --


    Trolls, it must be cool to be that bored.
  4. nice, but i still like windowmaker by fooey · · Score: 2, Interesting

    looks nice, i like the fact that you can roll up windows. but resizing x application windows with this window manager is painful. i've tweaked windowmaker to the point where i like it just fine on os x. also, windowmaker comes up a lot faster than this thing.

  5. Re:Note: for OSX and Darwin only by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Interesting

    "...for use with XFree86 and XDarwin on Mac OS X."

    yeah, not obvious at all. thankfully somebody modded up your informative post.