I get a kick out of this....

June 28, 1999. Someone called DAK uploaded this skin... look at the screenshot... it''s back there all this time ''keeping the time'' (I know, not really... it''s a .gif. The only one I saw like that so far). Kind of made me feel a little like an archaeologist to find a ''living wall way back there....

http://skins.wincustomize.com/DAK/wb/wbmaniaiii.gif

What a mind that must be... Sometimes I wonder where all the skinners are from way back then and I am really glad you guys made that reunion thread.

Skins used to be a lot different, for instance, Ampula http://skins.wincustomize.com/AllenBond/wb/ampula.gif , and I wondered why they changed.
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2,975 views 12 replies
Reply #1 Top
A lot of people now just want something a "little" different but can't seem to handle a major change. I used to love going way out there with the skins I made. But also, I needed something a little more functional for everyday use.

Since more people are into slight changes rather than radical design the majority of skins have evolved into simple un-obtrusive designs. Although, I must admit, it's getting kind of boring.

I miss those days.

Reply #2 Top
That reminds me of several animated skins, some of which you can see in action since their thumbnail images are GIF files. All of them were revoluationary at the time, and not just because they were animated. They were very creative.

Mercury's WhatIsTheMatrix https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=1063
And here's the updated version for XP https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=2613

Morphh's Toxic. Not only is it animated, it was one the first skins to heavily use plugins. https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=808

Ed Dean's Liquid. I think this was the first animated skin I ever saw: https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=633



Reply #3 Top
Chris got some of the Long Lost Inkman Skins back.

https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=13&SkinID=1827

We are trying to bring them back. Stay tuned
Reply #4 Top
I can hardly wait for the Nautilus update!
Reply #5 Top
Remember the RG-360 WinAmp skin? Well, this is the site of another forgotten skinner:

http://fireice.org/skinz-old.htm
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Reply #6 Top
Here''s some more sites of old skinners:

M Factory''s skins: http://www.venus.dti.ne.jp/~mueji/skins/skins.htm
MVH Designs (I really loved the seasonal skins) http://www.mvhdesigns.com
Fear of Four: http://www.moppy.co.uk/skins.htm
Shawn Murdock: http://www.smurdock.com
Aleksyander: http://www.aleksyandr.com/wb.htm
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Reply #7 Top
so many memories... I would love to see just half of those skins updates for WB4

and toxic was my favorite I had that skin on my computer for about a year well I still have it, but I never use it now... but ahhh the good old days ...

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Reply #8 Top
Chrome Tube by DavidK a WB I've been using on and off since 2000...
https://www.wincustomize.com/skins.asp?library=1&SkinID=883 looks great and the clock and winamp controls are a big plus. Goes great with a few Litestep themes.

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Reply #9 Top
Toxic was special to me too. Morphh made that skin and also gave me the idea of the WBAmp plugin. He wanted it to be part of that skin. I think I made WBAmp in less than 3 weeks or so. I still have all his old beta's of that skin in which he tested my plugin. That skin was delayed a bit because he also wanted to be the first including another plugin (I think WBMenu 2). It was fun to work with him. We often talked about it in the newsgroups and also mailed eachother's betas back and forth.

Morphh really pushed the limits. One of those where the number of buttons in the frames. The maximum was 29 or 39 (don't remember the exact number) and he had reached the limit of that number. So, he had to find ways to bring that number down. Sometime later WB allowed a larger number of buttons.

Morphh also loved animations in his skins.
Reply #10 Top
For everyone reminiscing about days/skinners of bygone days, I just want to point out that this thread has sort of become the sister thread of FrogBoy''''s MIA Skinners thread
https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?BID=WC&id=142802#143412

And to a lesser extent Hippy''''s Old School reunion thread
https://www.wincustomize.com/msgboard.asp?id=139706&BID=WC&page=1#139964

Just didn''''t want those threads to fall by the wayside since there''''s some great old time posts in those threads a well

Sort of an Old Fart Thread Trilogy [Message Edited]
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Reply #11 Top
I remember that Liquid theme, and the Matrix one too! And Toxic too! I only had a WB trial back then, and when I finally could buy it the style had already changed. I hope all those can be updated.

What great links... Thanks!


I really, really like every WB upgrade. ...but they make me a little sad too, since some old beauties get left further and further behind.
Reply #12 Top
Lights was another animated one I liked... http://skins.wincustomize.com/SunsetProductions/wb/lights.jpg