WindowBlinds 6 Beta 2 arrives
Almost...there...
Wednesday, September 19, 2007 by Frogboy | Discussion: WinCustomize News
If you have Object Desktop you can now download WindowBlinds 6 beta 2. For the uninitiated: WindowBlinds is a program that allows users to easily and safely change the look and feel of the Windows user interface (title bars, start bar, star menu, scrollbars, push buttons, etc.). Object Desktop is a suite of programs that allow users to personalize their entire Windows experience.
Now, WindowBlinds 6 is the next-generation version of WindowBlinds. Amongst its cool new features is the ability to do full blurred glass even on Windows XP. Full support of skinning every piece of Windows Vista. Advanced animation and advanced colorization, user sub-styles and well just tons of other features both big and small.
Beta 2 is a huge overhaul to the underlying structure of WindowBlinds. For years, the skins you download for WindowBlinds have gone into the WindowBlinds directory. But with Windows Vista, Microsoft really frowns on programs putting data in the program files directory. So beta 2 migrates all the skins to the shared documents folder.
Those of you who are technical can probably appreciate the immense amount of effort involved in smoothly migrating what can amount to gigs of skins from one place to another without disrupting the user experience in the process.
Below are some screenshot highlights:
Taken on my Windows XP box. Check out the blur effect in the title bar. You can blur existing skins even.
This is the quick way of being able to Vista-ize your existing skins. There's literally an option to vista-ize skins (even in Windows XP).
The advanced coloring support is extremely cool. Now you can specific which colors you want to affect. It takes a little practice but it's worth it. Now you can hue shift parts of your skin. So even if a skin author makes a skin a different color than you desire, no problem, you can easily change it.
The dragon on the start menu is a smooth, >30fps animation with fire effects. It does this on Windows XP and Windows Vista. Again, technical users out there can tell you - non-trivial to get this kind of performance.
WindowBlinds 6 not only has these cool features but it does it using trivial amounts of memory and is FASTER than Windows XP or Windows Vista are normally. We include the Diamond skin. Feel free to dual boot to a Windows XP box, load up Diamond with full blur on and check out the performance. Then boot to Windows Vista and run the default Aero. Which is faster? WindowBlinds 6 makes full use of the DWM on Windows Vista to maximize performance/lower memory requirements.
If you have Object Desktop, check it out for yourself, let us know what you think. We release on October 2nd!
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Reply #42 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:16 AM
Request for the future..
Can transparent taskbars be true? So they don't pick up the background. So when you mouseover the taskbar with a maximized window the taskbar doesn't carry the wallpaper with it. Thanks
Reply #43 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:36 AM
Reply #44 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:37 AM
I also ask this,I would rather know before I install WB6 again as I don't want to go through all of that BSOD rigmarole again.
Is the IR receiver bug fixed?
Thanks.
Reply #45 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:51 AM
Cool! Thanks Neil!
And what about the black UI? I gotta wait till thats fixed before I try reinstalling this new beta...or until someone can shed some light on why its happening.
IR has a receiver bug? I knew there was something fishy about him!
Reply #46 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:57 AM
Reply #47 Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:01 AM
I kinda liked the skin migration...wb is so much cleaner now(and the skin folder too...no windowblinds files)
Reply #48 Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:48 AM
WebGizmos: check the UI folder off the new skins folder. Is it there?
A screenshot might help too.
Reply #49 Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:50 AM
We are still looking into a couple of reports of problems with the MCE remote. We have setup a test box, but are unable to reproduce it yet.
If anyone does have this problem, please post the type of cpu they have, the type of HD (IDE, SATA, RAID) and their motherboard type (if known)
Reply #50 Thursday, September 20, 2007 9:22 AM
● Genuine Windows Vista™ Home Premium
● Intel® Viiv™ Technology
● Intel® Core™2 Duo Processor E6700
● 2 GB DDR2-SDRAM
● 400 GB SATA 3G Hard Disk Drive (7200 rpm)
● ATI RADEON X1650 SE, with Avivo
512 MB dedicated memory, up to 1280 MB total available graphics memory as allocated by Windows Vista™
● DVD writer SATA DVD RAM and Double Layer ±R/ ±RW 16x/8x max supporting LightScribe technology
● Ethernet 10/100BT integrated network interface
● IEEE 1394 FireWire® Interface
● 15in1 memory card reader
● HP Vista Media Center Remote Control
● TV (analog and DVB-T) tuner card
● Wireless LAN 802.11 b/g
As well as this problem I also have to turn off Vista UAC to be able to use IconDeveloper.
These issues have been reported to support@sd (ticket no. [#LGO-762813]) and MikeH has been most helpfull in providing me with workarounds (thanks Mike
) but I was kind of hoping to see a fix in this new WB release. Reply #51 Thursday, September 20, 2007 10:20 AM
I remember earing something about this;
but cant find any reference to it in the latest beta 2 Promo...
Sure Hope it can!!!!!!!!!!
Reply #52 Thursday, September 20, 2007 12:25 PM
Blame Microsoft. Nothing we can do.
Reply #53 Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:01 PM
I see you can't change skins no more from the Display Properties Appearance anymore is that final??
Reply #54 Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:15 PM
Thanks
Scott
Reply #55 Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:25 PM
Reply #56 Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:29 PM
XP Pro SP2 reasonably patched.
Might have been better for me to move all this myself all at once instead of all those individual move commands.
btw, nothing other than the task bar is being skinned at the moment. Too many windows open at once?
Reply #57 Thursday, September 20, 2007 1:50 PM
Wondering if someone can help?
Reply #58 Thursday, September 20, 2007 2:59 PM
Not too important , but im just curious.
Reply #59 Thursday, September 20, 2007 3:08 PM
thought i might have a chance to play a little also
Reply #60 Thursday, September 20, 2007 3:20 PM
In XP: C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Documents\Stardock\WindowBlinds
(At least on my systems)
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Reply #41 Thursday, September 20, 2007 7:08 AM