The Death of Metal

Well, I finally got bored enough and bothered enough to mod my Tiger install to look the way I want. Essentially, I wanted to get rid of brushed metal and go more towards the "Unified" look. There are some utilities and what-not floating around out there that do a really nice job of this. I've been using the excellent UNO, but for my needs, even it took things a bit too far, and in the process created some rather bothersome visual artifacts. I had no idea I was so picky, but apparently I am.

Turns out, if you just want to do what I wanted to do, you need only modify one small but important file, which can be found here:

/System/Library/Frameworks/Carbon.framework/Versions/A/Frameworks/HIToolbox.framework/Versions/A/Resources/Extras.rsrc

(This should all be on one line. BTW, anyone know the right way to post long lines?

UPDATE: Got it! At long last! -Jan 11, 2006)

So that's exactly what I did.

This is actually a bit harder than it sounds. A resource file of this kind is not something many applications can read. In fact, the only app I found that could view this file was the recently updated ThemePark. And read it it did. I used ThemePark to modify existing .rsrc files I had. The hard part, really, is that there are so many little tiny resources -- small pictures that make up most of the OSX GUI -- that finding the handful you want can take forever. So comparing and contrasting the original Tiger .rsrc file with the one that comes with UNO took some time and effort. But I was finally able to come up with something close enough to exactly what I want.

Now That's More Like It

(click for larger view)

If you like what you see, well, today's your lucky day. I've decided to share the fruits of my labor. Here, in all its glory, for you to use, is my Modified Extras.rsrc file. You are free to use it as you see fit. Drop me a line if you end up using it or sharing it, and give me a little credit. Send people to the blog. That's all I ask.

Please note:

  • This file goes in the aforementioned path, and should have the aforementioned name (Extras.rsrc).
  • Make a backup of the original Extras.rsrc file.
  • This is an important file. Using my modified version of the file could break your system (seriously).
  • It has only been tested on Mac OSX Tiger 10.4.2.
  • If you're uncertain about whether or not to use this file to modify the appearance of your OS X install, you probably should not attempt to do so.
  • If you need further instructions, you should probably try something less risky like ShapeShifter.
  • I am, needless to say, not responsible for any damage you incur on your system, or the systems of others, from your use of this file.
  • I will provide no support whatsoever.