Actually i did put warning that it should be used ONLY as preview on how icons actually look “in action”.
Usage in productive environment is not recommended. Just for demonstration so you guys could think about it and replace them.
Thing about icons is that if OS cannot render them in original form it downsamples them to lower color range. So these are 32bit+Alpha but if OS can’t render them it will downsample them to 256 colors without alpha channel. It will look worse than on Vista (logical) but it’ll work. I’ve also recourse hacked many programs so far and those that failed to be hacked properly would either crash at very start of it, be completelly corrupted or crash randomly. So none of these symptoms show me some very positive results so far
I’m using hacked version for 2 days now and so far no issues that could be related to this. Number of icons is the same as in default program, i’ve just replaced them. Size is also the same, only bit depth is higher.
I was hoping that Comodo guys and girls will impliment such icons proper way later, if found that users would like them. It appears they do
I’ve drawn these icons in Paint.NET and then saved them as ICO resource using IcoFX. Both are free tools.
I don’t. It’s like having a car with Ferrari engine and looks of Renault Thalia… It might be fast but it’s ugly like hell. It’s year 2007 and if you want certain level of popularity you have to put quiet some resources in GUI design too. People simply prefer stuff that looks nice and does the job right. But from my observations if people find GUI design unprofessional, they quickly have doubts about program efficiency. Logically, they can see design right away, detection comes second. So don’t forget about that when designing programs!
It does? In 7 years i never had chance to witness that… There is quiet some apps hacked by me, be it functional or visual. Though i usually prefer visual side Thats why i complained about icons. Original ones are just plain awful. I think anyone will agree on that one.
I’m inclined to agree with you about UI design as being the first “hook” to grab a consumer. Regardless of the efficiency of an application, most average mum and dad consumers base their gut reactions on the user interface and will continue to use/explore the app IF they feel comfortable with the interface.
Whether we like it or not, a visually appealling user experience IS the first step in mass consumer acceptance. If you can put a pretty face on something, functionality can become secondary (from a marketing point of view). I’m trying to think of a good example … Oh yeah - what OS are you using now? LOL
Ah! For the days of DOS, and this argument would be moot.
Agree, I don’t mind the original, although I always thought it was a little yellow manta ray, until somebody posted a picture of the box. Seriously! (:WIN)
I really like the new icons, and I think they deserve to at least be considered being implemented when BOC gets ported properly.
No offense to anyone, but a good program with a simple or uninteresting interface makes it an unfinished end-product imho. Makes me think that although the programmer took his/her time making a really good code, he/she didn’t care for who used it and if anyone could actually figure out its use.
I can promise you that if the interface isn’t appealing enough, intuitive enough or for some pretty enough, you’re not gonna sell the product. You also need to get it’s function across to the user in an easy and understandable way. And visuals helps to achieve this. No matter the amount of bells and whistles the product have going for it.
Disclaimer:
This is the personal view of the writer and is not to be confused with Comodos official policies and views at all. Mmkay?
PS.
Can anyone test it’s functionality and see if it’s “all there”? Otherwise I’d have to revert to the original file.
The current icons are “ok” for me. That is to say, I know it represents CBO, and I know what the color changes indicate. Thus, it serves its purpose. Not very interesting, perhaps, but (just IMO) a world of improvement over the style of the old vacuum icon.
However, I also agree that it would be nice for it to be something different; a little more interesting/fresh/modern, and perhaps not looking like a worm hanging out of a microwave, LOL! I thought it was a computer monitor with a telephone headset/microphone, so it could talk to me… ;D
So long as they don’t combine icons and come up with a flaming crab on a blue shield… But then, I’m not artistic either, so what can I say?
Well, it’s all in place. I’ve thoroughly tested it and it doesn’t produce any crashing and it also detects malware as it used to with original icons. So no harm done really. I’d say it’s safe to use it.
I’ve hacked many icons so far and i can quickly tell when program doesn’t like the modifications.
BoClean doesn’t seem to care about modification so its safe imo. It’s of course better if Comodo guys impliemt it so they can be sure and others too.
