Yes, the programs I've previously used with skinning had their share of poor coding (Winamp and WMP) but that's beside the point. I'm quite satisfied that my computer is not the source of any poor performance.
Style would likely take over development because, contrary to your claims, it is not easy to add bug-free skinning to a large and well-established project with the (I assume) complexity of mIRC. Somehow I get the feeling you've written one or two tiny programs from scratch with simple skinning capabilities included from the get-go and you've decided that it must be equally simple to add skinning anywhere and everywhere. I can assure you that's not the case. As for picture windows, they actually add to the functionality of mIRC, so I'd hardly put them in the same boat with skinning.
I've got nothing against adding big features, I simply think that the big features to be added should be useful. Clearly we have differing definitions of 'useful'. You seem to be implying that mIRC is an ugly blemish on your work-of-art desktop and that skinning must be added to protect your virgin eyes from it's hideousness. Whereas I think it looks fine as it is and does it's job well, and would be far better served by becoming a program that looks fine and does it's job very well.
