Icon-A-Day, Icon # 32, Folder options.
Folder Options Folder, is hard to say.
Saturday, February 5, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 32 (Folder Options) I wanted to do something simple today so I could have time for the making this weeks issue of CorelDRAW for skinners, so I thought it would be nice to do the Folder Options folder. This is a new icon in the supported folders of IconPackager, and one that you will see if you look for it in the Control Panel. The icon ended up taking a bit more time than I expected, because I wanted to do something kind of neat. (And because I was watching bad movies while I did it). So off we go. |
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| Step 1:
Once more we will start with the Admin Folder, removing the people overlays. .jpg) |
Step 2: My idea for this icon is to do a check box overlaying a "System Folder" But I want the check to be cool so I am going to place it on a piece of glass. So we start by drawing a check, and placing it on top of a few rectangles. .jpg) |
Step 3: Now I group those together and slant it back with the Perspective tool. .jpg) |
| Step 4: Now fill the back shape, with white, and using the Interactive Transparency tool I give it a gradient transparency. I copy the back shape twice, then offset the two copies and trim them down. This gives us the illusion of depth to our glass. .jpg) |
Step 5: Now I fill the check with a Contour and Gradient, Much like in the last two icons, but without the glare. Then I pull a simple drop shadow of the check. I trim the shadow down a bit with the node edit tool, to make it look like it is only dropping on the glass. .jpg) |
Step 5: Using the Reflection techniques on our check box we make a nice reflection. .jpg) |
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Step 5: Using the Shadow Techniques I make a pretty elaborate shadow to place behind our checkbox. It is subtle in the finial image but it is the polish we want. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image.jpg) |
SS.jpg){kind=icon} |
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One more folder down. I'm off to do CorelDRAW for
skinners #4. Check back in tomorrow for more. |
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WinCustomize User Page Focus: SS Goku
The WinCustomize User Focus Articles
Saturday, February 5, 2005 by joeKnowledge | Discussion: Community
If there was a king of screenshots, SS Guko took his place in the category!
Son GOKU’S-HOUSE has well over a billion (MAYBE LESS) screenshots of desktop configurations that included some of the hottest skins on the net. If you wanted to figure out what style you wanted to set up your desktop to day, you can take a hint from SS Guko home page full of screenshots.Are screenshots helpful? Yes they can be! Maybe you haven’t noticed a skin from another website but then see it in a screenshot and you inquire the screenshot author where such and item can be found. Looking at SS Goku’s screenshot will give you plenty to ask and wonder about. (By the way learn how to make screenshots HERE and don't forget to say what is in it!)
As a member since 2002, he has been around long enough to have skins such as DuoPixels’ Doublet (Screenshot HERE) and Alien Technology
SS Goku will respond to requests as to what something is if its not mentioned in the comments. There are times where there is something there that isn’t available. At that point someone asks and BEHOLD SS Goku made a matching skin.
Now that’s the spirit of getting into skinning (or does it make people lazy by asking SS Goku to make matching skins... hmmm... sounds like me should do and interview and ask SS Goku himself.
Take a look at some of the recent uploads:
- ZippoQuest2 by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- Zero Degrees by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- Carolina Blue by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- 1-UP by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- Zion by SS GOKU for Rainlendar
- TRS-2 by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- Alais Redux by SS GOKU for Rainlendar
- Digital Goku by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
- Jamaican-Green by SS GOKU for ScreenShots
SS Goku has made some cool matching skins in calendars, (Rainlender and DesktopX) and weather widgets. He has a Devaint Art account that your welcome to visit here:
SS Goku on Deviant Art
He seems to have a few watchers there…
Speaking of recommendations, it would seem SS Guko has a few here at WinCustomize as well.
Recommendations
As well as some watchers:
SS Goku also has contributed to WinCustomize in other was such as commenting on works, giving ratings and is also a subscriber.
So long live SS Goku, King of Screenshots
Until the next WinCustomize User Page Focus, I'm joeknowledge/joetheblow
Icon-A-Day, Icons #28, 29 & 30, The Shared Folders
Three for the price of One.
