diff --git a/app/build.xml b/app/build.xml
index ed8e6f3b2..464181fc4 100644
--- a/app/build.xml
+++ b/app/build.xml
@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@
   <target name="download-vaqua">
 
     <get dest="lib" usetimestamp="true">
-      <url url="${vaqua.url}/7/VAqua7.jar" />
+      <url url="${vaqua.url}/8/VAqua8.jar" />
     </get>
 
   </target>
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@
                       lib/ant-launcher.jar;
                       lib/jna.jar;
                       lib/jna-platform.jar;
-                      lib/VAqua7.jar"
+                      lib/VAqua8.jar"
 	   debug="on"
 	   nowarn="true">
       <src path="src" />
diff --git a/app/lib/.gitignore b/app/lib/.gitignore
index 233343c6f..44412b0d9 100644
--- a/app/lib/.gitignore
+++ b/app/lib/.gitignore
@@ -1 +1 @@
-VAqua7.jar
+VAqua*.jar
diff --git a/app/src/processing/app/platform/DefaultPlatform.java b/app/src/processing/app/platform/DefaultPlatform.java
index 6dc796158..702037d36 100644
--- a/app/src/processing/app/platform/DefaultPlatform.java
+++ b/app/src/processing/app/platform/DefaultPlatform.java
@@ -112,7 +112,7 @@ public class DefaultPlatform {
   public void setLookAndFeel() throws Exception {
     String laf = Preferences.get("editor.laf");
     if (laf == null || laf.length() == 0) {  // normal situation
-      if (Platform.isMacOS() && Preferences.getBoolean("editor.allow_vaqua")) {
+      if (Platform.isMacOS() && Preferences.getBoolean("editor.laf.vaqua")) {
         UIManager.setLookAndFeel("org.violetlib.aqua.AquaLookAndFeel");
 
         Icon collapse = new MacTreeIcon(true);
diff --git a/build/build.xml b/build/build.xml
index 1521a7194..847b6e14e 100644
--- a/build/build.xml
+++ b/build/build.xml
@@ -421,7 +421,7 @@
     <include name="app/lib/jna-platform.jar" />
     <include name="app/lib/ant.jar" />
     <include name="app/lib/ant-launcher.jar" />
-    <include name="app/lib/VAqua7.jar" />
+    <include name="app/lib/VAqua8.jar" />
   </fileset>
 
   <target name="build" description="Build Processing.">
@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@
       <classpath file="../app/lib/jna-platform.jar" />
       <classpath file="../app/lib/ant.jar" />
       <classpath file="../app/lib/ant-launcher.jar" />
-      <classpath file="../app/lib/VAqua7.jar" />
+      <classpath file="../app/lib/VAqua8.jar" />
 
       <!-- plus core.jar... note that this is no longer shared -->
       <classpath file="../core/library/core.jar" />
diff --git a/build/shared/lib/defaults.txt b/build/shared/lib/defaults.txt
index 9c16a51df..ed13dd7f8 100644
--- a/build/shared/lib/defaults.txt
+++ b/build/shared/lib/defaults.txt
@@ -168,9 +168,6 @@ editor.watcher.debug = false
 # The window of time (in milliseconds) in which a change won't be counted
 editor.watcher.window = 1500
 
-# allow vaqua on mac
-editor.allow_vaqua = true
-
 # Format and search engine to use for online queries
 search.format = https://google.com/search?q=%s
 
@@ -242,6 +239,9 @@ editor.untitled.suffix=yyMMdd
 # is to do a Synth LAF that gives us something not awful.
 editor.laf.linux = javax.swing.plaf.nimbus.NimbusLookAndFeel
 
+# enable/disable vaqua on mac
+editor.laf.vaqua = false
+
 
 # !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
diff --git a/todo.txt b/todo.txt
index 33b1d457c..1578678bc 100755
--- a/todo.txt
+++ b/todo.txt
@@ -7,6 +7,11 @@ X audio and video broken on macOS b/c can't access mic/camera
 X   https://github.com/processing/processing-sound/issues/51
 
 
+before release
+X Shutting off VAqua due to interface ugliness and Contribution Manager freezing
+_   https://github.com/processing/processing4/issues/129
+
+
 _ startup chatter (from appbundler?)
 _   Processing[25059:13082813] int launch(char *, int, char **) Launchpath