15/05/2005 - SmoothStripes and Aqua Extreme for Tiger

I’ve cut down the number of variations to 4 to make it easier for me to handle. The ones that are no longer available are the sunken Aqua and gloss variations. Hope I’m not upsetting too many people.

So, I’ve written down a complete feature list, this is what Aqua Extreme and SmoothStripes does:
- Includes option to use Blue titlebar buttons.
- Includes option to use squared windows and menubar.
- Restores the Menubar from 10.3.
- Improves Titlebar buttons.
- Improves scrollbars to a more crisp Aqua style.
- Improves progressbars to a more crisp Aqua style.
- Improves small and large Round Buttons to a more crisp Aqua style.
- Improves bevel buttons to a more crisp Aqua style.
- Improves Small Push buttons (like in the Finder copy dialog) to a more crisp Aqua style.
- Improves Menu Extras appearance.
- Improves Mails appearance - side panel use a light gray background instead of light blue, replaces the toolbar buttons with icons from previous Mail versions,
- Includes appSkin for iTunes that improves the “+” and “-” buttons in new Smart Playlist dialog.
- Makes all resize dimples use 90 degree lightning.
- Improves Finder button glyphs by using less drop shadow.
- Fixes the brightness of Finder column resize handle.

The difference between SmoothStripes and Aqua Extreme is that SmoothStripes takes out all the stripes and Aqua Extreme keeps them.

Both themes are available as guiKits and package installers. The functionality of iFix is included in both as they bring the new titlebar buttons and some fixes for iTunes. QuickTime no longer needs iFixing since Apple fixed all the stuff that I didn’t like about it.

You will get some additional features using the guiKit, for example it takes out the bright blue sidebar in Mail and replaces the toolbar buttons and icons with the ones from the previous Mail. Using the package installer has it’s own advantages as it will apply the theme for all users, as wells as for dialogs owned by Root and the login panel. Be sure to read the instructions for the package installers though.

Btw, I have some problem with links here and I’m not sure what’s going on, the first link never works, but the ones below it do. There’s something funky with the coding.. If anyone knows how to remedy this, send me an email!

Until I get them all working, you can use the top navigation to get to the Aqua Extreme theme page.

Aqua Extreme for Mac OS X 10.4:
Aqua Extreme 2.5 [1,5 MB]
Aqua Extreme 2.5 [7,6 MB]

SmoothStripes for Mac OS X 10.4:
SmoothStripes 4.5 [1,5 MB]
SmoothStripes 4.5 [7,6 MB]

This entry was posted on Sunday, May 15th, 2005 at 9:34 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

I love you Max.

Thank you from Austria!

Thank you for the updates, but I was really hoping for the good ole Blue-Yellow-Green buttons. Maybe when you have time!

Great update.

The links seem to work fine for me Max…

Awesome! I’m glad you kept the stripes!

Are you gonna update the “Aqua Extreme Tiger”, for us Panther users???

Please

gnomexp - That was never an official variation, but if someone wants to update the mod that’s fine by me.

Michael - Yeah, it’s because I wrote such a long post before the links, when they get below the left column they start working.. :/

John - Aqua Extreme Tiger will not be updated any further, sorry.

Lots of work and much appreciated. I wish Apple would clean up their stupid GUI. Max, will you make all of the new Spotlight/Search things more consistent with Aqua instead of the new “Milk”-like appearance?

Thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks thanks I LOVE YOU max !!
Now i can uninstall shapeshifter.
i’m right with kwyjibo, spotlight things really look like milk….

How about an update for Milk?

excelente max

Sunken, RIP :’(
Max, whenever you update this again, can you change the Apple menu icon to the Apple from the last version of SS? Also, this may be my fault, but my Safari still uses Sunken buttons. Also, since you are a GUI expert, do you know of anyway to fix the Safari weirdness when it is demetalifized? If you don’t know what I’m talking about, try changing your Safari to Aqua and resize the Google box or make a new tab. Thanks!

I’m using SS right now. A quality release Max. Very consistant overall. The instaler worked flawlessly also.

Any plans so ‘update’ the ‘apple menu icon’ and the ’spotlight icon’? Maybe use images from the panther version of SS.
Keep up the good work.

Joel

I agree about the Apple button and Spotlight button. Prefer Panther. Or at least the shiny endcaps of alpha versions of Tiger. :/

Thanks Max!
It looks awesome, having to look at the stripes in Tiger was messing with my mind, and I love the way mail looks now.
Aside from that, just wanted to let you know that Shapeshifter gave me a warning that smoothstripes 4.5 wasn’t designed for my operating system (could that be ebcause I have 10.4.1 instead of 10.4?)

