Happy I was told about this, but some things are missing for me.

[Savok]

The default full screen look recieved some updates during Kunark but the real big differences came with the launch of Velious in Dec 2000:

http://pc.ign.com/articles/165/165361p1.html

I saved talking about one of the biggest changes in Velious until last, the new interface enhancements. In the past couple of months, EQ users have noticed that the full screen windows could be moved around and resized. With Velious, that ability has been expanded even further. You are now able to access your inventory in a window while in the full screen view, and your "main" buttons (Walk, Invite, Disband, etc.) can also be accessed in that view. Even though people who don't buy Velious benefit from it, this is one of the best additions to the game in a very long time. You no longer have to switch resolutions (or view a very small window) to access your inventory while in a high res full screen mode, which is very nice. Finally, you can now run the game in 1280x1024 ¿ if you have the horsepower to do so.

As you said, the Classic/Velious UI was kept updated (the Velious UI recieved a 10 button hotbar for example) even when the newer UI was intruduced in July 2002 (the default_old style that we have now):

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/hist...es-2002-2.html

------------------------------
July 24, 2002
------------------------------

*** New Interface Available ***

The new EverQuest user interface is now available for use on Live
servers. Many of you will find that it runs faster than the old
interface. It is extremely customizable, and offers all sorts of
features including resizable windows, fading windows, a pet control
window, and flexibility through the XML files. We decided to offer it
for optional use as a sort of Beta II for folks on the Live servers
that haven't had the chance to try it out on the Test server.

To activate the new interface:

* Log into the game.
* Type /newui into the chat bar and hit enter.
* Log out and exit to your desktop and then log back in.

or

* Before you log in:
* Open the EQclient.ini file in your EverQuest folder with a text
editor (notepad works fine)
* Find the [Defaults] section of the file
* Add a line that reads: NewUI=TRUE
* Log in

We want to thank all the folks that have helped us test the interface
and have offered a wide variety of useful ideas.

Enjoy the interface!

The Classic/Velious UI was done with by Jan 2003, 6 months later:

http://everquest.allakhazam.com/hist...es-2003-1.html

------------------------------
January 9, 2003
------------------------------

** Demise of the Classic/Velious Interface **

Over the last six months we have been keeping the Classic EverQuest
interface as well as the Velious interface working through all of the
features that we have added (built-in MP3 player, item links, compass,
enhanced /bug reporting tool, and others). However, with the release of
some of the new features in this patch, such as running EQ in a window,
we must now say goodbye to the older interfaces. They have been
disabled as of today.

They served us well.

[MrSparkle001]

Right now I'm using duxaui, and it's so far superior. It's not classic, but it's better than that Velious UI. There's slightly more info on screen and a lot more options just a click or two away.

I'll probably be sticking with it unless a classic UI is released.