How many of you want a new default skin for Opera ?

How many of you want a new default skin for Opera ?

There has been many discussions about changing the look of opera and making it more attractive. The debate is still on and there are many aspects of it like skin,log,toolbar, default buttons change etc as discussed over time.

Here is time to accumulate all those voices into a poll and request for change. How many of you want a new default skin for opera? Please give your vote and hopefully opera will listen.

just to make my postion clear, I voted yes, I want a new default skin.

The current skin hides several of Opera's more useful (and basic) features... need to have someone go over it with an eye for usability.

Something a little less ugly would be nice, too.

It is just tasteless. First thing I do when I install Opera is to install my favorite skin. Please make something better looking. I looooove Opera and luckily there are enough skins out there.....

Hi,

Yes I would like to see Opera have a new default skin
as I do not like it at all.


cheers
blinky

I like the current skin.

I'd like a new skin too!

This one seems to come from the beginnign of the 90's and the beginning of the web (exactly like the current Opera Logo "Opera Software").

While not a fan of the current default skin i do think that any default skin should have a fairly bland, vanilla look. Not everyone wants bells and whistles on their skin and most disagree on exactly what bells and whistles should be on there. On the other hand, making the skin too minimalistic could also keep away new users. Best to kep things simple and vanilla and let users who want fanciers or simpler skins download them. Personally i think one of the Tango skins would make an excellent choice for default skin, especially since it is a look that occurs in more and more programs. People like tend to like familiar things.
The skin is an issue quite apart from the visibility of features.

God yes. Opera's skin is just not up to scratch anymore it looks like something out of 1998. I have seen it turn many users away because it's "ugly" and they really don't even care when I show them skins. Opera needs a new look, it will really help, first impressions do count.

Opera also needs a new logo if not even more than a new skin, this logo is just so ancient looking and is blurry/low quality and doesn't look good on anything, it also really hurts first impressions when users see it.

Maybe opera should hold some kind of logo/skin contest?

I would really like to see the Opera Ninja used somewhere in the Opera Browser.

This guy is awesome:

My complaints are the default toolbars in Kestrel is too fat/thick (especially the Address bar); & the visibility between the active tab & the hidden/background tabs need some work. Please make em' looks more obvious & clear, because the current state of the tabs bar is hard to tell the differences between active tab from the rest of the tabs when someone look at the monitor from a few feets away - I always need to look around carefully in order to find the active tab!

Also, bring back the star! Or make it optional, & combined it with the GO button just like the stop/reload button if possible.

I think the Opera Ninja would be a great new logo for Opera!

Maybe Opera should use the native Skin for default. I don't really like it when programs don't fit into the rest of my desktop.

Originally posted by dude09:

My complaints are the default toolbars in Kestrel is too fat/thick (especially the Address bar)

Agreed here. Startbar is even uglier now. It was greyish and not black which I find yoo intrusive.

+1 for a new skin!
I always change the default skin!

I use Classic Windows (also in XP). This is a nautral "skin" that fits most color templates.

Actually, that colors fit together is very important to me. Most color skins from different browsers don't fit with most web pages. I guess that most people don't care about this

just an interesting info I learned is that Firefox 3 is coming with a new theme.

I expect Opera to adhere to the corporate look of the system on which it is installed, this is the least one can expect from a productivity tool.

So, this probably means that I neither want an old default skin, nor a new default skin but simply no default skin.

Icfu

Originally posted by Icfu:

So, this probably means that I neither want an old default skin, nor a new default skin but simply no default skin.

that means you want windows native (or system native as deafult).

Originally posted by Icfu:

I expect Opera to adhere to the corporate look of the system on which it is installed, this is the least one can expect from a productivity tool.

I have no use for a default skin, neither old nor new.

Originally posted by operafan2006:

that means you want windows native (or system native as deafult).

Exactly!

I agree. I too would like to have the system native as default skin. In XP it looks great, but in Vista not so...
So my opinion is that a new default skin is not the way to go. There are so many great skins available to suit most people anyway.

