I have been using MorphOS for years and I have always noticed that most users of this OS is a bit "lazy" about customization of their systems, at least with regard to the "cosmetic side" of the OS, and observing some screenshots scattered around the net I can see that 90% of users still use (in whole or with very few customizations) the pre-packaged configuration provided with MorphOS Intall CD which in my opinable opinion is horrible. And I do not refer only to the default skin (I never liked Ferox since its first appearance, I do not want to hurt the author), but also the questionable color (as well as stylistic) choices of default MUI Configuration, its Ambient and IContorl default settings (see the icon "My MorphOS" on the desktop, rather than cleaner use of a "double click" on the desktop to open the list of devices or inability to drag windows outside from the screen) ..

For this reason, hoping not to be seen presumptuous I prepared a "ready to use package" for improving appearance and feeling of Ambient / MorphOS ideal for MorphOS new users or those who do not have much desire to loose time to set up this and that. I absolutely do not pretend that my personal choices should delight alll, so take this package simply as my intention to give a sort of small contribution.

The package contains:

- Configuration files for MUI (which I edited and "refined" over the months, if not years ..)
- Configuration files for Ambient, IControl and Lucy
- An enhanced version of the skin ImAZ (I want so say "thank you" to the author to have realized it and to Jambalah to have spent his time to improve it)
- Ambient images (for toolbar and context menus, if I remember correctly they should be Patbest ones)
- Some Patterns and backgrounds to use in conjunction with the config file


More or less your system should look like this ..





The package is in BETA STAGE!! I have not tested it on any system that is not mine or a friend of mine's one, so take it with care. For this reason I would like to receive feedbacks from you on how it goes. Where and how you have to copy the various files is really intuitive, watch the directories structure of the unpacked archive and you'll understand. The only suggestion I want to give you is to eventually rename your config files or directories (for example: "AMBIENT.prefs" to "AMBIENT.prefs_") before copying my files so that you do not overwrite your old files that can be recovered in case of problems or simply because you do not like my stylistic choices ..

Please do not kill me if you do not like something or everything or if I did some mistakes in the package, it's my first public "project". Moreover don't blame me if my English is bad, I already know this

http://digilander.libero.it/Miky060/BetterLookPack.lha

[ Edited by Miky060 18.11.2011 - 16:31 ]

Transparent windows -> fail

Otherwise I can't really say it looks any better than the default (quite the contrary)
That blue butterfly in the topleft corner is far to much "in the eye" than the default one.
Not a big fan of PolyNet either

I do like polynet, but kind of hard to setup ... but once you know how to do it, it's nice. But probably a lot of people just stop trying and do not use it.

I also think you should try an image provider that doesn't throw with porn-popups and as such. Not everyone always checks you images with a MorphOS machine.

Oepabakkes,
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I totally agree.

In every case it's obvious that there are no Polynet configs in my package..

Looks nice although I notice there are some things that could be improved, e.g. the round edges of some elements that should be square, take a look at the tabs in frying pan and you'll see that using that round-square container it doesn't look very good/finished.

Default MUI config could be improved quite a lot as it overuses colour gradients everywhere so it looks slightly amateurish. In addition to that some of the gradients use too different colours so it doesn't look smooth but something like a photoshop newbie in mid-90s putting big gradient backgrounds in webpages everywhere. A soft gray gradient like Chrome default skin could be used instead of the stronger ones used in default MUI config (just look at MorphZone style and you'll notice User Menu, Search, the tittle bar... that kind of strong gradients should be avoided at all costs in default GUI.

Default MUI configuration doesn't use a different colour for selected tab with the result of the user not noticing inmediately which tab is the selected one. IMHO that's very annoying and should be fixed for MorphOS 3.0.

All those strong MUI gradients everywhere are not very proffessional. The yellow one at the lists was a very bad choice I think.

The default drawer icons are the same as the 1.x ones and are too plain and simple compared to other icons like the wonderful HD ones. The "My MorphOS"/"Hard disk" icons are example of very nice icons but IMHO the drawer one is too flat and simple, its design isn't coherent with the design of the other icons.

OS4.x guys choice of colour scheme is more or less good (although I dislike white backgrounds at least they mark with a different colour the selected tabs), the window skin of 4.0 was nice although 4.1 is IMHO horrible teletubbi-like and window frames are too big. But we are not discussing OS4 skins but MorphOS ones, MorphOS window frames are nice although a cleaner one that doesn't look like KS3.1 would be nice. Just like the BeOS-like skin but more "OS personal".

A good idea for MorphOS3.x would be the ability of having some kind of default icon packs or a way to modify all the OS icons in one go without doing it manually. It could simply overwrite them with certain set located in a "icon storage" directory

MorphOS 3.0 would deserve a newer look IMHO. It's not something that concerns me much (I must be one of those 90% of MorphOS users who use default skins with minor changes) but I think some ex-amiga users may be attracted.

Crumb,
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You'll right and thanks for your feedbak: I fixed it!

Crumb,
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You're totally right!
And I agree with you about all the line. I think 3.0 will have a new deafult skin and maybe new MUI config, now the problem is : will it be really better than 2.x one!?


