It's funny how tastes shift. This whole "flat" look that's currently in would have looked babyish in the tech space 10+ years ago. And so it goes with bevels, shadows, and all the rest.. looks silly to us now but was de rigeur back then! :-)

Of course, things will continue to shift and today's trendiest looks will seem ridiculous in 2023..

In 2023 all the hipsters will use B&W design. "You use colors? OMG, that looks like it was designed in 2010."

There is a precedent already: http://www.mimuw.edu.pl/~wolinski/acfi.html

Just wait. Times New Roman is coming back...

2023? Visual Studio switched to largely B&W icons in its 2012 release. Some of the websites that have been linked from HN as prime examples of flat design also used the B&W icon motif (I don't recall which ones specifically though).

Ick, don't remind me. Looking at the source control browser in VS2012 makes my eyes want to bleed.