These look amazing, esp. the rework of the menu apple. Sweeet!

Sadly, since I won’t be upgrading to Tiger anytime soon and am stuck at Panther (not my choice, but the boss’s) I can’t use these, much as I like them. Unless you get around to releasing a panther variant for us poor slobs, Max…

I’m a little confused. What was reworked on the Apple menu? It looks the same to me.

Actually, what I hadn’t realized (since I haven’t even seen Apple’s aqua in months) is that it’s the standard apple. Max has just reset the extreme and smooth menus to the same apple…

When will we be able to see Aqua Restore for Tiger, then?

I like the idea behind these themes, but I would love to see them go further: to apply the Aqua look to all apps, and make the look consistent (get rid of metal, etc.).

Sorry, but without the “sunken Aqua and gloss variations” these Themes just down right suck. Right now I’m using Niqu 1, and I love it. I like to use Auqa Extreme with the gloss variations, but with out, this theme is about a 3 on a scale 1 to 10.

Too bad. I absolutely adored the ‘Sunken Aqua’, and that was the reason I used SmoothStripes. Now that it’s gone and the installer messes with the look of Mail (which I actually like) I think I’ll pass from now on.

Max: you make great software. I just love SmoothStripes: was using version 4.1.1 under Tiger … until today. I like very much the square version … but am probably one of the dissapointed people that will miss the sunken version, which is the only theme I use (of the many available)
So, … if it’s not too much asking …
Thanks for it all, anyhow.

I also miss the sunken plastic version. I’m patiently waiting for TJR To update his Soft Aqua BM Plastic SPK mod…

Hey Max,

Nice release, altough I am another one who painfuly mourns the departure of the gloss/sunken version. Like someone else said, they are the only reason why I used SmoothStripes in the first place…

I very much hope so that you reconsider this decision and bring them back in the next revision…

Peace,
FB Eyeô

Thanks for the updates. Like many others, I need to request that you add the gloss/sunken back to SmoothStripes. The gloss was the only reason I used the theme and it’s become my main theme (Brushed hasn’t looked right to me since 10.2, not your fault though). Also, the colors of the Apple and Spotlight menu are butt-ugly, what was Apple thinking? Please change those in your next revision too. Thank you for everything!

ahhhhhhh….

Mail as it should have been done by Apple…

Well done Max, as usual - Thanks

actually i have to join the “gloss”-boat … it was the main reason i used smoothstripes, so i would absolutely love to have it also in tiger. yum, a glossy spotlight icon & search bar would absolutely rock … (wasn¥t it in one of the betas?). although honestly i have no idea how you could have those plasticky system preferences & mail windows fitting together with the gloss title bars…?

Thanks for your efforts Max. You’re probalby the only themer I’d trust with a package installation. I too will miss the gloss look…I think it is the most obvious improvement to Apple’s Aqua. Just one thing I’m not quite sure with the package installation…do I have to re-install after an OS update?

Love your work - Apple should put you in the top job…”Director of GUI”…Thanks again.

Thanks for your efforts Max. You’re probalby the only themer I’d trust with a package installation. I too will miss the gloss look…I think it is the most obvious improvement to Apple’s Aqua. Just one thing I’m not quite sure with the package installation…do I have to re-install after an OS update?

Love your work - Apple should put you in the top job…”Director of GUI”…Thanks again.

Man, please bring back the sunken buttons, those where the greatest!
i’ve now tried to dupe-em from the older theme into a custom one, but some (like the toolbar buttons in finder) weren’t duplicatable…
so again, please bring em back ^^;

What version of which theme will give me the non-ugly non-metallic Finder window as shown in the screenshot for these on macthemes.net? None of the previews in Shapeshifter look like this.

Also, I’m one of the ones who wants the sunken themes to come back. I loved those. I let you know I wanted ‘em way back when and I got ‘em, and I was overjoyed! Now they are gone. :/

really happy to see this theme updated, especially the fact that i don’t need shapeshifter. however, i’d really love to see the return of the sunken variant. great work, though, i’m loving it.

Max - any chance that you can make a package installer version of Aqua Extreme that keeps the gloss menubar in Tiger? That’s my only grip with it.

Aqua Extreme for Panther gives Panther users a gloss menubar…and Aqua Extreme for Tiger gives Tiger users a striped menubar. There’s no way to use either skin and keep the menubar that goes with your system, lol.

I miss the sunken versions…