Thursday, February 3, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 27, 28 & 29 (Shared Folders) Today we will use several elements that we did over the last few tutorials. Lets put together the "Shared Folders", My Video, My Music & My Pictures. | ||
| Step 1a: For these icons we will re-use the little guys we made yesterday, as well as our My Video, My Music, and My Pictures Folders. .jpg) |
Step 2a: The Shared Video Folder is going to be easiest, I simply move the reel to the inside of the folder and give it a standard drop shadow. .jpg) |
Step 3a: I move the folder front back in place, and put a copy of the Admin overlay on top. Finished Icon Image .jpg) |
| Step 1b: For the Shared Music folder I just delete the Red note, form the My Music Folder, and place the Blue notes inside the folder. I also make the Green note bigger. .jpg) |
Step 2b: I copy our Admin Overlay over the folder and tweak the reflection with the Node Edit tool to make sure it looks right. I also Tweak the size and skew of the Green note, to make sure it looks good. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image .jpg) |
| Step 1c: For the Shared Pictures folder I rotate the paint brush and lay it down in front of the folder. I also delete the originals reflection and paint stroke. .jpg) |
Step 2c: I use the mesh fill tool to make a new brush tip. .jpg) |
Step 3c: Now I adjust the glare bitmap a bit with the Node Edit tool to polish it off. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image.jpg) |
SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. | |
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There you go, 3 for the price of 1. Tomorrow we will move further into the folder icons. | ||
Icon-A-Day, Icon # 27, Admin Folder
More folders, and more usefull elements.
Wednesday, February 2, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 27 (Admin Folder) Moving on through the folders, we come to the Administration Folder. This is another folder that most people don't ever see, but its supported and we want to do a full pack, so we will do it anyway. Also we can re-use several of the elements we are going to make in the process. |
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| Step 1:
First thing first, we copy our Open Folder icon. .jpg) |
Step 2: Now I take the word file from our word folder and take the DOC extension off the top of the file. And place it in the folder. .jpg) |
Step 3: I use the Polygon tool to make a gear that we can place in the folder. .jpg) |
| Step 4: Using the same techniques as yesterday I give the gear a "Poor Mans Bevel" (See Contour Video for more) .jpg) |
Step 5: I fill in the Gear with some gradient fills. Then I draw Two Little "People" that I can use for an overlay. .jpg) |
Step 5: Now same as the gear, and the "T" yesterday I use the techniques from the Contour Video I give the two figures a bevel. .jpg) |
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Step 6: Using our Gloss, Shadow and Reflection techniques I give my little figures a shadow and add some reflections. One more thing, I decided I don't like the file in there so I duplicate the gear, and delete it. .jpg) |
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SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. |
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Tomorrow we will have a 3 for 1 special when we take our
little people we made tonight and make the 3 Shared Documents Folders. |
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Icon-A-Day, Icon # 26, The Fonts Folder
Moving into the less well known folder Icons.
Tuesday, February 1, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 26 (Fonts Folder) Icon Packager supports the changing of a lot of the system folders, some of which the average user probably does not ever see, however if I don't do all the supported icons in a pack I feel like I'm cheating. (And you know I will get an email from someone asking why I didn't complete the pack). So over the next few days we will polish off some of the more obscure folders. Today's is one that is seen more often than others: the Fonts Folder. |
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| Step 1:
First thing first, we copy our Open Folder icon. |
Step 2: I want to have a big T leaning on our folder so I type in a "T", find a font I like, and use the Perspective tool to slant it back a bit. .jpg) |
Step 3: Now I do two Contours to do a "poor mans bevel" See the Contour Video for more on this technique. .jpg) |
| Step 4: I use a few Gradient Fills to fill in our Big "T". .jpg) |
Step 5: Because the T is pretty big, and just to be polished, I go in with the Node Edit tool and move a few nodes around in the back contour to make it look a bit more like an extrusion. .jpg) |
Step 6: Using our Gloss, Shadow and Reflection techniques I "pretty up" the "T" so it matches our other folders. .jpg) |
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Step 7: Now I want a Font File in our folder, so I copy the Text File, and using the Text Tool, make a "Font" File. (I may use this later to make the *.ttf file type icon). I use the Perspective tool to place the file inside the folder. .jpg) |
Step 8: I decide that I don't like the way the Red and Teal look together so I go back in and change the colors on the file to red to match our big T. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image
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SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. |
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Now as a former sign designer fonts are important to me
and I see this folder a lot, but some of you may never look at
it again. Those of you who do will have something that fits in the
theme and does not hurt your eyes. See you tomorrow. |
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How Much Competition Can The Market Bear?
