>I would say that's part of what makes a "good interface." Unnecessary deviation from standards is something that usually makes for a poor interface. And, I have seen to many programs that do deviate with no perceivable benefit for the user. They usually just end up being garbage. The user needs to be able to use what you create and familiarity is a part of that.

I totally agree.

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>But, I think sexy goes beyond just a "good interface", Sexy... I think is more the little touches you add to the interface. It's the little things like icons on menus, or a nice non distracting background. And it's also a pleasant layout of the controls that puts the items you need in a logical place, but also does it in a way that is visually appealing.

The UI guidelines are free. FYI, Microsoft violates them often, even Office, which I've said is a good example to follow. The guidelines go into such things as menu item order, background colors, etc. You can find the guidelines at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/en-us/dnwue/html/welcome.asp


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>Agree 100% and a good tip on where to find them to boot.