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Comment by cubefox | Hacker News Reader

I really hated the depressing grey GUI of Windows 95/98/NT/2000/Me. It looks like working in a dull grey concrete office with a grey PC and grey monitor while wearing a grey tie. I get that Windows XP and 8 look too colorful for many people (I like them), but Vista & Co, with their glass design, managed to avoid colors while still not making everything a drab grey.

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All those versions had customizable color themes, which windows has gradually weakened to almost nothing. There was nothing stopping you from rocking hotdog stand back then except your own good taste and the bleeding from your eyes.

This begs the general question: why were PCs (and monitors, keyboards, mice etc) always sold in ugly grey, for decades? Before they finally relented and switched to black?

Bring back the 2000s transparency in the hardware. Transparent phone (nokia 3310, of course), transparent PC, transparent everything!

Dont forget the transparent landline phone, alarmclock, and tvs!

I would do unsavory things to get a matching keyboard, mouse, and monitor in translucent plastic akin to an Atomic Purple Gameboy Color. I've tried retrofitting an iMac G3 multiple times, but they're so old now that taking them apart literally breaks them because the plastic's too brittle.

not an expert, but i vaguely recall that certain colors can make plastics weaker - maybe it was the case here for a while until technology improved

More likely, people just don't give a damn if their keyboards only last a coupe years and buy a new one.

I liked it although that was maybe because Windows 2000 was a great OS. Having seen the awful mess the Unix vendors made of CDE/Motif, 2000 felt more professional.

2000 had a nice shade of blue for its desktop background, IMO.

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