I suggest making Alloy the default and name the IDEA L&F something else.
It takes you after install only a click to change (or if you reimport your settings - no click), so why should this be default? Everyone knows that L&F, and it's like a mark of the product.
Hey, please keep in mind that the main developer of Alloy (happens to be me) may be reading this thread.
But honestly, why do you think it looks cheap? Would it be better with different colors, or do you think the rounded corners and button gradients make it look cheap?
I would like to see a different JTree expand/collapse icon (like someone already suggested), and I'd like a different color scheme. A grey and a blue one would be nice. Or just go all fab5 and apply brushed metal all over! If you do that, I'll buy you a beer or two. :)
I kind of like the lighter color scheme. I wish the area to the right of the scroll bar that shows the changes indicator in the file had some more contrast. It's hard to see where your changes are. Maybe give the change indicators more shadowing or something.
Norris Shelton Sun Certified Java Programmer
Jan Boesenberg wrote:
>Hey, please keep in mind that the main developer of Alloy (happens to be me) may be reading this thread. > >But honestly, why do you think it looks cheap? Would it be better with different colors, or do you think the rounded corners and button gradients make it look cheap?
Generally Alloy looks very polished. But the bold menus and menu items for my eyes have a too high contrast to the light background color. Maybe it would look better, when not using bold style and/or a dark gray instead of black?
BTW, how do you create the nice looking icons? Do you have a very good graphic designer or do you render them using code, e.g. using Java2D (what we do for the SmartCVS icon set)?
Yes, I think the gradients look bad. Personally I think all Java applications should use the native L&F, and we should focus all of our energy into making them look as native as possible.
-Keith
Hey, please keep in mind that the main developer of Alloy (happens to be me) may be reading this thread.
But honestly, why do you think it looks cheap? Would it be better with different colors, or do you think the rounded corners and button gradients make it look cheap?
1. The app should look like all other apps on the system, so users feel right at home when they see the app.
2. The app should look the same on different platforms, so switching from one platform to another is easy.
The first is the right way for people who use one system most of the time.
For the second imagine you have sales app in a department store running on 100 computers, of which 50 run on WinXP, 20 on WinNT, and 30 on Linux. Now the users (employees in this case) always work on different machines, one day in the shoes department (WinXP), the other in the food department (Linux). In this case having a consistent look on all platforms is the better solution, because the consistent look prevents confusion.
1. The app should look like all other apps on the system, so users feel right at home when they see the app.
2. The app should look the same on different platforms, so switching from one platform to another is easy.
The first is the right way for people who use one system most of the time.
For the second imagine you have sales app in a department store running on 100 computers, of which 50 run on WinXP, 20 on WinNT, and 30 on Linux. Now the users (employees in this case) always work on different machines, one day in the shoes department (WinXP), the other in the food department (Linux). In this case having a consistent look on all platforms is the better solution, because the consistent look prevents confusion.
Yeah, I think 99.9% (999 out of 1000) people who use computers don't switch operating systems, ever, and those who do, are used to applications (Office vs. Office.X, IE vs. Safari) looking different.
-Keith
Thanks for the feedback.
FYI, there are these two philosophies:
1. The app should look like all other apps on the system, so users feel right at home when they see the app.
2. The app should look the same on different platforms, so switching from one platform to another is easy.
The first is the right way for people who use one system most of the time.
For the second imagine you have sales app in a department store running on 100 computers, of which 50 run on WinXP, 20 on WinNT, and 30 on Linux. Now the users (employees in this case) always work on different machines, one day in the shoes department (WinXP), the other in the food department (Linux). In this case having a consistent look on all platforms is the better solution, because the consistent look prevents confusion.
I suggest making Alloy the default and name the IDEA L&F something else.
Votes (either way)?
Amnon
It takes you after install only a click to change (or if you reimport your
settings - no click), so why should this be default?
Everyone knows that L&F, and it's like a mark of the product.
-100
Ahmed.
I'm used to the Idea L&F, and I like it.
I think Alloy looks cheap, I think IDEA's L&F looks smooth.
-Keith
I don't really care if it's the default or not - in any case it is my default.
But if you have any votes left:
http://www.intellij.net/tracker/idea/viewSCR?publicId=39205
http://www.intellij.net/tracker/idea/viewSCR?publicId=39206
Hey, please keep in mind that the main developer of Alloy (happens to be me) may be reading this thread.
But honestly, why do you think it looks cheap? Would it be better with different colors, or do you think the rounded corners and button gradients make it look cheap?
Jan, I tried to reach you through info]]>incors.com about a month ago but didn't get any response. Could you please contact me?
Sorry for being off topic.
...and thanks for the immediate response. Your answer solved my problem.
I would like to see a different JTree expand/collapse icon (like someone already suggested), and I'd like a different color scheme. A grey and a blue one would be nice. Or just go all fab5 and apply brushed metal all over! If you do that, I'll buy you a beer or two. :)
Here's the place for your votes: http://www.intellij.net/tracker/idea/viewSCR?publicId=39206
I kind of like the lighter color scheme. I wish the area to the right
of the scroll bar that shows the changes indicator in the file had some
more contrast. It's hard to see where your changes are. Maybe give the
change indicators more shadowing or something.
Norris Shelton
Sun Certified Java Programmer
Jan Boesenberg wrote:
>Hey, please keep in mind that the main developer of Alloy (happens to be me) may be reading this thread.
>
>But honestly, why do you think it looks cheap? Would it be better with different colors, or do you think the rounded corners and button gradients make it look cheap?
>
Hi Jan,
Generally Alloy looks very polished. But the bold menus and menu items
for my eyes have a too high contrast to the light background color.
Maybe it would look better, when not using bold style and/or a dark gray
instead of black?
BTW, how do you create the nice looking icons? Do you have a very good
graphic designer or do you render them using code, e.g. using Java2D
(what we do for the SmartCVS icon set)?
--
Cheers,
Tom
Yes, I think the gradients look bad. Personally I think all Java applications should use the native L&F, and we should focus all of our energy into making them look as native as possible.
-Keith
Thanks for the feedback.
FYI, there are these two philosophies:
1. The app should look like all other apps on the system, so users feel right at home when they see the app.
2. The app should look the same on different platforms, so switching from one platform to another is easy.
The first is the right way for people who use one system most of the time.
For the second imagine you have sales app in a department store running on 100 computers, of which 50 run on WinXP, 20 on WinNT, and 30 on Linux. Now the users (employees in this case) always work on different machines, one day in the shoes department (WinXP), the other in the food department (Linux). In this case having a consistent look on all platforms is the better solution, because the consistent look prevents confusion.
IDEA is not a sales app, and the people who use it don't have issues with a
change of l&f... However they seem to enjoy eye candy... :)
R
On 11/19/04 1:13 PM, in article
22985669.1100888023775.JavaMail.itn@is.intellij.net, "Jan Boesenberg"
<no_mail@jetbrains.com> wrote:
Yeah, I think 99.9% (999 out of 1000) people who use computers don't switch operating systems, ever, and those who do, are used to applications (Office vs. Office.X, IE vs. Safari) looking different.
-Keith
Is the Alloy.IDEA LnF redistributable (both from a packaging and a licensing perspective)?
I really like the Alloy L&F IDEA Theme, only there is a bug concerning multiple selection in the CVS File View.
http://www.jetbrains.net/jira/browse/IDEA-4892
Maybe Jetbrains could fix this in the final 5.1 release...