Is it just me or....
 

....is the default Windows XP theme ugly?

No it's not only you....

Yep it's ugly, designed to look like a childrens toy.

No, it's not just you that's ugly... *rimshot* :P kidding
The default Windows XP theme is very ugly.

Why do so many people use it then?

Because, as it looks like some children toy, many people that use it is like children, and don't know they can actually change it ...
:)

Change The Theme :)
 

Your options are endless LOL!!

I personally can't stand working on a machine with any default GUI..I just find it boring.Although everyone's taste is different, many of my friends find it hard to work through my themes...LOL!!

My wife continually gets frustrated trying to find her way around my browser..That's why she has her own PC.. :D

I love you dear, don't mess with the controls.. ;)

Downsized for pic...

Because the average user doesn't give a rats ass about the aesthetics of the OS. They check email, talk to friends and surf the web. And given that they’re “average” users, they probably wouldn’t even know that you COULD change the theme.

I'm frankly too lazy and don't have enough time to change around the theme becaues if I change it to something I want I want to find a really good one first...the only thing I change is the desktop background and that's about it...I couldn't care less what colors the box around the windows has (although it's not pretty I have to admit) ;)

Mia:)

Actually...With the programs I use, it takes about 30 seconds to change,Icons,Boot Screen,Logon,Cursor,Wall and Theme...

Maybe a minute or two if I'm really stuck on choice.. LOL!!

Click,Click,Click...Everything Done ;)

If you go with a Suite...Which there are hundreds of...Icons,Wall,Cursor,Logon,Boot,Sounds,Rainlendar,Sysmetrix and Theme are all changed with just One Click!

:) http://img9.photobucket.com/albums/v...n11/Suites.jpg

Thanks for the info Magnum!

Well but first you would need to find a program for it which is not a one click thing for me except someone would tell me one, then downloading it on a 56k will take a while as well plus installing it and figuring out how it works, thinking of a nice color scheme that will work well witht the current background and actually finding it....will take a while ;)

I did it on my older Computer, changed the cursors as well, I couldn't be bothered with this one yet but I might do it one day when I find the time...right now it's more important to me how my apartment looks because more people get to see that as well :D

Mia:)

Nuff Said ;)

Yeah, I'm still waiting for my cable connection (they say that I should check back in April :mad: )...at my parent's house I can nick wireless access but until I'm back at their place, downloading programs is a no-no for me ;)

Mia:)

Yep.....I hear ya
 

:)

I had to go back to 56k for two weeks. It wasn't fun.

You would have to ask someone that uses XP.
i.e. not me. :(

I use the Classic theme of XP. Fits me perfect.

mabye cuz they havent gotten the UXtheme Multi-Patcher yet.

I'm not being smart or ignorant here...So don't take this the wrong way....

You mean you never get tired of seeing the same old theme on your desktop..You would'nt want something different ever once in awhile.. ?? :)

I get a new background once in awhile, does that count?

I've looked at my taskbar almost the exact same way for nearly 4 years. I have no need for an eye-candy desktop. It does what I need it to do. And I have no need for it to look pretty.

With XP i changed it back to the old windows style, grey bars and that blue gradient and everything, i haven't had a wallpaper in months. Only thing i change is my (classic skins) winamp. But none of this shiny metallic pap. I use my computer, not look at it for it's pretty colours and misshapen gradients.

LOL!!. I guess :D

I've never thought of my GUI looking pretty..Never even entered my mind that way.. LOL!!

Maybe Classy Lookin, comes to mind...I guess it's all in the eye of the beholder.

To each their own.. :D

I use the Windows Classic theme on my computer, too. I can't stand all that animated GUI crap. I don't need every single window on my computer loaded with ugly gradients from top to bottom, chamfered edges all over the place, big fat buttons with huge text, animated this, animated that, animated everyfuckingthing...