So the bottom line is, make Opera look nice with the default native OS look n' feel, and then the designers at Opera and all of those who have the skills could design more skins to choose from at http://my.opera.com/community/customize/skins/

This will make the world a happy place!!

I'm happy with Windows Native.

They need to update windows native for vista to use native menus ect.. it looks like crap in vista.

looks like some atention on skin in latest weekly build.

I like the current skin. Have yet to see a better one - only Phoenity New (http://my.opera.com/community/customize/skins/info/?id=3391 )comes anywhere close IMO.

For Opera 10 I guess a new skin is in order, if only to show that it's a new product and not the same as O7-9

I like the current one. It makes Opera look different to other applications but still integrates well into the desktop. No other skin I found is as good as the default one.

Originally posted by Gary Sugar:

I'm happy with Windows Native.

Me too, and it's always giving the fastest reactions anyway...

I'm all for the native (ie, normal Qt) look. I've spotlighted my favourite theme. I like having Opera act more like an MDI than a tabbed interface, so it's really nice to have buttons at the top rather than tabs.

Oh, apparently I can't view other people's spotlights, so for those wondering, it's the "wFFTBrad Native" skin... screenshot here.

i actually like 'Windows Native' more than 'Opera Standard'.

I think that Opera default skin should be def changed.

I don't have anything against the default skin. as some said it does fit in enough and does give it a feel of a "special" program I used it for quite a while... and as someone also said the default skin shouldn't be very flashy. and althoug I am currently using a dark skin, I also believe that a default skin should be more or less light. Just like most people prefer reading black on white, instead of hte other way around.

on the other hand there are nice skins, but I would guess that some people will complain sooner or later... just like they complain about the default one. it's a matter of taste, ain't it...

so if we are for a change, I would also tend to think in the way of making it look "native".

It really depends on opera to decide how they want the new skin to look like to fit in reasonably most users. Of course users have freedom to choose any skin or make one by himself. So, the point of making a new default skin is to make opera look and feel better to many. In this thread we are now trying to find if most of users do feel the need for a new skin or not. The comes later point of what might be the new one. Already many said they like windows native type for example while other may like little for eye-catching! who knows!

So far looks like majority want a change.

well as said - I personally don't really need a change.

but on the other hand it would probably be good to change from time to time, as said it is good on a psichological level - new version = new looks.

and although many people say they want the native skin (and I support the idea mostly), that would maybe be a step backwards for some users who like shiny and different programs.

maybe the best would be to offer an option in the installer. like winamp does: modern or standard. maybe even 3 options:native, standard and eye-candy or whatever.

Generally and not limited to Opera: No! I dislike changes that appear when I install a new version of anything. Never change an UI unless it is necessary! But - this leads straight to:

Originally posted by iraneseth:

The current skin hides several of Opera's more useful (and basic) features... need to have someone go over it with an eye for usability.

Well, I didn't notice anything like that - mind to tell which features are hidden by the default skin and are visible by using another one?
In that case I would say YES!

Originally posted by iraneseth:

Something a little less ugly would be nice, too.

That's personal taste - just by chance I halfway agree, but only because there are skins that leave mor screen space for the content. (This, again, is a matter of personal taste).

On the other hand: An "ugly" default skin may urge the people to look for a more beautiful one. Now, is that good or bad?

And just because it is so: I like my own skin the best ^_^

@DarkWorm: looks like people are confusing the skin and the actual user interface. iraneseth's comment seems to be off-topic.

the problem is, what some people call 'nice' , other people call 'ugly' ... and if you are too lazy/ apathetic to change it yourself......

note that you do not even have to 'copy' or do anthing to your favourite skin, just go here, and put in the file location!!

(I have *one* skin, shared by 10 versions of opera!! )

Poll is missing neutral option.


Is the new native mac skin new?

True, the poll is missing the OS native look (no explicit skin by default). This would be my option ...

Cristi

Originally posted by secarica:

True, the poll is missing the OS native look (no explicit skin by default). This would be my option ...

Cristi

yes, true.
I wanted to see how people want to change the current defult skin or not. In changing the current skin, people may want a new one, a polished one , a native one or something else which is a different topic.

