Aqua-Soft ForumsI have started a forum for PantherXP at http://dakotah.info/drfire/forums/
This is temporary until we have our new domain setup. Please signup, take a look, and leave your comments! My forum DOES NOT require email activation, and I do NOT email you.
Pantherxp - Mac Os X 10.3 Panther Windows Xp Shell
Well for those who care. I have rewritten the dock. I have made it to simulate the OSX dock almost to the 'T'. I have used a better magnifaction alg, and high res png icons. The Finder is now retreiving 32bit menus from active apps. I have implemented fast-user switching. To mock that of Panther. I have also implemented the abality to handle unlimited user accounts, with each account having their own profile. something similair to that of XP's users system. I have also made use of Blowfish, and RC4 encyption algs to secure each users private settings and files. I have included also the use of thumbdrive key access. Insert your thumbdrive, and if the key on the drive match's the username then it logs you in. Login expires after a set time interval for added security. The user has the option to use our dock, our finder or thier own dock and finder applications. You can follow more on this project here: http://dakotah.info/drfire/site/projects/pantherxp.htm
this is only a temp site until we get our new domain set up. Thanks to those who care!
This is a very ambitious project and I wish you and the team all the best. Here's hoping you get something usable that is the ultimate answer to all the MacOS look-a-like dreams out there.
I can't offer any practical skills myself so consider this post just a way of saying I look forward to trying something substantial in the future...
It sounds so good that it's probably impossible 
Keep it up dj williams!
Certainly there are many of us here who care and are following your progress. Please overlook any pessimism on anybody's part for so many promising projects in the past (not even half as ambitious as this) have come and gone the way of the do-do. We're jaded but hopeful. Press on.
There are 10 trillion better appearences than the default looks for those versions of windows which aren't even skins at all and you have to mention those? You put words into my mouth that I never said. I'm talking a about the thousands of third party windowblinds and ms style skins that talented skinners have put out. If you think Keramik is better than all of those then YOU have a very interesting taste, period. I said, it's not better than ALL Windows skins, not the NON-skin appearence that the classic look of windows is.. I didn't say that ALL appearences for windows look better than it either.. you get it? I almost feel like I'm explaining things to a brick wall when people say something like that. On on hand though it's pretty subjective, as some people actually do prefer classic if you are to be technical. But my point is that there are lots of much better skins to include that are made for all systems than Keramik. Except for windows classic which (repeat after me) is NOT a skin.Well I like it. I like Thin Keramik even more, but have you ever used Win95, Win98, Win2000? If you think that the default skins for these mentioned OS's are better than Keramik or Thin Keramik, then you have a very interesting taste.
Anyway, lets not get off topic.
Anyway to the developer: This shell is starting to look interesting although the download links on your site are broken. I'm very interested in looking into your latest build. Are you planning on implementing desktop icons with labels, thumbnails, and mounting drives to the desktop?
Please keep it ontopic and clean. I don't want to be forced to kill this thread, it's looks so good so far.
I will fix the links when I am able to. I will post when the site is fixed. As for the skins go. The ONLY thing that the skin will really effect will be the Finder Bar, and the Dock backgroun. As for windows and controls, I have designed a windows *Theme file for that. Why reinvent the wheel, when M$ already did, all I need to do is change the tire's! ;-)
And, smoke, the post you so negatively posted about, was way before I decided to join this team. Since I have joined, there has been some makor improvements to the project. There is not a new release to currently download. I have decided not to post on every minor fix or advancement. I will post major improvements on our site, and here. I plan to implement the ablilty for a user to choose from multible desktops to emulate. KDE, Gnome, Panther, and maybe a few more. This is not going to be done in a week or so, its going to take the team some time.
I don't want to promise the world with this project. As we all know, alot of projects has started and died quickly on these forums. I dont want that to happen with this one. We are really looking for another VB programmer to pitch in and help out. When I have the time, I will setup the new website, and install our bug tracking system, and our CVS server. This will be located at n3rdware.org like I said through, when I get time. You will get a page not founf error if trying to visit now. You can however still view are temp site @ http://dakotah.info/drfire/site/index.htm
Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback. As you all do, I to hope this projects comes alive, and really becomes something great, and that people will use.