Every window on my computer has a simple blue titlebar, grey borders, small icons without text where possible, no tooltips, minimal animation or none at all where possible, medium-sized text where it's mandatory, and everything else simplistic where it can be (with a taskbar, desktop icons, and cursors to match... and the Windows sounds are all disabled :D). The only windows that have any kind of eye candy are specific programs like Winamp. And even then, it's pretty simple. My computer is actually pretty quick without all that look-good shit. :) The only thing I change is my wallpaper, and that's usually pretty simple, too. I tend to like my Metroid wallpapers and stick with those or similar ones. ;)

I hate it, and so I g oback to the good old Windows 98 scheme. :)

The default windows theme is shit ugly. I usually use this nice blue one from Windowblinds (Which I'm going to uninstall soon) or a nice Windows Classic one, Brick. Or Desert, or something. I think it's called Brick.

Eyecandy is nice, but I find it slows me down a lot. Simple is good. ^_^
I do quite like that black theme.

I'd like to learn how to make my own, I want to make it black with little white silhouettes of ravens. ^_^

The only program I don't have for making a complete theme is a screesaver program. I have no clue how to make those. I've got everything else, though... I've got several different graphics programs to make wallpapers with. I've got a program that makes icons and cursors. And I've got sound software for editing audio to make the sound events. I'd have to make all these one at a time and put them all together to make my theme, and then I'd have to manually set my Windows colors to match, but even so I can still make my own themes. :) Thing is, though... why bother? :D

Well...I guess I look at it a little more intelligently than some....I Don't think someone's taste that differs from mine is neither Fuckin Ugly Or Distasteful or Cruddy or any other foolish exclamation that can be interjected into text type....:rolleyes:

I think it's a matter of personal preference...Kinda like my Massive Muscles and Extreme Body Building Requirements..

Geez...If I thought the way alot of people do, I'd be calling everyone that doesn't have my 20" Arms a whimp ass runt,ugly lil buggers..And that would'nt be right either!! LOL!!

I like to think of it as a personal preference, and each of us has the eye of choice for our own..

Now mind ya, that's just my opinion..

:D :o :eek: :rolleyes: Mag

:eek: oh!

I just use the most basic Litestep theme I could find. Icons are normal, it was neat when they changed and stuff, but since all that shit clogged my computer which is too filled with shit anyhoo. I change my desktop fairly often.

I dtto Mia's post. Being on a 56k is a no-no for downloading anything so I am stuck with the default GUI, but I have my retro-wallpaper.
I personally don't think much about the default colors used, but I don't agree with SSj4 about "average user attitude". I am not a "average user" - I do all my schoolwork at a PC; I use it as a AV-center - but I mostly don't give a fuck how does the GUI look like. It just wastes more resources and it doesn't maket the OS run better. So there's no point for me in tweaking anything. HOWGH.

I often wonder how many that don't need a GUI skin...Change the skins on their WinAmps.. ??

Of course you don't agree with me on the average user thing. You even said so yourself: You AREN'T one.

Neither am I. I do video editing, audio editing, not to mention other things. But I don't care about the way my GUI looks.

I recently changed the default GUI on one of my work systems and my home system. Not because I didn't like the look of the default (I'm pretty indifferent about it), but I just wanted to try something new.

The default GUI isn't the prettiest thing out there, but I don't particularly find it intrusive.

it's ugly, yes.
i use other themes.

does anybody know of good places to find themes without using windowblinds or another program of the sort?

Well...You can use the UX patch from here..

It's a very small patch,causes no grief...Just follow the instructions..Very simple changeover.. ;)

http://www.belchfire.net/article555.html

It will work with any XP themes from www.themexp.org or www.belchfire.net

It's also free, it uses no resources... :)

try the customizing windows xp --> completed visual styles forum at neowin.net

Some ones I find good:
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=149813
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=140192
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=143258
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=144370

I like the default windows theme. Its simple, easy to read and easy to understand. It changes the interface without changing it.