Netscape vs Mozilla vs Firefox vs Opera vs Internet Explorer
Tuesday, February 1, 2005 by Zoomba | Discussion: Industry
NCSA Mosaic -> Netscape 1-7 -> Mozilla -> Firefox -> Netscape 8
So now, by that train of logic, Netscape is loosely based on itself rather than being a direct evolution from previous versions.
Netscape, Mozilla and Firefox are all competing against Microsoft for market share in the web browser arena. IE rules supreme here through a combination of shady business moves by MS, and sheer incompetence by Netscape. The browser wars were declared over and dead years ago, no one can really argue who won. However, now we have a revival of that old competition, though it’s not quite as close as it used to be. Firefox right now represents the best threat to IE, taking up roughly 20% of the pie (MS still holds about 70%, and various versions of Netscape, Mozilla and Opera make up the remaining 10ish%). So you’d think Microsoft might be feeling a bit uncomfortable, that maybe they’d be rethinking their IE strategy, right? Well, probably not.
Most computer users don’t really care what the name of the program is that lets them check CNN.Com, or access their bank information online. To many, the web browser is just another feature of the Operating System itself, not a separate application that they could find a replacement for (issues of IE being built into Windows notwithstanding). To the average user, a computer is a black box that just has to work and they’ll take whatever is thrown at them by default.
Let’s say that the above population is steady at about 60% of all computer users (it’s likely higher, but we’ll go with that number). So that’s over half of all surfers who will always use Internet Explorer. That leaves 40% to be given to a competitor. Now, even 40%, while not quite half, is a respectable chunk and can provide some real power to whoever makes the browser that sucks up that share. Even at 40%, a competitor could give Microsoft a bit to worry about and would likely spur them on to better their own product. Even though the tables are slanted, you still have the recipe for good, healthy competition.
As things are going though, even if IE drops to 60%, or hell even 50%, we’ll never see any real competition. The reason is the other side of the line is too busy trying to edge out each other. Netscape is going after the AOL crowd… Mozilla is trying to act as a technology platform, and Firefox is just doing its own thing and is somehow gathering popularity. They’re taking the market and fragmenting it severely. Netscape has the brand recognition that the other two could only dream of, yet it’s the browser whose horrible design decisions were what finally tipped the scale towards Microsoft. Mozilla is trying to be the end-all-be-all tool and tech platform… it’s a beast of a browser. Firefox is just trying to take what Mozilla is doing, strip out all the crap, and build something that just flat-out works without being bogged down by bloat. Problem is that while they all technically work together, they’re trying to undermine and outdo one another.
There’s a lot to say for limited product choice in some cases. Yes, greater choice in a lot of cases means greater competition. In computing though that doesn’t hold true, because the consumer doesn’t know enough to be able to pick the “better” product. Mac OSX is a better product in terms of technology, security, ease of use and all that. For the average user, it even has all the software you need. But it’s not even making a dent in the market share of Windows. Certain distros of Linux are making huge strides in terms of usability, but aside from in the tech geek arena (where quality does matter), it’s not really touching Windows on the desktop. The better product doesn’t always win in this arena. You win through being quickly recognizable. You achieve that by being one of the two or three dominant providers in a given area.
With such an entrenched user base for IE, having four or five competitors isn’t going to do much to dislodge MS’s stranglehold on the market. The Mozilla camp (since they’re all the same core technology) needs to realize that there is a lot more to gain by banding together under one browser and using their resources to push that, instead of putting out a whole bunch of different products that are only incrementally different and ultimately lose out to MS just because they have the single largest chunk and no one else can come close.