There are currently two options for the desktop icons. You can either choose to use the standard xp desktop with custom icons(without a taskbar), or choose to use PantherXP's icon system. And currently I have implemented the ability to 'mount' CDROM, Floppy, HD, and DVD. Later I will work on Card readers, cameras, and such. i have deiced also to remove the fastuserswitching animation(that of the mac's) due to it cause the system to crash. We are currenlty working on the finder. The finder has been our biggest challange of all. Without a working dinder, this project will not stay alive.
None of what could be taken negatively was directed at you (dj williams), sorry if you felt it was. It was directed to the person who assumed that because I said that keramik is not the best theme that I meant classic was a skin and that it looked better. It's just frustrating. So I apologize if it seemed like I was making things "not clean" (to me that sounds like I was cussing).
BTW, I think you should get the Panther look down before you start doing other look and feels (unless they are just skins) such as Gnome. It could be a mistake to try to take on so many different types of desktops as this makes it such a HUGE project.
I will fix the links when I am able to. I will post when the site is fixed. As for the skins go. The ONLY thing that the skin will really effect will be the Finder Bar, and the Dock backgroun. As for windows and controls, I have designed a windows *Theme file for that. Why reinvent the wheel, when M$ already did, all I need to do is change the tire's! ;-)
And, smoke, the post you so negatively posted about, was way before I decided to join this team. Since I have joined, there has been some makor improvements to the project. There is not a new release to currently download. I have decided not to post on every minor fix or advancement. I will post major improvements on our site, and here. I plan to implement the ablilty for a user to choose from multible desktops to emulate. KDE, Gnome, Panther, and maybe a few more. This is not going to be done in a week or so, its going to take the team some time.
I don't want to promise the world with this project. As we all know, alot of projects has started and died quickly on these forums. I dont want that to happen with this one. We are really looking for another VB programmer to pitch in and help out. When I have the time, I will setup the new website, and install our bug tracking system, and our CVS server. This will be located at n3rdware.org like I said through, when I get time. You will get a page not founf error if trying to visit now. You can however still view are temp site @ http://dakotah.info/drfire/site/index.htm
Thanks to everyone for their comments and feedback. As you all do, I to hope this projects comes alive, and really becomes something great, and that people will use.
There are currently two options for the desktop icons. You can either choose to use the standard xp desktop with custom icons(without a taskbar), or choose to use PantherXP's icon system. And currently I have implemented the ability to 'mount' CDROM, Floppy, HD, and DVD. Later I will work on Card readers, cameras, and such. i have deiced also to remove the fastuserswitching animation(that of the mac's) due to it cause the system to crash. We are currenlty working on the finder. The finder has been our biggest challange of all. Without a working dinder, this project will not stay alive.
There are 10 trillion better appearences than the default looks for those versions of windows which aren't even skins at all and you have to mention those? You put words into my mouth that I never said. I'm talking a about the thousands of third party windowblinds and ms style skins that talented skinners have put out. If you think Keramik is better than all of those then YOU have a very interesting taste, period. I said, it's not better than ALL Windows skins, not the NON-skin appearence that the classic look of windows is.. I didn't say that ALL appearences for windows look better than it either.. you get it? I almost feel like I'm explaining things to a brick wall when people say something like that. On on hand though it's pretty subjective, as some people actually do prefer classic if you are to be technical. But my point is that there are lots of much better skins to include that are made for all systems than Keramik. Except for windows classic which (repeat after me) is NOT a skin.
you know, I was talking about the default skins (colors, or whatever you want to call them) that come with the system pre-installed.
I don't see why you talk about thousands of windowblinds skins or msstyle, because that was not the issue at all. you said that any Windows skin (and that means, skins that are either made by Microsoft or come with it by default) is better than Keramik/Thin Keramik that comes with SuSE Linux.
I'll just have to strongly disagree with you on this on. Get it? Now, have a glass of cold water and stop whining about how frustrating this is.
p.s. mods, sorry for getting off topic.
