Custom icon for sheepvm?

[DrLex]

Anyone in favor of using a custom icon for SheepVM bundles? I prefer to distinguish the app from the bundles.
Here's my attempt at making something:

Changing this in the XCode project is the easy part. Making the actual .icns file is a bit of a hassle but if someone has a better design, I can explain how to do it.

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

I like it.

[adespoton]

I like the general idea, but I think a document icon for the backdrop would be better than a happy mac. That way it becomes obvious that this is a "document" (or bundle) instead of an application.

Either that, or take the icon I use for SparserBundler, and have the sheep eating the bundle of hay -- on a document background of course

[mePy2]

Guys I don’t like it very much but since I spent some time on it, yet I decided to share it with you.
If you want this is the download link of the zip with the icns and the piko file: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yN-K1 ... PVyctD96PA

[emendelson]

It's excellent! Thank you.

[adespoton]

I agree; that's a great nod to the past!

I do my own custom icons on a per-sheepvm basis, but id I didn't, I'd be using those

[DrLex]

I agree; that's a great nod to the past!

I do my own custom icons on a per-sheepvm basis, but id I didn't, I'd be using those

That looks good indeed! If nobody objects or comes up with something else within a week, I'll make a pull request with these icons.

[JonathonWyble]

Cool, but maybe you could improve on making the transition effect with the SheepShaver mascot. I think maybe instead of having the sheep fade into the Mac, you could have the sheep climb out the map, kind of like a unicorn. But other than that, nice project, definitely went with the middle one, LOL.

[mePy2]

I’m sorry I’m writing here. This is OT, I didn’t want to create a thread for this small thing.

Why I cannot edit my replies? (I noticed that in my previous post in this thread the image is not available, so I wanted to change the url. But I can not see an “Edit” link to modify the post.)

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

To prevent spamming by editing older posts, editing is limited to 36 hours after posting. Only the forum moderators have unlimited editing privileges.

(You can send the correct url in a PM to one of the moderators, asking to change the img address.)

[mePy2]

Ah ok! Understood. Actually for me is fine if you can remove it (url). I’m the kind of person who do not tollerate that little square, blue icon with the question mark in it :P

PS:
About the icon, I would wait to change it.
At least I would wait more people to vote to the poll or make a new one. For me the icon is fine though.

[DrLex]

According to the current poll, 3 people would prefer an icon different from the one I proposed (2 votes). One of those 3 votes is actually mine because I prefer mePy2's design over mine.
Below is a comparison with mePy2's icon at the right (I did modify a few pixels for smoothness).

[adespoton]

I was also voting for mePy2's design.

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

If I have to choose between the two, I will vote for mePy2's icon.

Although a .sheepvm VM package is technically a special kind of directory, it behaves as a SheepShaver document. Maybe it should have a document icon rather than a folder icon.

[DrLex]

The Classic-OS-trained part of my mind agrees with Ronald because it expects the folder to open and display a bunch of files when double-clicked. However, there isn't really an ‘iconic’ (pun intended) document icon from the classic Mac OS era, while the folder is very recognisable…

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

I saw a folder, didn't even realize it is a Classic MacOS (8 and up) folder. Talking about a Classic-OS-trained part of the mind.

[adespoton]

I just had a potential brainwave: bundles are essentially a continuation of something that was very familiar pre-System 7: suitcases.

I'll see if I can whip up an appropriate icon.

[edit]

SheepVM

I've got an icns version too.

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

Hm, weren't suitcases used for fonts only?

No, thinking of it, "System" also was something you could open in the Finder to show things like system sounds and it also had a suitcase icon.

Thinking further, I am now again more inclined to vote for the icon by DrLex. After all, it is a virtual "machine" that is started bij double clicking the icon.

[mePy2]

Is it more explicit?

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

Hm, not for me. What does the black triangle stand for?

[mePy2]

It stands for a “play” button. “Run”. When you double-click it, you are running it, not opening it.

[mePy2]

The thing I like of the Macintosh + SheepShaver icon is that it preserve the same style of the normal icon. (Both are pixeled with the same pixel dimension). And this is good.

Mine instead, like it is now, is good as stand-alone. But it doesn’t make all-one-thing with the default icon.

What I can say is: the icon is a very important part of an application. And like the name, it should be rarely changed.
I would set a deadline (e.g. 1 week) for choosing. (if we really want to change it).
Also during this time, people are invited to present their own icon.

Personally I’m going to make a few more so we can have more choices.

Edit:
New experiment. Just having fun. If you have any ideas write them here.

[Ronald P. Regensburg]

The thing I like of the Macintosh + SheepShaver icon is that it preserve the same style of the normal icon. (Both are pixeled with the same pixel dimension). And this is good.

Yes, it is a beter match with the application icon. The longer I think about it, the more I tend to choose for that icon.

[mePy2]

Considering the icons we have at the moment I would choose the proposed one (I voted only now). I think it’s good and we could just set it up for the moment. Since as I said the two icons form a great bundle together.

Then, when and if, we will have a better icon, we will figure out what to do.

[DrLex]

Since we're now at a 50/50 on the poll and the author of the other icon prefers the first proposal, I'll create a PR for my icon (I have slightly cleaned it up in the meantime). If someone comes up with something better, it will be only a matter of replacing the .icns file.