Longhorn Skinning A Reality

AlphaAlien writes "AlphaAlien of HardwareGeeks.com has figured out how to skin all of Microsoft's upcoming Windows release codenamed Longhorn. We can now skin Longhorn in the same manner we can skin Windows XP. Here's a picture of a very early copy of the first ever non-Microsoft skin for Longhorn. The only possible issue at this point is that Microsoft appears to be planning to move away from BMP based skinning altogethor and move to PNG based skins in which case any skins made for Longhorn at this point in time will not work far into the future. Also the patch to allow the skins to be loaded may not work many builds from the present as well. But for now we'll be able to hack away at the skinning engine at our leisure. in co-operation with BetasIRC.net we will be releasing the first few longhorn skins and a guide on how to get started on creating your own Longhorn skins."

Comments

Planning for the future?

[Lord Grey]

Are you guys anticipating that Longhorn will be that butt-ugly? That you have to plan this far in advance on how to avoid its mind-boggling interface?

That, more than anything, tells me a lot about how people feel about Microsoft's operating systems. Past, present, and future.

To paraphrase Douglas Adams: "It is no accident that there is no single word in any language that means, 'As pretty as the Longhorn OS.'"

Re:Planning for the future?

[Denyer]

"It is no accident that there is no single word in any language that means, 'As pretty as the Longhorn OS.'"

Oh, there is. It's just very difficult to pronounce unless you happen to be in the act of vomiting at the time...

Re:Planning for the future?

[Kick the Donkey]

Actually, I think most 4 year olds have better comupter skills than the mass populace.

Maybe that's the angle OSS should take: Get Linux installed in all Fisher-Price and Playschool toys. Hook 'em young, I say.

Re:Planning for the future?

[EpsCylonB]

The first thing that they teach students in a graphic arts class is to never use primary colors together. WinXP is just that (I'm not sure about Longhorn).

Am I the only one who actually likes the default winXP theme ?, do I need to hand back my /. UID now ?.

Re:Planning for the future?

[chromaphobic]

I feel the same way about the candy interface on my Mac. :-)

It's improving slowly with each new release, but it's still a little too "lickable" for my tastes.

Re:Planning for the future?

[zhenlin]

I assume it is the language from the sig: "Ph-nglui mglw'nafh Gates R'chmd wgah'nagl fhtagn."

Perhaps it is 'vrgwr!wrkp*rwq' (! is a glottal stop, * is a click), which is normally translated as "Gorge my eyes out with a spoon"

Re:Planning for the future?

[spectecjr]

The first thing that they teach students in a graphic arts class is to never use primary colors together.

Really? Are you sure about that? Because the guys who do the graphic design for McDonalds, Burger King, British Telecom and many more probably missed that day in school.

I'm not even going to mention Wired magazine.

Open Formats

[JaxWeb]

It's good to see Microsoft supporting free file formats! Along with using PNG, I predict that future versions of Microsoft Windows will use OGG .

Wait..

[superhoe]

Skinned Longhorn = Circumsized OS?

Re:Wait..

[JPelorat]

It'd be cooler if we called it 'scalping' instead of 'skinning'.

Re:Wait..

[superhoe]

Ok, so let me put it together.
In other news:

"Bill Gates' Microsoft Longhorn brutally skinned by open source enthusiasts."

Skin the crash screens, too?

[192939495969798999]

I want to skin my windows crash screens, can I do that too? It'd be great to skin the crash screen to look just like the regular o/s, so I get the impression that everything is fine.

Re:Skin the crash screens, too?

[EulerX07]

Details are here although many Slashdotters probably won't like to admit that on W2K/XP they might never actually see the fruits of their labour.

I've got a bad dimm on ram on my desk that I guarantee will give you a blue screen. I will sell to anyone that needs to test their BSOD mods, for a slight fee.

All part of The Plan(TM)(c)

[KRzBZ]

1. Buy Sun, use as tool to claim *nix compatability
2. Release some unimportant software under open/shared source license
3. Allow skinning of crappy m$ OS windowing environment
4. Spread more patently false FUD about how Linux suX0rs, make outrageous claims saying m$ is better
5. Have m$ OS be able to look like Linux
6. $$$!

Signs of the apocalypse:

[Captain Irreverence]

Microsoft finally adopts PNG? Microsoft becomes friendly with Sun? Microsoft releases WiX as open source...on SourceForge, no less? What the hell kind of bizzaro world did I wake up in today???

Quick, someone check Bill Gates for a stylish alternate-universe goatee!

Heh

[philj]

I like the fact that the skinner's got a "backup" of Vice City in the F: drive... :-)

Can it be?

[-kertrats-]

Slashdot posting a positive article about a Windows OS? [regardless of the fact its years away from release, and still in extremely early alpha stages]. Slashdot, this is so unlike you. Where are the backhand comments against M$? Where are the links with Better Operating systems? I'm ashamed of you. Where's your prejudice? Where's your bias?

UFO's

[Mr Guy]

See I totally thought this article would be about cattle mutilation, I hear it's up this year.

whoopedy doo

[Anonymous Coward]

what does it all mean basil?

RiceOS

[Seanasy]

Skins are to user interfaces what Type-R and VTEC stickers are to Honda Civics.

Re:Before the criticism begins...

[dont_think_twice]

No, the desktop is not "cluttered."

and

a few demos I've seen show two Notepad apps slowly rotating in circles and working correctly as Windows Media Player played a file flawlessly

Riiiiiiiiight