window shopping
[US Geological Survey] n. Among users of WIMP environments
like X or the Macintosh, extended
experimentation with new window colors, fonts, and icon shapes.
This activity can take up hours of what might otherwise have been
productive working time. "I spent the afternoon window shopping
until I found the coolest shade of green for my active window
borders --- now they perfectly match my medium slate blue
background." Serious window shoppers will spend their days
with bitmap editors, creating new and different icons and
background patterns for all to see. Also: `window dressing', the
act of applying new fonts, colors, etc. See fritterware,
compare macdink.
