I think FlatLAF could very well be made the default on Linux. But on Windows and MacOS, I'd argue we should use the OS-specific LAFs by default.
On MacOS and Windows, we have very good existing LAFs that follow the same style as other desktop applications on the same platform. So NetBeans will look like a native MacOS app on Mac, and like a native Windows app on Windows. In fact, both the MacOS (Aqua) and Windows LAFs make calls to the OS to retrieve real, native graphics for buttons, combo boxes, checkboxes, and so on. So NetBeans always gets the correct look for whichever OS version is currently running. There has also been a lot of improvements to the Windows and MacOS LAFs over the past few releases, and the next one, especially for HiDPI displays. (See https://cwiki.apache.org/confluence/display/NETBEANS/HiDPI+%28Retina%29+improvements ) The fact that NetBeans looks like a native app on both Windows and MacOS is a strong brand differentiator, compared to for instance IntelliJ, which does not in any way try to stay consistent with the OS look. -- Eirik -----Original Message----- From: John Mc <mcdonnell.j...@gmail.com> Sent: Wednesday, January 22, 2020 1:48 PM To: dev@netbeans.apache.org Subject: Flat Look and Feel NB12 default? Hi So I started using the latest development builds and I really like the progress with the Flat Look and Feel addition for NB11.3. Great job to the guys who have done all this work it really looks nice. Are there plans to consider making this the default LnF for NetBeans 12 onwards? Regards John
