Mac OS X | System / Utilities | Other System / Utilities | ShapeShifter

ShapeShifter - 1.0.1

Customize your OS X interface by changing the menus, buttons, and more with this mod.

Download v 2.5

(File Size: 6.8M)

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All Time:	(3.8)
Version 1.0.1:	(3.5)
Selected Version:	1.0.1
Release Date:	2003-12-03
License:	Shareware
Downloads (version 1.0.1):	5,050
Downloads (all versions):	2,822
Price:	$20.00

Information Related to Version:

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Product Description:

ShapeShifter is a revolutionary new product that lets you change the overall appearance of your Mac using 'themes'. We're not talking about just desktop backgrounds and icons here, we're talking about everything - the look of windows, menus, buttons, absolutely everything. You don't wear the same clothes everyday, your house doesn't look exactly like your neighbor's - why should the computing interface you use everyday be any different. You personalize your physical workspace to suit your tastes and whims, so why not your Mac?
While you may have heard horror stories about themes kludging user's systems, ShapeShifter makes this a thing of the past. Installing themes in Mac OS X used to require some dangerous methods (and more than a little bravery on the part of the end user). Not so with ShapeShifter - now changing the overall appearance of your system is every bit as safe as switching desktops or screensavers. ShapeShifter is safe because it never touches the actual files and resources residing deep within your system.
ShapeShifter is also very simple to use - just grab any guiKit or dlta theme and double-click it ... ShapeShifter will instantly become aware of its presence and pop open the ShapeShifter preference pane. To apply a theme, click the radio button next to the theme and hit the Apply Selected button. That's it!
With ShapeShifter, you can:

Change the overall appearance of your operating system safely, quickly, and reliably
Experience things that haven't been possible with Mac themes before
Quickly preview themes without actually applying them
Use Jaguar themes in Panther effortlessly
Install different themes for different users
Keep your themes wherever you please on your hard drive
Add and remove themes effortlessly

What's new in this version:

Resolved an issue that could prevent systems using non-English and multi-byte localizations (Japenese, for example) from being able to use ShapeShifter.
Resolved issues that could cause application instability in Panther when using themes created for earlier operating systems.
Resolved an issue that caused fuzzy Menu Extras, slow window resizing performance, redrawing issues in Safari, and incorrect window transparency in some applications for users running Panther.
Added a "Default Aqua Theme" item to the theme list.
Added compatibility for "dlta" themes created for OS X versions earlier than 10.2.
ShapeShifter now has the ability to download simple updating instructions from Unsanity's servers when new OS versions are released.
General performance improvements.
Now uses a larger font in the theme selection view.
Added useful error messages to the prefpane indicating why ShapeShifter can't be used on a particular machine.
Fixed a large memory leak related to drawing metal windows. This leak could have resulted in reduced system performance.
Resolved issues that could prevent removing themes from the ShapeShifter preference pane from succeeding.
Added Japanese localization courtesy of Akira Ikeda.
The preference pane now displays the notice that the demo version has expired in red text to avoid confusion.
Pieces of the currently-installed theme are no longer mixed in with a theme preview.
Metal windows are no longer modified when ShapeShifter is active but there is no installed theme.
The preference pane no longer allows themes to be installed after the demo has expired. This should reduce confusion.
Added ShapeShifterCacheManager to the APE's exclude list. This should reduce spurious error messages to Console and may fix the occasional issue that results in the Cache Manager getting hosed.

Operating System Requirements:

This product is designed to run on the following operating systems:

Mac OS X 10.3
Mac OS X 10.2

Additional Requirements:

Mac OS X 10.2 or higher

Feedback Summary:

Version 1.0.1:
Overall Rating:	(3.5)	Features:	(3.9)	Support:	(4.0)
Ease of Use:	(4.3)	Quality / Stability:	(3.1)	Price:	(3.1)

Key to Types of Feedback:

Reviews Reviews Troubleshooting Usage Tips Developer Notes Commentary Featured Reviews

GOD AWFUL ! - Version: 2.5, 7/22/2009 11:55AM PST

OSXLITTLE

Look, these guys have been trying to make this work since the beginning. It crashes, it doesn't work, it NEVER worked. I bought the first versions when I started in OSX and after being the free beta tester for this horrid little program I finally gave up. So here I come back to see if it's improved , well , I don't have my password , that was when I had another email, so I write them, not a word. Their stupid password recovery system is based on the email you had back then WHICH YOU PROBABLY DONT HAVE !

Think I'm going to pay again for what ended up being a reason to do a complete reinstall ? H E double hockey sticks no ! Lousy crashmaster program that isn't supported ! Dump that junk !

Not safe as Shapeshifter but, if you got sick of Leopard's look, free alternative - Version: 2.5, 3/20/2009 01:56PM PST

Ilgaz

I saw this URL on another download site
http://magnifiqueapp.com/
It does what shapeshifter does in file overwriting (with backup of course) way.
IMHO Unsanity should have released a Leopard edition without APE exactly. Well, some people have done it.
Shapeshifter's method is still the safest and way more reliable. If you keep running Tiger, there is no reason to give up.
It seems we lost shapeshifter thanks to the anti ape trolls and jealous developers. Hopefully I will be proved wrong but it seems so...

4 apps to exclude - Version: 2.5, 7/27/2008 06:19AM PST

(1 of 1 users found this comment useful)

dsilvan

Here are 4 apps I've found which have problems booting so you should add them to your Shapeshifter Exclude List:

Bittorrent
Minefield (Firefox 3.x beta)
Skitch
Toast Titanium 9