Aqua-Soft ForumsI've been using windows for as long as I can remember and have never owned a mac or used one daily, but recently I've been intrigued by the mac look and feel and how it operates. The one true thing I love about windows is how customized I can make it. There are tons of alternative shells for windows, all with their own benefits and features. I hated using the default shell for windows, so I've been using geOShell. So I was wondering: I know there are add-ons and replacements for the dock, but are there any alternatives to the Finder bar at the top of the screen? Like, are there any replacement "shells" for the Mac? I know they may not be called this, but I don't know what they would be called otherwise. I'm just wondering how much I could customize a mac considering I can hack the hell out of my PC, because I am considering purchasing a mac. thanks for the replies
Is A Mac's Appearance As Customizable As Windows?
Well there are lots of shapeshifter guikits (like VS's), this place has some reviews and pics of some
I'm gonna say no. and yes.
Sure you can change themes.. but no there is not a mirage of programs to change every last aspect like windows. (IE: all stardock products).
And (WAREZ ARE SUPER DUPER BAD) every last mac app costs money, it's a real kick in the nuts to someone who gets one for free from their job.. and doesn't enjoy spending hard earned money on silly "mr. hankey". (WAREZ ARE BAD) 
Originally posted by Deleted@Jan 27 2004, 08:44 PMAnd (WAREZ ARE SUPER DUPER BAD) every last mac app costs money, it's a real kick in the nuts to someone who gets one for free from their job.. and doesn't enjoy spending hard earned money on silly "mr. hankey". (WAREZ ARE BAD)
Very true. And I hate paying money for apps (btw shapeshifter is $20)
are you saying there is a ton of apps that need to be paid for, and therefore there is a ton of warez versions?
There are LOTS of GUIs for OSX.
Remember, OSX is UNIX, and has an X11 server, so you can run KDE, GNOME, WindowMaker, and other *nix GUIs on OSX. You can even run pure console.
Also remember, most of OSX is open source, so lots of FREE stuff has been ported, and you can customize almost as much as linux (or other OSS OSs).
Well all the good themes are for shapeshifter (guikits)
The MacNN(.com) forums is where all the best skinners are (well Max isn't there but...)
pretty much every part of the os is customizable to some extent. every application has a preferences file, which can be edited to change even the smallest things and unlock hidden preference settings that cannot be accessed through the standard preference panes.