Were the old Winamp skinners that great?

[ElectricFox]

Hi !

I just got interested in Winamp old skins (those dating back to 2000) which can mostly be found on deviantart, & was amazed to find out that all those supposedly great skinners never bothered to skin the AVS, which I assume at the time was just starting, but which is now a must for each & every skin !

I found a very interesting article titled "an excerpt of h" where many great old days skinners such as Moreaux are regarded as heroes, but if you can manage to download a "zip" skin (good luck), you'll find out that those great artists simply skinned the main window, the equalizer and the play list.
If you want to use those skins today (yes, some by H2O, & the whole group are srange & beautiful,) but you can't embed in the skin a good visualization such as Morphire (yes, the famous Morphire is as docile as AVS!) or Milkdrops. The color of the 4 sides shocks intensely if you have a red or green skin !!

Even the more recent star Garet Jax boasted about beeing lazy & not finishing his skins ! Of course, most of his skins as a result of his laziness, are not viewable today due to that famous "AVS" which isn't skinned !!

Can we call careless & lazy people great artists?? And of course that famous site "1001 skins" is dead ! All those skins would be so great if they had the AVS skinned--AND if they were easily downloadable, such as those V5 ones.(but many V5 skins are still in the poor state they were at the origin!).
Are those artists too lazy again (I assume if they were at the time, they still are today!) to adapt their old "works of art" to today's requirements??
Iy is obvious that many people love deviantart BUT will not bother to download a "zip" skin.

I think they understand all that, but they aren't great artists at all, because great artists think ahead & keep in mind their public--who's going to see or use their art. Too lazy to skin the AVS, uh?? I wonder what your future is going to be !!

Stephen.

[djpete]

I still use classic skin even today.
IMO they do more than modern with less cpu.
For instance you can't use 3 mode repeat with modern as far as I know.

I have 2 skins that I modded slightly here...
All windows are skinned.
Have tried them all but always come back to this...Simple, Effective.

http://djpete1959.deviantart.com/art...-DARK-90210965

OR

http://djpete1959.deviantart.com/art...GREEN-92159779

The only think I would love is a plugin to keep all windows connected as occasionally with classic skins you can bump the windows apart.

[Aminifu]

Originally Posted by djpete1959

For instance you can't use 3 mode repeat with modern as far as I know.

Modern skins support the 3 mode repeat function. Some even display the active state in a clearer manner than some classic skins. DrO had a plug-in to help classic skins with doing that.

I hear that the next stable release will have improved support for indicating the active state (in the main player window) when it is changed.

Originally Posted by djpete1959

The only think I would love is a plugin to keep all windows connected as occasionally with classic skins you can bump the windows apart.

I have not used classic skins for a while. If I remember correctly, enabling the "EasyMove" option (Ctrl+E) links all the windows so that they move as a group.

[djpete]

Thanks Aminifu.
3 mode repeat must be very hidden as I have never found it in modern.
Re easymove. Yes it IS checked on but windows still break apart.
:-(

[Aminifu]

Hi djpete1959,

I now realize you are referring to the Winamp default skins in the installation package. You are probably right that 3 mode repeat is not indicated (but it does work). I have not used those skins for a long time. I need to remember that many never use anything other than the defaults.

Sorry about the "EasyMove" suggestion, I was pretty sure it would let you move separate windows as a group. Now I'm wondering what it does do.

[djpete]

No probs. I don't use default I use similar to this one
http://djpete1959.deviantart.com/art...-DARK-90210965

I'de like to know what EasyMove does do too.

[DrO]

easy move allows you to move the windows not just by clicking on the title bar to move them (subject to the inner contents and type of the window). if you move the windows too fast then it can make the docking code assume its not wanted and so spilt off the window. increasing the docking distance on the relevant skin preferences may help.

and modern and classic skins have the means to do 3-mode repeat (none, all, track) and is down to how the repeat and manual advance options are toggled (automatically or manually) which determines how easy it is to use. modern skins generally do it easily since it was built into the modern skin core, whereas for classic skins you have to do it manually (or use the plug-in hack i once provided). of note, v5.65 will show an appropriate message in the song-ticker when the options are now changed which makes it easier to see what mode is in effect (so as to mirror the modern skin functionality).

[djpete]

thanks for that.
and I see how easymove works now. it only keeps everything together when you drag the actual player only, then it does work. but if you drag any other window then it breaks apart. handy to know anyway.

may try a modern skin again to see how that 3 way works, i looked so hard for it in the past, must have missed it.

[DrO]

3-mode repeat in modern skins was added just after the 5.0 release iirc so has been around for a decade - it's classic skins where it's not been obvious i thought.

yeah, clicking the child windows will snap them off and is just the main window that is used to move everything else around. i guess it could be done so moving a child moves everything else but from what i've tried to do with getting the free-sizing classic windows to dock to the edge of the screen / other windows, the existing code is a bit funky at the best of times so moving other windows with a child i suspect might be problematic (since it's all aimed against the moving of the main window - same for modern skins).

[djpete]

all i see with modern is option to
repeat track
repeat all
or none

BUT
in classic I can
repeat track
repeat all
none
AND
manual playlist advance

The manual playlist advance is the feature I love.

for example if I am mcing i will set up a track play it on manual advance go onto the dancefloor with microphone ready for announcements eg a wedding.
The track plays and stops at the end and I make the announcements.
So there is no dead air.

I don't think I can do this with modern??

[DrO]

3-mode repeat is repeat track, repeat all, none

repeat track is manual advance + repeat

you can do it with a modern skin, but it generally involves having to toggle the options manually i.e. setting repeat to none and setting manual advance via the preferences (or using the keyboard shortcut if enabled in the skin).

[djpete]

aha
see
a fail then.
classic wins!
I'm so old school
:-)

I think you will find with classic you only need to check Manual Playlist Advance and that will only play the current song till the end and stop.
That how it works on mine in any case.
Ah sorry reread your post Dr. You did say repeat track which is right.