I've been into customizing my computer since Windows 3.0. Back then I was hacking my video drivers to change the buttons on the title bar.
It would not be an idle boast to say that when it comes to skinning, I've been there from the start. And with that in mind, I really think we're entering into a new golden age for skinning.
For those of you who haven't been looking through what's been getting created this summer, check out some of the top authors.
Carlitus in particular represents everything that is good about our community. First, his immense talent in creating DesktopX objects and icons that go beyond virtually anything ever seen anywhere is just incredible. Secondly, he's helpful. He doesn't just share his hard work with the world, asking for nothing in return, he also helps other users. He's an active participant in message boards and raises awareness on issues that affect other skinners and users. Thirdly, he demonstrates the international appeal of skinning. He's in Spain.
To many young people, the International nature of the Intenret is something we take for granted. But 20 years ago, the idea that people from countries like Spain, UK, Germany, Italy, Russia, Poland, Brazil, etc. would all be working together to create things to share with the world would have been unthinkable.
Pixtudio, for instance, is a collaboration of a skin author from Brazil and another one in Canada along with help from other skinners from around the world.
The program SkinStudio, while designed largely in the United States, is developed almost entirely in Poland. 20 years ago, Poland was part of the "East bloc" of communist countries. Now people from there and many other places that were once off limits are part of a global community that cooperates so seamlessly that when we talk about things on these very websites we take it for granted that the people we're talking to are from all over the place.
But it's the quality combined with quantity combined with variety of things that really convinces me that we're in a new golden age. Top skinners like Mormegil, DavidK, Alexandrie, Treetog, Mercury, Aleksyndr, who have been around for a long while are still creating immensely excellent things. And newer people like the aforementioned Carlitus, JamesT, starone, Adni, APB, Kalatuu, MikeB, C242, and many others. And these are just from glancing at the top authors lists for today (which tends to change from day tod ay).
The current poll seems to indicate that most people into customization are running Windows XP or Windows 2000 which are much more suited to customization than previous versions of Windows. Which is why I think that the golden age is taking place now - Windows XP installations are reaching critical mass right at a time when the software for customization is finally getting to be more useful.
Some users on our support forums have been noting that after years of being "screenshotware" that the newer versions of DesktopX and ObjectBar are finally moving into something that they feel comfortable using all the time without downsides. WindowBlinds reached that point awhile ago and the explosion in new skins and new users shows that (you should see what we have coming in upcoming WB3.x and WB4, we'll look back at today's version of WB as "crap" in comparison
).
The skin sites have continued to increase in popularity. WinCustomize is ranked in the top 5,000 websites world wide and our friends at deviantART are roughly equally as popular. The other skin sites are also gaining in popularity for the most part demonstrating that overall, skinning is becoming an increasily popular phenomenon.
So my friends, it seems to me that we're entering into a new golden age for skinning. What do you think?
