---
title: "Iridium (platinum's twin) - Theme for MacOSX 10.4"
url: 'https://stevenjaycohen.com/journal/iridium-platinums-twin-theme-for-macosx-10-4'
markdown: 'https://stevenjaycohen.com/journal/iridium-platinums-twin-theme-for-macosx-10-4.md'
date: '2005-08-22'
description: '*“IRIDIUM, Platinum’s twin companion And to which it has a great resemblance, Is a white and brittle metal that fuses With difficulty in the Compound Blowpipe flame.”* –J. Carrington Sellars, Chemistianity , 1873, p. 186 Before MacOSX, Apple Computers shipped an OS that had a unified look-and-feel.…'
taxonomy:
  category:
    - Journal
  tag:
    - design
    - iridium
    - 'os x'
    - software
---

# Iridium (platinum's twin) - Theme for MacOSX 10.4

## [Iridium (platinum's twin) - Theme for MacOSX 10.4](https://stevenjaycohen.com/journal/iridium-platinums-twin-theme-for-macosx-10-4)

    22nd Aug 2005   [design](https://stevenjaycohen.com/tag:design#body-wrapper) [iridium](https://stevenjaycohen.com/tag:iridium#body-wrapper) [os x](https://stevenjaycohen.com/tag:os%20x#body-wrapper) [software](https://stevenjaycohen.com/tag:software#body-wrapper)  

\*“****IRIDIUM****, Platinum’s twin companionAnd to which it has a great resemblance,Is a white and brittle metal that fusesWith difficulty in the Compound Blowpipe flame.”\* –[J. Carrington Sellars, Chemistianity](https://elements.vanderkrogt.net/chemistianity.html) , 1873, p. 186

Before MacOSX, Apple Computers shipped an OS that had a unified look-and-feel. From System 8.0 to System 9.2.2, the look was called Platinum. Since the advent of MacOSX, a few different interfaces have become common on the Macintosh. Among these are Aqua, Brushed Metal (which began as a skin for Quicktime during the MacOS Classic era), and now Unified. When I heard that Apple had a new look called Unified, I thought, “Finally, they are going to give us a consistent GUI again!” I was wrong. That is why I decided to make Iridium. Iridium is often called a Platinum-like metal, so the name seemed appropriate.

**[Click here for more preview images](https://code.google.com/p/stevenjaycohen/downloads/list)**(Note: You can see that x11 apps, qtMac apps, cocoa apps, and carbon apps all have the same look and feel. If there is significant interest, I can work on skinning classic apps as well.)

**[Click here for current download](https://code.google.com/p/stevenjaycohen/downloads/list)**

If you are looking for an older version of Iridium (some people liked a few of the earlier looks that I toyed with), **[click here](https://web.archive.org/web/20110316134743/https://www.resexcellence.com:80/themes/index_59.shtml)** to go to the [ResExcellence](https://www.resexcellence.com/) theme archive.

If you forgot to backup before installing Iridium, **[click here](https://code.google.com/p/stevenjaycohen/downloads/list)**.

If you are interested in beta testing the most recent modifications to the Iridium family of themes, or if you are looking for the DLTA file for [ThemeChanger](https://themechanger.sf.net/) or ShapeShifter, please follow [this link over to the MacTheme Forums](https://web.archive.org/web/20060203012816/https://macthemesforums.net:80/viewtopic.php?p=37083). In that thread, you will find all of the links you are looking for.

Like the rest of my site, Iridium is licensed under the Creative Commons, but since it is a derivative work and not wholly original, I chose the following license: This work is licensed under the **Creative Commons** Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 license.

You are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work under the following conditions:

- **Attribution** – You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
- **Noncommercial** – You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
- **Share Alike** – If you alter, transform, or build upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one.

    More information about this license at: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/2.5/

    So, feel free to build your own mods based on Iridium. Remember to link to [stevenjaycohen.com](https://stevenjaycohen.com/) in your documentation, and remember to include the same license in your download. Also, please send me some screenshots of your work. I’d really like to see your work too.

    I do appreciate bug reports, but please **read the FAQ** before reporting. Your glitch may already be noted there.

    Special thanks to Pedro, Grilo, Stefan Hainzl, [Andrew Hill](https://web.archive.org/web/20141217124636/https://justaddfire.com/) , Benjamin Rosenberg, and [Jessica Hall](https://web.archive.org/web/20120104223549/https://www.canllaith.org:80/). Without your help, I would still be tracking down all those bugs

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---

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