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Probably the most popular customised skins are for instant messengers and media players, such as the AOL Instant Messenger, and Winamp, due to the association with fun such programs try to encourage. However, in programs which use a cross-platform GUI toolkit, rather than using the standard interface for the operating system on which they are running, it is relatively easy to add functionality to alter this interface from within the program. For instance, both the Mozilla and OperaOpera is a cross-platform internet software suite consisting of a web browser, e-mail/ news client, address book, newsfeed reader, IRC chat client, and download manager. It is actively developed by Opera Software of Oslo, Norway. Although Opera is closed web browserA web browser is a software package that enables a user to display and interact with documents hosted by web servers. Popular browsers include Microsoft Internet Explorer and Mozilla Firefox. A browser is the most commonly used kind of user agent. The lars are skinnable because they take advantage of a cross-platform toolkit. In the case of Mozilla, the entire interface is written in XULXUL stands for XML-based User-interface Language . It is an application of XML used to describe window layout in the Mozilla browser. It is pronounced zool (to rhyme with "cool"). XUL is not a public standard, although parts of it are creeping into the W3, CSSCascading Style Sheets CSS is a computer language used to describe the presentation of a structured document written in HTML, XHTML or XML. The CSS specification is maintained by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). Overview CSS is used by both authors an, and JavaScriptJavaScript is an object-oriented scripting language commonly used in websites. It was originally developed by Brendan Eich of Netscape Communications under the name Mocha and then LiveScript but then renamed to "JavaScript" and given a syntax closer to th. Those who know these languages are free to modify both its look and its behavior.
Many websites are also skinnable, particularly those which provide some interactive capabilities. Again, some sites offer skins that make primarily cosmetic changes, while some - such as H2G2h2g2 is an online community engaged in the construction of a guide to life, the universe, and everything. Much of it is encyclopedic, but the site also covers more idiosyncratic subjects, such as plastic bag bras, teaching your cat to fetch, or burying on - allow major changes to the layout of pages. As with standalone software interfaces, this is facilitated by the underlying technology of the website - the use of XMLXML eXtensible Markup Language is a W3C recommendation for creating special-purpose markup languages. It is a simplified subset of SGML, capable of describing many different kinds of data. Its primary purpose is to facilitate the sharing of structured tex and XSLT, for instance, facilitates major changes of layout, while CSS can be used to easily produce different visual styles.
The benefit of skinning in user interfaces is disputed. While some find it useful or pleasant to be able to change the appearance of software they use, a changed appearance can complicate technical support and training. A user interface that has been extensively customized by one person may appear totally unfamiliar to another person who knows the same software under a different appearance.
In computer gaming and virtual reality, a skin is either an image which is used to texture a player's avatar, or a complete 3D model which defines the avatar. They are particularly popular in first-person shooters, with many such games having many hundreds of player-created skins, ranging from TV characters to complex imaginary creatures.