I use the old Opera 7 skin with the buttons from Opera 8+.

Like somene said before, I think that Opera will ship a new skin with Opera 10, meaning some big changes for Opera. Skin would then help to make people realize that Opera 10 is a really new and coool program.

the problem is, what some people call 'nice' , other people call 'ugly'

Indeed, this is going to be the problem with any skin. Which is why it's better, IMHO, to go for the native look by default - people expect a program to look like what they're used to, and they can change it if they want to.

I like the idea of having an option in the installer too, as long as it didn't make the installer too long-winded. I've only ever installed Opera from a .deb, so no comment on that one

The default skin should be whatever native OS skin, for instance on Windows, the native skin should be "Windows native", on SUSE/Gnome, it should be SUSE, with the same colors, on the Mac, it should be OS X's native theme, etc... Better OS integration

well since only 92 people so far have participated, what about the 2,000,000 others that *never* use the default skin???

- so you can either push opera to put all it's resources behind designing a new skin for inclusion, that most will not like(meaning all other problems will not be solved, and no more development on the new 9.5 version), or you can always design your own! - all the tools are there...

yes, there may be a new skin in the new release, but I dont think *everyone* will like it....

Originally posted by illiad:

well since only 92 people so far have participated, what about the 2,000,000 others that *never* use the default skin???

- so you can either push opera to put all it's resources behind designing a new skin for inclusion, that most will not like(meaning all other problems will not be solved, and no more development on the new 9.5 version), or you can always design your own! - all the tools are there...

yes, there may be a new skin in the new release, but I dont think *everyone* will like it....

yes, it is very unlikely that all users of a product will agree on a new or curent skin. You are right, the choice is there to pick one or make one of his/her liking. But the major point of default skin is that its a part of identity of the product and sometimes a good way to catch attraction of a user. So, if opera has to choose a default skin, they will not choose based upon what people voted here or any other poll to be most popular. But they will choose on their own which they think might make their product's identity more visible and attractive. Its more of a business decision rather than a technical one which only deals with what a skincan or can't do.

So, there is not only 200,000 others but there are virtually infinite others who does not even use opera might get attracted to opera for a new look. But I must admit that attracting users is not the only goal and there might be other implications too for example user friendliness. Some users complained that in the surrent skin it is sometimes difficult to differentiate between active tab and other tabs.

Anyway, its up to opera to decide if they need a new one and if yes, what they want tit to be. We as users in this great community can only show our support for such need.

Originally posted by operafan2006:

But the major point of default skin is that its a part of identity of the product and sometimes a good way to catch attraction of a user.

well many have said 'change this, change that, make opera look more like FF/IE so that it attracts more people' ... result from opera???? absolutely nuthin'.... - and that is a much more worthy cause, than campaigning for something that will be changed by almost everyone, even before the browser is used!

The key point is **default** skin... If you would say "make it possible to follow 'themes' fully, in *addition* to Opera skins" , that would be more useable!
(whether that is already possible, I dunno, I do not mess with 'petty decoration' ..)
BUT! you will have to make this work in *all* the OS versions...

As the Opera Team just put so much work on the native skin something tells me THIS will be the default for 9.5 Final or at least Peregrime...

are the same skins supplied with the linux version? (I havent used that for a while...)... note my highlighted point... (see last post..)

After *every release* this post will just be continued by those that hate the 'new default skin' , I'll bet....
Pointless, but it keeps people amused...

Environment native skin.

I just use the native windows skin

I'm definitely for a better looking Opera by default. I also made a similar thread in the past. Coupled with some changed default settings. (enabled status bar, personal bar..)

With the default skin the context menus look really out of place. (At least if you have windows "optimized for performance" and not that rounded windows XP theme.) Plus the default skin doesn't look very good by itself.


BTW, I also use 'windows native' and it's OK to me, but I wouldn't mind if it was just a little more stylish either.

I use the default skin for windows, as I found it most attractive (well, for me. just FYI, I customized the toolbar a lot ).

I would like to see a new scroll bar though.