Sadly, until the tech community as a whole realizes that it’s not us geeks who choose the successful technologies but Mom and Pop Smith who can’t even program their VCRs, we won’t see anyone come close to challenging Microsoft in any market.
Icon-A-Day, Icon # 25, My Pictures Folder
The Last of the "My" Folders. 11:54pm. Made it in :)
Monday, January 31, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 25 (My Pictures Folder) It's a bit late tonight, but I promised the My Pictures Folder today, and I don't want to make a liar of myself. So lets get moving before time runs out. |
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| Step 1:
First thing first, we copy our Open Folder icon. |
Step 2: Now I want to have some photos in the folder, and a brush in front, leaning on the folder. This should match the My Music and My Video folder and help us keep a consistent style. I mock these up with some rectangles and the mesh tool. .jpg) |
Step 3: Once I am happy with the overall layout of my elements, I go in with the mesh tool and start doing some details. See the Mesh Fill Video for more on how I do this. .jpg) |
| Step 4: Once I have my brush looking ok, I give the brush handle some gloss; (See Gloss video for more on this) .jpg) |
Step 5: I want the brush to be trailing some paint, so I use the mesh tool to give myself a blob of paint trailing off the brush head. .jpg) |
Step 6: Now, most people will use this folder for Photos so lets make some. I take some pictures that I stole from the Galactic Civilizations Artwork folder. Using the Node edit tool I crop them so they fit on our Photo shapes I have already done. .jpg) |
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Step 7: Using basic drawing techniques I make a border for the Photos, as well as corners to make them look a bit more stylized. .jpg) |
Step 8: Now using the Drop Shadow Techniques we have gone over I make some drop shadows for the brush, to make it look a bit more realistic. .jpg) |
Step 9: Now using the Reflection Techniques we have used before, I make a subtle reflection on the folder, and one on the floor in front of the folder.
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Finished Icon Image
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SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. |
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Tomorrow we will try a more obscure, but important
none-the-less, folder, so check back in then. |
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PHP vs. ASP.NET Part 2
All alone in a sea of information...
Monday, January 31, 2005 by Zoomba | Discussion: Websites
After the little piece of advice from mick_k, I was able to get a large chunk of my current task done. Now however I'm facing a new problem in my transition from PHP to ASP.NET but this time it has nothing to do with the languages or technology. In fact this is purely an information problem. Namely, where do I go for help?
With PHP, the official site is an amazing resource for how to get functions and commands to work right. Each and every bit of the language has an online manual entry that gives the syntax, the programmer manual definition plus a few REAL examples of how it could be implemented. Then on every entry there is space for user comments where people share their own solutions and implementations. The official reference is a bounty of information that is much more practical than academic. Then there's the flood of online PHP help and resource sites out there. PHPBuilder.com is one of my all-time favorites for its forums and great code library.
The same does not hold true for the ASP.NET, C# or VB.NET MSDN sites. It's all a programmer reference that shows the syntax in cryptic programmer-ese that scares away the casual coder or complete newcomer. Even the official forums and "community" site GotDotNet.com are of limited use. the ASP.NET forums are moderated, you can't even post a question or respond to a question without someone reviewing it and approving it. Makes it take forever for simple questions to be addressed. Their community site supposedly has tons of sample code, but the interface is so cumbersome and the descriptions so vague, that you really have to work hard to find anything related to what you need.
In terms of books for the two. I have the PHP Bible for PHP4 and ASP.NET Unleashed 2nd Edition for ASP.NET. Both have been highly recommended by their respective communities as the best books for anyone learning the language and looking for a good reference book. I can honestly say that ASP.NET Unleashed 2nd Edition does not do the job as well as the PHP Bible does. For one, it assumes you know the chosen underlying programming language (this is a failing of ASP.NET IMO) and doesn't really explain how to work between normal pages and ASP.NET. ASP.NET is great and all, but there are many times you'll likely have to move around with static pages too. The language and writing style of PHP Bible is also infinitely more readable.
