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GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 8:11 am
by hotrod
Hello!

One of the things being talked about is to have the GUI in AOS 4.x looking the same everywhere. It does look similar with the default theme but what I wonder is if it's possible to add a function to copy other GUI-parts than the lister in MUI? Like buttons, popup-menues etc. I guess that it isn't easy or else it would've been done already. Or maybe something else is planned for the future?

This would make it so much nicer to switch between themes and everything would look the same. It's been a "want-to-have" feature since the very first version of AOS 4.0, well at least the first version that I had.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 9:33 am
by kas1e
When new mui will come (with 4.2) you will have ability to change in mui everything and everythere. I.e. you can setup mui to look exactly the same as reaction, choice any kind of colors/images/frames for every single object.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 12:46 pm
by hotrod
kas1e wrote:When new mui will come (with 4.2) you will have ability to change in mui everything and everythere. I.e. you can setup mui to look exactly the same as reaction, choice any kind of colors/images/frames for every single object.
Hello kas1e! This I know and it's already a huge improvement over the previous versions. But even though you can configure it it isn't very smooth to try and make everything look the same as ReAction as soon as you change the theme. I think that there are room for both options, one that copies the look from reaction, or parts of it, and the options to change the look directly in MUI that are available now. Something that works like the option to use the "new look" lister but for other components like buttons.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 1:08 pm
by kas1e
@Hotrod
This I know and it's already a huge improvement over the previous versions.
That version which come with update4 (or even update5 as far as i know), still very limited by the ability to change everything. Its only add some bits (like manuall changing of the images, in the same old - boring way, some bits here and here), but new mui which will come in os4.2, will bring a lot more. Not like "a bit new", but totally and fully new concept of mui preferences, where you can change just absolutly everything about which you can think. Any kind of buttons, any kind of gadgets, any kind of text. You can choice any kind of color, gradient, images for background for any of those objects (i.e. you even can put backgorund for text everythere, or you can choice the looks of buttons to any you want).

In other words, with new mui you will be able to mimik any look : kde, winxp, morphos-ferox one, haiku, gnome, just absolutly everything. Currently, that version which we have in betatest are 1:1 the same as mui4 on morphos if you in interest to know. Only very-very small bits missing, which i sure Thore will add for final release with os4.2
it it isn't very smooth to try and make everything look the same as ReAction as soon as you change the theme. I think that there are room for both options, one that copies the look from reaction, or parts of it, and the options to change the look directly in MUI that are available now. Something that works like the option to use the "new look" lister but for other components like buttons.
Our current public mui have "presets" , which exactly mean "skin" for mui. As public mui still lack a lof ot stuff for making good looking design, users still forced for now to use current and old inbuild os4-default-mui-theme. Which, are done with having in mind all the limitations of the old mui (that is why it looks outdated). But even now, you can make some new preset, which will use new images and some new stuff, which, you will just choice from mui via "open preset". And yes, its all still not what you want because public version still not as it now in beta.

With new version, you will even have "setting" button at top, where you just can choie any preset you want (i.e. skin). If Mason will do new theme for new mui, then it can be inbuild by default, and that one can be 1:1 as default aos4 look. And ppls when will do new themes for aos4, will be now abble to do it not only for workbench/reaction, but also and for mui (i.e. like morphos designers do: they all the time release a themes where is and ambient and mui themes included).

So, just wait for 4.2, that will brings a lot in terms of mui.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:30 pm
by Stephen Robinson
:o My intrest, you haz it.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 12:55 am
by hotrod
Thanks for all the info, sounds very interesting and something to look forward too. What it comes down to is that it would be nice if it isn't like now, you choose silvergreen (for example) and got a different look in MUI apps. I'm sure that there are different ways to solve this to make it easier on the user. I just think that it would seem more professional if you change the theme and also MUI applications would be changed instead of getting to suddenly forcing the user to edit the look in MUI prefs.

How this should be done is another matter though. I thought that what I'm suggesting would work best but then I have no idea of how hard it would be to add such a function. The other way would be to make one theme for ReAction and one for MUI. But since I don't have the new MUI I don't know how easy it is to change the settings to look like ReAction. Time will tell I guess. I was already looking forward to AOS 4.2 and now even more so.

All I want is simply a simpler way to get a similar look in all apps and not just for me, I'm sure there must be someone other than me not being crazy to change the look in MUI everytime you change a theme. And then there are this thought of new users again. Anything that can make a good impression I find being important. I remember Linux having this issue some years ago but I think that it's mostly solved now. AFAIK noone likes when software looks very different even if it's possible to change the settings in MUI.

It doesn't have to come in AOS 4.2 but at some point. I think it's important. That's all, I'm done :-) .

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 9:17 am
by kas1e
@hotrod
What it comes down to is that it would be nice if it isn't like now, you choose silvergreen (for example) and got a different look in MUI apps. All I want is simply a simpler way to get a similar look in all apps and not just for me, I'm sure there must be someone other than me not being crazy to change the look in MUI everytime you change a theme. And then there are this thought of new users again.
Sure, technically there will be no problems to do it the way like you describe: user choice silvergreen and all changes applies for the mui as well. It wasn't done before because old mui just have no ability to change anything normally. Its even some luck just Mason found a way how setup more or less "ok" look for mui with all the past limitations. But since new mui will released, anyone (including Mason and any other os4 designer) can make a themes which will applyes for all the parts of os : and wb itself, and reaction, and mui, to make the same look and feel of every app. We just not have it before, as there wasn't much freedom to do mui changes,and because of that any themes which ppls do, didn't have any reles to mui. Once 4.2 will be released, that all can be done, but i do not know if os4 designers will do it for 4.2 , can only speak about technical possibilityes.

Re: GUI look of MUI and ReAction

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 10:10 am
by samo79
@kas1e

Sound awesome !
I wonder if the new artist we have (DjNick) can start to look at just in time for the 4.2 release, aswell with Mason they can recreate an entire new and consistent look for our system 8-)