Windows-modification site Skinz.org yesterday re-posted, albeit with minor modifications, software that makes Windows look like Aqua, Apple's upcoming user interface for MacOS X, according to MacWeek.com (http://macweek.zdnet.com/2000/01/09/skinz.html).

The move follows demands from Apple lawyers earlier this week that the site remove the WinAqua 'skin' or face a world of legal pain. The Mac-maker alleged the skin was an infringement of its copyrights.

WinAqua works with WindowBlinds, a shareware utility from Stardock that replaces Windows' standard user interface menu bars, windows and widgets with alternative designs. WindowBlinds already comes with BeOS and MacOS-esque desktop themes built in. Skinz.org responded to Apple's request by removing WinAqua.

The version re-posted yesterday looks identical to the original version, but lacks Apple's MacOS X logo, which was key element to Apple's objection, site administrator Bryan Beretta told MacWeek. He also claimed that Apple's legal team also sent a "nasty" email threatening to force the site's ISP to shut Skinz.org down, a tactic often used by large corporations to force the closure of small Web sites owned by individuals. Not that Skinz.org is a site owned by an individual - it's the property of one Network Communications - but you get the point.

Despite its removal and subsequent re-appearance, WinAqua has proved remarkably popular, having been downloaded over 16,800 times - much, much more than the second most popular skin, which has achieved just a fraction of that figure. ®