Continuing from a conversation in 'Winstep Wishlist' which is more appropriate here

:
winstep wrote:
Since I'm actually adding tab colorization to the next release, further discussion on this subject should be on the
What's next after v25.7 thread...

Just following team orders.

BassdudeNZ wrote:
winstep wrote:
nexter wrote:
it could really make an ugly mess of some themes and destroy the whole effect. Dedicated alternative bitmaps sounds the lesser of two evils to me.

You already have full shelf etc colorization if that is your objection. Tab colorization would not work with every theme (e.g. the tabs in some themes have a transparent background as they are "incorporated" into the shelf body, for instance), but on those (few?) themes that it would work, this would at least become an option.
Going for the alternative bitmaps reduces that choice to nill at this point, AND it would make things a lot more complicated for me.
This way the colorization would be a property of each tab (e.g. right click, select Tab Properties) set by the user and NOT a specific theme. Same way global colorization (Shelf Properties -> Appearance tab -> Color Settings button) are currently a property of the whole shelf (set by the user) and not of a theme.
Personally, I just don't like any colourisations, and for that matter, any alterations to a theme that somebody has taken the trouble to create, as stated in the post you quote/refer to. A user should either like it or lump it and pick another one.
I can understand that the multi-tab option would be a lot of work for you Jorge, no doubt about that, and yes, users would have quite a wait ahead for some themes using this option to come along. I just suggested that from a creative point it would be the lesser of two evils.

BassdudeNZ wrote:
As luck would have it, editing a theme, I had to manually go into Workshelf and change the text type and coloration - It seems you have empty and inactive Button3= , Button4= etc already like a placeholder?
I see both sides here... Honestly if it comes down to user choice, it has often been said that more than two choices should be avoided. One one hand, if you are giving one choice being coloring and no bitmaps, it kind of forces the user into default settings or coloring. If the skinner only creates an active and inactive like it is currently, then nothing changes - However, if in some of the newer themes that 'might' come out, the user has the option of thematic or coloring.
- just an observation

When it comes to user choice, the two choices he should have should be either to use a given theme as is or pick another one. Simple. More than enough choice.

BassdudeNZ wrote:
All of that said, I know you have far more important things that take precedence and so they should, so if you can do the coloring without taking too much time away, we can always revisit the bitmaps another time

P.S -
I could have got really convoluted and suggested that if a skinner created 12 different TAB buttons, the user could select their favorite from those 12 as their main TAB

LOL! Heck yeah, what the hell why not?

BassdudeNZ wrote:
@NEXTER - Coloring in different colors I am not huge on either with coloring bitmaps, but it depends on whether it's an actual color change or simply a glow around the buttons, the latter would likely work better.... especially if the user has a color wheel to choose from so they can do variants of the dominant color of the theme they are using and save per theme.
Ouch! Sorry, no, a "glow" around the bitmaps sounds even worse.
Too much choice is never a good thing. For proof of that just look at the sheer madness of our hyper-consumerist society and its consequences. Too many choices everywhere. KISS should be a guiding principle in just about everything. Just KISS - keep it simple, stupid!

As I mentioned earlier, two choices are ample for theme users - don't like a theme as is choose another. And even then one could argue that even that is too much already, and that the app's designer should have provided a look and feel set in stone.

(Which of course applies to the vast and overwhelming majority of apps anyway, thank goodness, good or bad appearance. And most Linux distros don't give the user much if any choice regarding the appearance of the GUI. However, just look at the disastrous number of different Linux distros - and often their many different flavours as well! - and it''s not surprising that the average Joe is bewildered by the choices and often just gives up, alas!)
Bear in mind that the average human is an idiot to put it mildly. The more choices you give him to change a theme the more he's going to f**k up the look, and all in the worst possible taste. Don't forget, if it wasn't for bad taste a hell of a lot of people would have none at all!
