This is a rhetorical question, and is by no meant to cause derision or flame.
My question is plain and simple and by no means is it meaant to be a flame or anything else with negative implications. First, I would like to state theat I have a great and deep respect for Alexandrie, whom I believe to be a talented and innovative digital artist. But as of recently I have noticed that you have taken great offense to the *ripping* of some of your themes. Pre-Luna is understandable, in that it is solely your creation. But your XP luna skins of various colors are in fact *rips* of the actual XP luna interface created by talented microsoft designers. And your themes give no credit to them in the first place. Secondly, I would like to point out that there are various skins, and themes, which are ports of the XP luna interface and in everyone there is once again no referece to the original nameless microsoft designers. This does not exclude OS X skins, and themes, and various other ports based on the look and feel of a particular operating system. Now what I'm getting at here is something that we as a skinning community need to define. We all understand what a *rip* is, but now how does this relate to *ripping* or cloning the interface of and actual OS, these were created by designers and therefore are themes in and of themselves. Were do we draw the line. What I'm proposing consists of two choices, though others may be suggested as well, perhaps we should conclude that a theme based on actual OS is open to *ripping* in that it is already the work of an unamed artist, and therefore it is impossible to get permission. Or we could include in a theme based on an OS and acknowlegement to the original unnamed creators. This would allow any one to create versions of an OS with out the debate of who *ripped* who, becuase the orignal designers have already been *ripped*. Now I realize that Alexandrie's XP themes, are in question here, and by no means do I wish to put down his work or anyone else's but philosophically speaking his were *rips* to begin with. Therefore any debate concerning his works being *ripped* is null-in-void. If I were to make an BeOs skin for WindowBlinds first, and then someone else did later on, would his skin be a *rip* of mine or was mine a *rip* to begin with. I'm by no means trying to dictate change, I just feel that this topic needs to be addressed. *Ripping* others art is most certainly and aggreivous offense, but when the question of whom *ripped* whom first comes in to question, we as the skinning community need to decide how to remedy these kind of situations. Once again I am be no means putting down Alexandrie, I just think that this question needs to be addressed in an open forum.
From a member of wincostomise, deviantart, iexbeta, ls2k, litestep.net, and various other communitites.
Fare the well, lite laughter and sweet water to all.
