>> The default windows GUI is a look that's been dictated to you by Microsoft. For some reason, people don't have a problem with that. Try to offer some alternatives, however...
This is false logic:
One, the windows GUI is highly customizable, and that customization is carried over to all applications, except skinned ones. However, how would you feel if Microsoft took away the ability of having third party software be skinned?
Two, the key here is that now skins are a mandatory "choice" in MC9. Notice how I have never posted about skins before prior to this version, which took my ability to turn them off away.
Three, Esthetics is only one of the reasons why some of us dislike skins. As previously mentioned, there is a performance hit, however small on some machines, when programs use skins to emulate a standard look.
Four, the Windows GUI does not exhibit these same redraw problems of the actual interface. Example: I can drag PhotoShop across my screen with a 100MB file open in it, and the application redraws its interface without trouble. Try the same thing in MusicMatch, while a song is playing, and suddenly I have interface issues in terms of redraw. For better or worse, the Windows GUI is built into the shell, and it WORKS well.
Five, why take the OPTION away? Your very own sentence says, "Try to offer some alternatives" In this case, an alternative was taken away, not offered. Having NO skins WAS an alternative. We are not asking that YOU be deprived of the option of using skins; it is great that you can, but we would like the same consideration in being able to NOT use them.