OSX Effects on Windows
Macintosh, or more specifically, OSX users will probably scream at this. Either that, or they will probably scroff it off as downright loser.
In anycase, it is now really simple to get an Windows XP desktop to look really like OSX, with all the bells and whistles.
Or, even better.
Here’s what my desktop look like after revamping. Go take a look:
As you can see, OSX’s all-too-famous dock is implemented, complete with the magnification. Drag-N-Drog to dock works too. OSX’s Spotlight is also emulated, courtesy of Google’s Desktop Search. There’s also the very useful function of labelling your folders with different colours, just like on OSX.
Perhaps more importantly, you get all the bells-and-whistles of the the pow-wow eyecandy like drop-down shadows, transparency and the, though weak, implementation of the genie-effect.
Incredibly, the author somehow managed to alter the boot screen to show a silverised (think laser-etched) Apple logo against a cool background while Windows loads. The Windows login screen is also emulated nicely.
To achieve this, if you’re lazy like me, just go download FlyakiteOSX. It’s a 30mb download. Warning: The software does extensive changes to your computer which may be irreversible. Make sure you do a System Restore point, which the installer will very helpfully ask you if you want to, before installing.
Otherwise, if you’re a diehard hacker, just go ahead and do it manually and enjoy the process. alang has an extensive and detailed manual to guide you through.
If you want additionally functionality, like the ubercool Exposé which is missing from the package (read: Not free), try Topdesk which is working very well for me. Additionally, Topdesk will emulate Vista’s mode of taskswitching. How cool is that?
Of course all these coolness and functionality comes at a price. While all the addons are surprisingly stingy on RAM, they do use up processing speed. Make sure you’ve a decent graphics card. My builtin Intel Extreme Graphics 2 barely limps along. The sacrifice of speed for functionality is still worth it though.
Still, there’s one major caveat emptor that I’ve yet been able to handle - the uneasy fit of OSX looks on PC (read: cheap) hardware. Seeing the Apple boot screen on a all-so-serious Thinkpad almost made me chuckle out in laughter.
Remember that no amount of emulation will be able to reach what Apple has achieved, that is the epitome of usability. It’s a philosophy, not just looks alone. If you really want to explore usabability on a PC, go get Gnome. You may have to ditch Windows for Linux though.
Or, if you want to know what all the fuss about MacOSX is all about, so much so that even PC users go all-out to emulate it, go read up on its features.
Again, I’ll emphasise on usability. I know getting your desktop to look exactly like OSX is really ubercool, but if your PC will only limp along and crash every now and then, it’s really pointless. I’ll be testing driving this hacked-together setup for a while, to see if it works. So far, so good though.