> Desktop UI culture shifted from “look at this crazy skin” to “work reliably and get out of my way.”
I miss the wobbly windows I had in Linux when we started playing with Compiz.
Or neko on my Sun machines.
As for weird-shaped windows, I think it is about ergonomics. A different shape requires more thinking to operate. Form should follow function, not the other way around - if the odd shape serves a purpose, then it makes sense. If it's just to show off, or to make the app look different, then it becomes a usability issue.
I don't, though I still have fond memories of olwm, AfterStep, and WindowMaker, as well as the NEXTSTEP 3.3 GUI running on greyscale NeXT hardware fished out of a dumpster behind the Indiana University School of Journalism in the late '90s following a hot tip from a friend who worked for university IT (as well as NeXT tech support who graciously sent me a full OS media kit free of charge so I could actually use it).
> I miss the wobbly windows I had in Linux when we started playing with Compiz.
KDE still has them: Settings -> Window Management -> Desktop Effects -> Wobbly Windows