LCARS like this ?

[S.Z.Craftec]

For all those Trek-addicts...
BTW, skin is completely finished and 100% functional...

Cheers !

Sorry, I moved picture little bit lower in this thread (my 3rd post)

[MikeBCda]

Looks nice, like just about all your others.  

One minor criticism -- if I'm looking at it right, the numbers at the top and the lower-right are "decor" rather than working data, am I correct?  What's the likelihood that a user might find those confusing?

Best, and keep up the great work,
Mike

[Vlk]

It looks pretty cool indeed!

What you could try for extra fun is play a bit with SkinBuilders sound and animation features. I.e. it would be even cooler if this skin could have the numbers changing, and also emitting the beeps (as the real LCARS and the webpage at the URL I sent you).



Thanks!
Vlk

[S.Z.Craftec]

Looks nice, like just about all your others.  

One minor criticism -- if I'm looking at it right, the numbers at the top and the lower-right are "decor" rather than working data, am I correct?  What's the likelihood that a user might find those confusing?

Best, and keep up the great work,
Mike

Thanks Mike ! You are 100% right, those data are just cosmetic thing, but I tried to make skin without those and believe me it was awful... believe me, you wouldn't like the final result either. I tried to make that skin look like LCARS as much as it's possible... It is very possible that somebody can find it confusing, but I believe that this skin falls into those "gamey" skins group, not "serious" ones, so those who decide to use it, I believe all of them are Start Trek lovers, so they won't find it so confusing... that's just I hope...   I can make them little bit more transparent or darker than the rest of data on the screen (important scanner data).

I am open for suggestions... give me an advice what do you guys think, what should I put instead of those "moving not-moving data".

Vlk wrote:

It looks pretty cool indeed!

What you could try for extra fun is play a bit with SkinBuilders sound and animation features. I.e. it would be even cooler if this skin could have the numbers changing, and also emitting the beeps (as the real LCARS and the webpage at the URL I sent you).

Thanks Vlk !
I'll try to play with those SkinBuilder features, but I think it will just enlarge the phisical size (in Kb) of whole skin... we don't want that, right ? We want something as simple as it can be, so avast! can do it's primary function without any obsticles and in the same time still look good... regarding "beeps", I don't know... most users could find it very annoying, beeping all the time while they use avast! I found it myself very annoying looking at that LCARS web site more that 5 minutes... Numbers changing (static data areas) - sounds fine, but I have to check SkinBuilder to see is there a posibillity to make that working smooth.

I tried to play with sounds before, but I remember I had some slight problems with SkinBuiler. I use version 4.3. Now, everything works just perfect. Sounds are included in this skin and they are great !  

P.S. Vlk, can you take a look under mu post at wishlist section ? Please, let me know is it possible to do that and integrate into next program update ? Thanks in advance !

Sasha

[MikeBCda]

It is very possible that somebody can find it confusing, but I believe that this skin falls into those "gamey" skins group, not "serious" ones, so those who decide to use it, I believe all of them are Start Trek lovers, so they won't find it so confusing... that's just I hope...   I can make them little bit more transparent or darker than the rest of data on the screen (important scanner data).
Sasha

Fair enough, Sasha -- and visually "busy" skins like this one are quite similar to the same ideas in Windows themes, essentially aimed at a specific kind of user with specific interests.

The nature of my head injury is such that I have difficulty with distractions, so I'll probably always stick with the good old nice and simple "blue frame", or something similar.  But by all means keep at those great themes of your skins.

Best,
Mike

[S.Z.Craftec]

First of all, I moved preview picture from my very first post in this thread to the bottom of this post. I completely finished that skin and here is final design ready for users. Skin is full of original sound effects from LCARS computers and I integrated some animations (moving data) into this skin.

NOTE: SETTINGS/SOUNDS/DISABLE AVAST SOUNDS option MUST be checked if you wanna be able to hear those sounds, otherwise you'll hear default standard avast! sounds.

Hi Mike !

I don't know Mike, but it looks like you didn't see my new skins, based on flat interface. The names are "CORPORATE" and "FLAT'n'SIMPLE" and skins are available for downloading in avast skins download section. You see, I think of all kind of avast! users and I haven't forgot those visually impaired people or maybe some "serious users", "older users", "business" or whatever kind of users... I have something little for evrybody in my little skin design shop   . I don't want people to know me just as a "stupid-gamey-skin-designer".  