I'm not whining. We where talking about 2 different things. And no I wasn't talking about what comes with the system as who cares what comes with the system as long as you can change it. I don't see what there is to strongly disagree about because if you ported Keramik to windows it'd be counted amongst all the third party skins I mentioned so that puts it up for comparison. I didn't say ANY skin is better, I said that Keramik is not better than all windows skins. There's a difference. One would mean that I think all window skins are better than keramik, another would mean that Keramik isn't better than all windows skins in general. And by all I don't mean just the ones that come with the system. And I never, ever meant classic as like I said, that's not a skin. Luna is a skin, Classic is the absense of a skin. And no, before you say it... Luna is NOT the best that there is to offer for windows. So if you are still thinking that I mean any skin or look that comes with windows is better than keramik you are still misunderstanding me and you are disagreeing with something I never said.
See this is what I call frustrating. You totally misinterpreted what I said.
you know, I was talking about the default skins (colors, or whatever you want to call them) that come with the system pre-installed.
I don't see why you talk about thousands of windowblinds skins or msstyle, because that was not the issue at all. you said that any Windows skin (and that means, skins that are either made by Microsoft or come with it by default) is better than Keramik/Thin Keramik that comes with SuSE Linux.
I'll just have to strongly disagree with you on this on. Get it? Now, have a glass of cold water and stop whining about how frustrating this is.
p.s. mods, sorry for getting off topic.
See, you are denying what you said. Keramik comes with the default system, therefore, its better than anything Microsoft offers out-of-the-box. This is what the point is here, not if you can modify it or not.
You can modify Linux any way you want too, that's what Linux is all about, but I guess you need to try it first before you talk about it, right?
sayonara, and lets not continue this as the thread is not about this at all.
I have tried it and my saying on how there are plenty of better skins applies to linux too. I have tried various distributions with various desktops including the latest Gnome and KDE desktops. So yes, I can talk about it. You thinking I never tried it is just an assumption. And no I wasn't denying what I said, I'm just explaining it for the nth time because you can't seem to understand. >_< I stand by everything I said and none of it contradicts it'self. Just your misunderstanding of it.
I want to let you all know something. Do you like carrots? Maybe you do, but that doesnt mean I do! See, there are NO skins better the another skin. It depends on what the use likes. So guys, please, stop beating the dead horse! :-)
I can't access http://dakotah.info/drfire/ - is the site down?
yeah i got a problem with the website here as well
Hm - me too ;/
Can anybody please tell me what am I supposed to do after downloading the zip file from the first post in this thread? Thanks
I think you have to compile it - the website that we can't get to contains a binary.
Yeah - unfortunately it's dead. I sent the guy a PM several days ago and there has been no responses to this thread for over a week. Too bad. Maybe somebody will resurrect it.
I don't think the project is dead. Let's just give them some time to develop this wonderful project and I am sure when there will be significant improvements, they'll keep us posted.
Yeah - unfortunately it's dead. I sent the guy a PM several days ago and there has been no responses to this thread for over a week. Too bad. Maybe somebody will resurrect it.
Please refrain from declaring projects dead. It is upto the developer to inform of us any changes - not just because the thread hasn't been updated in a week!! do you realise the time and work to create this project?
It's funny - you post questions for a week, and nobody responds with anything. This is what it takes to get a response out of people. Perhaps I'm being selfish.
Yes, I realize the huge time and work it takes to create something like this. I also realize the miniscule amount of time it takes to update this thread. I'm not demanding features, requesting herculean feats, or asking for all that much really. All I asked is "Where is the website for the project?" If it's offline for now, then so be it. If it's dead, then so be it. I noticed none of you jumped in to help out then.
If the guy is on vacation or otherwise without access to the internet, then I issue a full apology.
Enough digression - I now return everyone to the regularly scheduled thread. I'm sure I'll take a hit for this one, but, so be it. (maybe I should change my moniker to "sobeit")
dj_williams,
I still look forward to seeing your work. I still would like to know how to access it, since your website is down. I am willing to help if you need a place to host it temporarily. I have tons of bandwidth.
I have some bad news everyone. DJ (Head-programmer) has been put in prison and will not be returning for a few years. I will continue on what he has done. So don't worry, you'll see another release. Thankyou for all of those who have gained an interest in PantherXP.
wow, bummer. but you're joking about prison, right? either way, good luck!