Through the years, one thing that Mac advocates would hold over the heads of Windows users, was the elegant look of their operating system. They really enjoyed bragging about the pretty features and the UI slickness that the Apple designers thought to bring to the computer. A pleasant looking UI allows the user to feel as if they are using something above and beyond the standard machine. For the most part, Windows users could not argue. The OS X operating system was well designed and had a very unique look to it. In this iteration of Windows however, Microsoft has taken this criticism seriously. They have tried to upgrade the design and flow of the Windows 7 operating system. They know that users want a good experience overall, and the looks of the machine play into this heavily. But Microsoft also has some help when it comes to making the OS look good. There are a couple of third party software vendors that have created good looking themes and gadgets for Windows 7. If you really want a unique and good looking operating system, you will use some of these techniques to your advantage. 

    There are several ways that you can change the look of your operating system but the most popular way seems to be with themes. Theme are available in many different places, some being premium, custom themes and others you can get for free. The different amount of themes that you can get are vast and they all depend on what kind of mood you are in when you pick one. Some people prefer to just have a simple theme of a mountain range or the ocean, while others like to have either a movie or a sports team that they like. Themes can be easily placed on your computer through the Control Panel settings. If you would like to, you can also make your own theme as well. This is not as hard as it may seem and there are plenty of tutorials that will show you how. 

    You can also customize the look of your Windows 7 computer by having unique gadgets. Gadgets are little mini programs that run on your desktop. They can do a lot of little things while making your desktop look interesting.  These range from giving you the latest news, to telling you what the updated score is if your favorite team is playing. There are hundreds of gadgets that you can use to customize your settings. Gadgets are also easy to make. If you are willing to take the time and learn a little bit of html, and javascript, you will be able to make your own. Gadgets can really make the customizing of an Windows 7 os, look official. 

    So through the use of themes and gadgets, you can really make the Windows 7 experience a customized one. There is no need to be jealous of Mac users anymore. With the already upgraded look and feel of the new Windows 7, themes and gadgets can make the looks go one step further.