You said you like nice and simple, so I believe there is nothing simplier than standard Win98 style look... then, you must try "Flat'n'Simple" skin... it's 100% for you !

You can take a look at those if you click on link little bit lower in this text... look through the whole thread, there are big picture previews for those new flat-style skins... picture preview of "CORPORATE" is on the 1st page, and "Flat'n'Simple" on the 3rd page of that thread... here is the link:
HEY MIKE, CLICK HERE !!!

Cheers !

[MikeBCda]

Hi, thought I should throw in a brief note since here on the board it looks like I've ignored Craftec's last posting.

He'd also sent me the same info via IM, and I replied there that I thought his "flat" and simple skins looked great and that I'd certainly keep them in mind as replacements for the blue-frame.

Best to all,
Mike

[S.Z.Craftec]

OK, no problem my friend, and... thanks for all those compliments. It means a lot to me...

You use whatever skin you prefer most, but, please Mike, just try this LCARS skin when Vlk upload it in skins section... just to see how it looks like... I know, probably it will distract you a lot, but I just want you to see all those effects and hear those wonderful LCARS computer sounds... skin is something completely different than all the rest. I know and I'm 100% sure that you'll get back to your simple style skins (Blue Panel, Flat'n'Simple, whatever...). I like them most myself... but I just want you to see how avast can look totaly different, like completely another application... something out of this world... I'm not trying to force you use it, no way. I just want you to give it a try, and then use your favourite again...

Cheers to everybody. Oh I love this forum and all these people (Moderators, Alwil guys, users, forum members, my wife, my job - even it sucks a lot  ...) I like whole world, and I feel so happy...  

[MikeBCda]

Sure, I'll give it a try when it's available.  I did download your executive and flat-n-simple skins a short while ago, and I'll probably rotate periodically among those plus the blue frame.

Incidentally, one thing I particularly liked about yours (the two I got, anyway) was your use of text-plus-symbols for the buttons rather than just symbols as in the blue-frame.  After a while you get used to what's where anyway, but it should be particularly useful for new users.  And maybe someday the Alwil team will give serious thought to using that idea -- or even the skins themselves -- in the original installation package.

Best,
Mike

[S.Z.Craftec]

OK Mike, but be sure to download latest versions of skins 'cause they are fresh updated. There is no different version sign like "v2" or something, though, but I alarm you to download those new ones. In old versions you could see those reference data info truncated on the display screen. It's exactly the same situation with default skin Blue Panel made by M.Novak (Alwil team). I thought it is the way that should be, but some users complained about it and I fixed all my skins that same evening... sent them to Vlk very next morning and he uploaded those on server... He has some good reasons why he don't want to change those skin names, and I respect that.

Yes, text and symbols are wonderful, but unfortunately it's not so useful sometimes. Those letters are not text files, but bitmaps (pictures) and they are not translateable... so you can imagine the problems, when someone from Italy have his avast! in Italian language and all those texts-bitmaps in skins are still in english...

Cheers !

[S.Z.Craftec]

LCARS is available in avast! skins download section... hurry up people !  Only 3 users will be able to download it, 'cause there are only 3 instances of that skin on the server       ;D

JOKE !!!  

Cheers !

[MWassef]

cool  
many thanx Sasha

[bbfi]

I got the 3rd one.  Yea.  

[CharleyO]

I'm new here having just started using Avast one week ago. I've downloaded a few of the skins. Just wanted to say ... Thanks Sasha ... for the LCARS skin! Very nice addition. ~ CharleyO    

[S.Z.Craftec]

Thanks CharleyO and Welcome to the best forum ever !!!

I'm glad that you like all those skins. I'm not sure are you able to hear all those original LCARS computer sound effects i put into "LCARS-avast" skin... there is no note in avast skins download section, so until Vlk put some note in there, here is my advice:

From the main avast! screen go into Settings... SETTINGS/SOUNDS/DISABLE AVAST SOUNDS option MUST be checked if you wanna be able to hear those sounds, otherwise you'll hear default standard avast! sounds (no LCARS effects).

Cheers !