It might be worthwhile if sometime in the future there was a check box or boxes, such as those found when uploading a Windowblinds skin, to indicate OTS, LSDistro (although I think this approach is dying), or non-standard. I follow the OTS particularly on this site because it is heavily populated by potential new users of LS and OTS is the easiest way to become aquainted with Litestep.

David...d'mer has had things to do in 'Real Life'[tm] that are more important than LiteSTEP....but I'm sure he'll be back [or else]....

OTS = Open Theme Standard. It's a structered approach to themeing Litestep and is a kind of distro spec. You can learn about it at
http://www.beyondconvention.net/ohussain/ots/index.htm

Well I'd like to go semi-offtopic and ask you LiteSteppers a couple of questions since I've always been tempted to try it (actually I tried it once a few years ago and ended up screaming and running for the hills.

I normally use Winstep(NextStart and WorkShelf) for two reasons: I can easily switch between themes (i.e. the theme is independent of the configuration) and I like Winstep's abilities to bump the screen edges to display NextStart menus and workshelf since I normally run my apps in max window mode.

From the sound of it, OTS addresses the first issue by reducing the pain of having to reconfigure on every theme-switch.

As for my 2nd issues, does LiteStep's popup menu and wharf (assuming the wharf is freefloating) have the ability to react to bumping the screen edges? Or are there different popup menu and wharf implementations that do this? Thanks for entertaining my questions.

If I understand the question correctly, it customary for themers to set the desktop area to leave about a 4 pixel edge around maximized programs so there is a small area of the desktop exposed that you can right-click on it and get to the popup. You still have to click though, bumping alone won't do it. You can also get to the popup by hitting the Windows key, the popup will show up wherever your mouse is located.

Regarding the wharf, hardly anyone uses them anymore (myself included) so I don't know much about them. Some of the old school themers, like Jafo (I know I'm going to hear abou that), may have more to say about that.

Hope that helps

Thanks for the info folks, and now back to our regularly scheduled OTS thread...

Personal opinion... the third party builds are the direct result of the dev team cloistering themselves. Given the general low morale of the users due to several coders leaving, and the lack of visible activity or interaction by the dev team it was inevitable that a few of the more active/creative individuals would try to "keep things moving".

The other problem I think the dev team will run into is that no matter what .24.7 looks like, no one will be satisfied due to the perceived "back room" approach they are taking. I think they will end up feeling unappreciated for the hard work they are doing on the next build and may get demoralized.

Having said this while I'm looking forward to the new build,I'm lowering my expectations because I think, like you seem to, that this will be a featureless build and simply be a bug/stability fix. Not a bad thing but not the type of thing you'd expect after all the hubub.

Listen to Phar0e re the 'bumping' of edges/hotspots stuff, etc....he covered it all....

As for directions of LS.....I think it suffers a bit from the Linux Malady....too many Egos in an open source environment.
I'm happy to sit back and grab bits of a dev build, as and when they pop up, adding them to my 'mix' of stuff, and 'IF' they are 'better' [my view], I'll adopt them.
Currently, I'm using 'most' of 13 02 2002, but before that it was 02 01 2001...didn't much care for anything in between.
Likewise, with 3rd party modules, I check out all the newer versions of the ones I use...but again I don't automatically adopt them, not without evaluating them.

Now, by uploading full 'shells', and not just the 'theme' part, which relies on the user having the CORRECT Core to interact properly with the rc coding AND the included modules, it's possible to get one of my 'themes' running quite painlessly, if you have a shell loader and are happy to pop back into exploder, do some folder renaming, and pop back into LS.

Getting the 'hang' of older theme 'methods' means you can grab an old famous theme, such as Doodle's Turtlesoup and have it running within 5 minutes of downloading it....[I know, cos I have].
The OTS 'method' 'should' make this sort of thing redundant....[eventually], but there will still be 'odd' situations/configurations which will demand more than OTS will be able to deliver.
The problem with LiteSTEP is it has unlimited potential for diversity, from the whacky to the weird, whith practical included in there as well.

When I'm insane enough, I'll convert my multi-themeing system to be OTS compatible, as well as retain my own functionality....[but I'm not quite demented or masochistic
enough...yet]....

jcg....I started with a b21 release which, when you look back from here was incredibly basic, but, by startic from this simple end and following each new added complication/improvement, the learning curve was a simple time-line. For people new to LS, OTS very definitely will be the solution.
If and when they begin themeing for themselves, I just hope they don't remain too closetted within OTS and take a look at the big wide outdoors too...

I noticed with some skins that they recommended uninstalling, reinstall and then put their skin in. Is this typical of non-OTS skins?

For those following the dev team discusion in this thread, interesting to note that overnight the "official" dev team has added a new member - one of those new young coders who were mentioned above.
Definetly a move in the right direction. YaY!

How hard is to convert them?
Is there a HowTo describing it?

I would like to get the skin iBDE V4 to work.
I'm not sure if I am implementing it right or if it doesn't like XP. Some of the graphics show up but almost none of the modules work.