[ Edited by Miky060 17.11.2011 - 15:52 ]

milky: thx, good job, some will surely find it useful and even if not apply the whole package, its a good archive to make the system's look better. a big plus would be if you could include some icon or iconpacks as well (havent unpacked the lha yet so sorry if there are some, havent seen in the description). i for one unable to get the whole IceFolders(Drawers) iconset, the same what is used at your screenshots as well, only parts of it (its not available anymore on patbest's site, or the install scripts doesnt work anymore...). I would be happy if someone coould share the whole ICE pack by patbest again!

regarding default settings, well, just a thought popped into mind just yet:

as i see MorphOS' default settings try to balance between a well known amiga experience (hence it makes itself to look "dumber" as it is fe. window cant leave screen)
wouldnt be that possible that durning the install process or at first boot (either from removable media or h/sdd) when you gotta set the screenmode/locale/etc... there would be a tab with a few simple choices of preconfigured settings where the user can choose from, what he prefers most, like:

Classic - Classic Amiga experience - Ambient with spatial, no toolbar,
no MyMorphOS, etc..., with some 3.1-alike skin and fitting mui settings
MorphOS Tradtional - About the same as in 2.x with Ferox and current-like mui settings
MorphOS Modern - Most modern features of Ambient/MorphOS are turned on (toolbar, windows move
outside of screen, etc...) with some new, or renewed skin (ferox 3d fe.)
with mui setting with less gardient and more metallic look fe. (just an example)

all of them with a few lines of description about its "features" and maybe a small "preview" image of the look. i guess (or rather hope) that making this "gui selector tool" wouldnt cause too much work for the Team and realizing the settings (only 2 or 3 + the current default one, maybe latter with a little facelift:) could be done with the help of experienced users/betatesters - it shouldnt be too much work or hussle esp. as all would be applied to a standard, clean system. of course it would be nice if the user could change the firstly choosen gui setting into another preconfigured one by a single click, but i could imagine that maybe this would require some more work - anyway, this skin and configuration files could be available to install them by hand at the user's risk if no better method can be achieved easily).
But i insist, that a fisrt time gui look-desktop behaviour selector would be a very nice addition to the system, maybe making it appaeling for those who only not tried/stayed with MorphOS coz them dont like the default setting of MorphOS (neither do i but i cared enuff to change it:) and they dont know how or not care to dig themselfs deep into settings and change it. After all its a considerable time to make the system being "yours", and duh this process can (and it should:) took years and it is a neverending story for some, im not speaking about changing every mui setting to your likes, but setting the fundamental things (this varies by every user) to feel the system comfortable and easy to use - for an unexperienced (with morphos or with amigaos in general) user it could be easily a show-stopper. providing them some choice between alternatives similar to 3-4 known gui/desktop enviroment (as fortunately MorphOS is being cool and powerful enuff to be adopted by almost everyone's taste), and with this simple choise the diehard classic fun whom MorphOS is alien like linux, throught the longtime and experienced MorphOS user to the newcomers who came with no amiga background but familiar with osx/win/linux. This way MorphOS could please everyone (to some degree) while keeps its unique identity and all its strenght (as all is the user changed is some settings after all:)

Ah, sorry once again for the long post, fingers couldnt stop hitting keys:)
Anyway, any thoghts on this? (I know that cli-heads, keep-everything-minimal-lovers and who-cares-'bout-users-who-cannot-change-the-settings type faces will disagree with the idea, but think about fresh blood, making the os appealing to them (and for some degree to those few, but likely still in hundreds, classic - or god forgive me os4:) - users who havent ride the butterfly coz of the above reasons - i've seen quite a few posts stating similar things). if its not too much work (or as i hope rather easy) it worths the effort - imho.

@ Milky060 : very good job !

is it possible to add your "Better Look Pack" to pack Ultimate 1.7.0 please ?

Papiosaur,
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Tanks. About your request you're wellcome. If you want to put i also on meta-morphos (is it your?) you can. As you can see on my system I installed your Pack Ultimate that I find very usefull for new MorphOS users or people that have been away for too much time. The only think I don't like of your system is the numbers of directories.. They are too many (for internet apps for example there are maybe 4-5 different drawers..) , infact I rearranged it in a lighter way.


@saddam
I find your idea to add to the MorphOS installation a way to set basics GUI step by soon very usefull and interesting. In particular if it's possible to give to the user some graphic previews of final effect.

[ Edited by Miky060 18.11.2011 - 11:48 ]

Thanks for your interest about pack too

I have do many changes in pack Ultimate 1.7.0 (available this week-end).
I have regroup all internet apps in a "Network" drawer.

I have release a news about your "Better Look Pack" on meta-morphors (i'm webmaster about it)

I have do change in Ambient MUI Prefs because when I run the Ultimate installation script, the text was cut at the edges otherwise all is good for the moment.

[ Edité par Papiosaur 18.11.2011 - 20:47 ]

Those screens shots look great.
I'm very pleased Papiosaur is going to add this to his pack.
This will improve an already excelent package.