Why is it that PHP, a free language and server implementation that has but a small company (Zend) backing it has so many better resources of information that ASP.NET, a language that is supported by Microsoft and ties in to their biggest development initiative in recent memory (.NET) is harder to find good information on? Is it the added layer of complexity when working with ASP.NET that prevents this? In order to do what I'm doing right now I also needed a book on C# to program the logic behind the scenes. C# sites are even harder to come by.
Online resources are incredibly important for developers both new and old. They should be easy to find, and comprehensive in the information they present. To those of you who have worked on either side (PHP or ASP.NET) What are your favorite resource sites and books? What was the greatest help to you when you were first learning?
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Icon-A-Day, Icon # 24, My Video Folder
Let us move away from globes and start a string of Folders.
Sunday, January 30, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 24 (My Video Folder) Now that I have had just about enough of Network icons I want to move on to something different. Today we will take a stab at the My Video folder. | ||
| Step 1: First thing first, we copy our Open Folder icon. |
Step 2: Now using a bunch of Rectangles I make myself a section of film. .jpg) |
Step 3: I combine the small rectangles and together with the big background to make our sprocket holes. Then I take my big rectangles, and Trim the background. This gives us our black film area, then I move my big rectangles up to make the "picture" section of the film. .jpg) |
| Step 4: Now I have my piece of film. I make it a group. Then I use the Envelope tool to distort the film, so it looks more realistic. .jpg) |
Step 5: I ungroup the piece of film and give the black portion of the film a gradient of black, dark red, and dark blue. I fill the center of the film with a cloud fractal. I also make the center portions slightly transparent. .jpg) |
Step 6: Using the Contour tool I inline the Black portion of the film and give it some glare. I do the same with the center of the film. For more on making Glare check out the Gloss 101 Video. .jpg) |
| Step 7: Now I want a film reel to be leaning on the folder, so I use the circle tool to make a 2d reel and Combine it into one shape. .jpg) |
Step 8: I take the Perspective tool, and distort the reel till it looks right. Then once again I copy the new reel and shrink it and offset it a bit to make the back of our reel. .jpg) |
Step 9: Using the Circle tool and a the Spiral tool I make some film to go inside our real. I use the perspective tool to distort it a bit to fit inside properly.
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| Step 10: I use the Contour tool to create a few inside lines that I can duplicate a few times to make a bit of groove on our reel. I also fill all our shapes in the real with some gradient fills.
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Step 11: Using the Techniques from Reflection 101 and Drop Shadows 101 I make some shadow and reflection for the reel and the folder. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image.jpg) |
SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. | ||
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Moving on now I think we shall do the My Picture folder tomorrow. So check back in then. | ||
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Icon-A-Day, Icon # 23, Email
Ok, so I forgot one globe.
Saturday, January 29, 2005 by mormegil | Discussion: Icons
| Icon 23 (Email) After all my talk about being done with the globes I realized that I forgot one, and one of the most important icons at that: The Email icon. For some time now I have been using the convention of an envelope and a globe for email. I am quite sick of it, but it is the most easily understood symbol and probably the most popular so we will go with it again here. |
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| Step 1:
First we copy our Internet icon and remove the cord and plug. .jpg) |
Step 2: I decided to keep the bottom cord of the Internet icon so I move it back, I also offset the globe to the left of my Guide box. Now with a Rectangle and the Mesh tool I block in our envelope. .jpg) |
Step 3: I place a few more mesh rectangles over my envelope to make doing the details easier. .jpg) |
| Step 4: I go though the new shapes with the mesh tool and mold them into the envelopes folds and flap. .jpg) |
Step 5: Once I am happy with the envelope I use the same Reflection technique we have been using and give the envelope a reflection. .jpg) |
Step 6: I quickly pull a drop shadow off the cord and give the envelope some texture with the Interactive Transparency tool. .jpg) |
Finished Icon Image.jpg) |
SS.jpg){kind=icon} Click here to download the finished icon. |
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Ok, now I am done with the globes. Really this time I
mean it... I think... Later this weekend: CorelDRAW For Skinners, Part
3. |
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