WindowBlinds 5.5 Officially released!
Windows Vista skinning arrives!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
Stardock released WindowBlinds 5.5 today. WindowBlinds is a program that enables users to customize the look and feel of the graphical user interface of Microsoft Windows. By applying "skins", WindowBlinds can change title bars, borders, push buttons, scroll bars, the taskbar, the Start menu and virtually every element of the Windows environment. Thousands of different skins exist and can be created using a free program called SkinStudio.
WindowBlinds 5.5 is a major update in that it is the first program to allow users to change the look and feel of Windows Vista. Thanks to a new technology called "SmartSkinning", WindowBlinds allows skins created for Windows XP to be used to skin Windows Vista. WindowBlinds 5.5 then transforms the skin, on-the-fly, to conform to the new user interface conventions of Windows Vista to give it a distinctly Windows Vista look and feel. Users of .msstyles files on Windows XP can use SkinStudio to convert their favorite .msstyles to WindowBlinds 5.5 to run natively on Windows Vista.
For Windows Vista users, WindowBlinds 5.5 makes use of the new hardware accelerated Desktop Window Manager (DWM) to ensure the highest level of performance. WindowBlinds 5.5 also skins the client controls of "non theme aware" programs on both Windows XP and Windows Vista so that users get a consistent look and feel across all their applications.
WindowBlinds has over 12 million downloads at CNET's Download.com and is, by far, the most popular desktop enhancement program of all time. It has also been licensed by companies looking to deliver their own branded looks to the desktop including Microsoft, Nintendo, ATI, nVidia, Ziff-Davis, Blizzard, and more.
Stardock has also begun work on WindowBlinds 6 which will provide a host of native features to Windows Vista such as custom blur effects, Sidebar skinning, glass toolbar skinning, and some new features that Stardock is keeping under wraps. Users who purchased WindowBlinds 5 after February 1st will receive WindowBlinds 6 free. A beta of WindowBlinds 6 will be available for registered users shortly.
Users can download WindowBlinds 5.5 directly from the newly re-designed WindowBlinds.net website. The enhanced registered version is $19.95 or can be purchased as part of Object Desktop, Stardock's flagship suite of desktop enhancement programs which includes IconPackager, DesktopX, ObjectBar, DeskScapes, LogonStudio Vista, and more.
WindowBlinds 5.5
Requires: Windows XP, 2003, or 32-bit Windows Vista (64-bit support coming shortly)
Screenshots:
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Reply #2 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:29 PM
Reply #3 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:31 PM
Reply #4 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:39 PM
WB6 will include XP enhancements too though not titlebar blurring before you get excited.
Reply #6 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 6:16 PM
Even though I don't use XP there are a few things im curious if WB6 will support? Such as Menu bar skinning (currently in XP uses the classic colors when using Per Pixel), and transparent rebar/menubar backgrounds?
Reply #7 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 8:26 PM
bring on the testing!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Reply #9 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 10:08 PM
Reply #10 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 10:56 PM
Reply #11 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:02 AM
Reply #13 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 4:37 AM
Reply #16 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 9:32 AM
I'm all confused, and I still can't get WB5.5 and DreamScene/Scape working together /cry
Reply #17 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 10:00 AM
Reply #18 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:23 PM
If you don't like the option of having one choice in your animations window....how about six of them?? (shown as five, sixth one is off the screen)
I must be dreaming here...I've must have smacked my head on the floor...cuz I keep finding these things, ... didn't you guys used to have a small "preview" pic in this window as well? It's got to be me... my bad for missing all the staff meetings.
You see....I'm not trying to be a smart ass. I find things, report them...and get told off. Only person that hasn't yet to do this is Neil...and for that, I truly do hold him with utmost respect. But I fail to see how the Quality (didn't you just hire someone new? Fire them) department didn't catch something as simple as this?? This particular one has six options (all the same) whereas a few others are just duplicated.
Reply #19 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:32 PM
I've said enough.
Reply #20 Wednesday, March 14, 2007 12:40 PM
I know vStyler and I will make sure he never makes the same mistake again.
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Reply #1 Tuesday, March 13, 2007 4:26 PM
Thanks for the cool prog Frogboy.