My thoughts on skinning in 2015 and beyond
Friday, February 27, 2015 by 2of3 | Discussion: Skinning
I had a passion for skinning at one time. So much so that it sometimes interfered with family life.
What has changed? It's very simple: Windows 8.
I know that programs like modern mix and start 8 make w8 seem almost like w7, but that's just it......almost, but not quite. Windows 7 was just perfect for a skinner! Just as skinnable as XP IMHO.
I feel very uninspired to skin for windows 8 because of the many hard coded fugly white areas that just stick out like a zit on a super model's face! I am a perfectionist to a fault (just ask anyone who knows me well) and these unskinned areas just piss me off and make any skin look half finished.
So for me, skinning is over.
I very much doubt that Windows 10 will be any better. If I know MS, they will do everything possible to make it harder and harder to completely skin the OS.
Wake me up when we can skin everything and I'll be there.
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Reply #22 Saturday, February 28, 2015 11:00 AM
nstalling and configuring "OldNewExplorer" like Andy mentioned, makes Windows 8/8.1 look and function almost exactly like Windows 7. If you put 7 and 8 side-by-side, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.
Dunno.....looks like a reg hack to me.
Reply #23 Saturday, February 28, 2015 11:05 AM
I don't understand what the problem is here, a WB skin with very minor adjustments and installing Start 8 (and other Windows 8 Stardock products if you want them, but not necessary), and then installing and configuring "OldNewExplorer"
Could be Tom most people didn't even know about OldNewExplorer till now. I know I didn't. Maybe Tim will give it a try and see what goes on with it.
Reply #24 Saturday, February 28, 2015 11:48 AM
Didn know that software either.
well i do know that for the half of the linux versions the user interface gtk switched from 2 to 3. Result was a big loss of all theming features and guess what ? Some years later, most of them are back and theming got indeed nearly as easy as with stardock ( no skinstudio but the format is not more complicated) .
Microsoft has more force to introduce newer not really designable elements. For some parts you may still select one bg color on first startup you do start it but nothing else.
But look at what they do in 10. Reintroduce a startmenu. Not that one we know but the fact they try to add one shows that they might turn a bit back. Ribbons will exists in future too im pretty sure. The rest not so long we all do expect. Stardock or other companies will always provide ways to still have a classical desktop.
I hope you do the same as me some time ago and wait until the new version is really out and don change to much.
regards bluedxca93
Reply #25 Saturday, February 28, 2015 2:39 PM
Installing and configuring "OldNewExplorer" like Andy mentioned, makes Windows 8/8.1 look and function almost exactly like Windows 7. If you put 7 and 8 side-by-side, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.
Dunno.....looks like a reg hack to me.
Dunno, all I know is that it works, and I have used it many times turning it on and off so to speak, with no issues whatsoever in 6 months or more.
I don't understand what the problem is here, a WB skin with very minor adjustments and installing Start 8 (and other Windows 8 Stardock products if you want them, but not necessary), and then installing and configuring "OldNewExplorer"
Could be Tom most people didn't even know about OldNewExplorer till now. I know I didn't. Maybe Tim will give it a try and see what goes on with it.
I thought most people would have heard of it by now is all Dave as it has been mentioned several times over the past 6 months or so here in the forums in 10 other threads.. 
Reply #26 Saturday, February 28, 2015 4:36 PM
I too had a passion for skinning a long time ago. Just so much that it killed my family life - and a subsequent divorce.......
Reply #27 Saturday, February 28, 2015 5:03 PM
Reply #28 Saturday, February 28, 2015 6:30 PM
nstalling and configuring "OldNewExplorer" like Andy mentioned, makes Windows 8/8.1 look and function almost exactly like Windows 7. If you put 7 and 8 side-by-side, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.
Dunno.....looks like a reg hack to me.
it patches explorer.exe in memory.
just as UxStyle patches uxtheme.dll in memory.
i wouldn't be surprised if WindowBlinds does something similar or the same for skinning shellstyle.dll related elements.
Reply #29 Saturday, February 28, 2015 8:17 PM
i wouldn't be surprised if WindowBlinds does something similar or the same for skinning shellstyle.dll related elements.
Are you serious?? Never have Stardock software use this method to implement,but add its own engine/service to render functionality. 
Reply #30 Saturday, February 28, 2015 8:32 PM
If you put 7 and 8 side-by-side, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.
But if I want 7, I'll run 7. No real point in trying to turn 8 into 7. YMMV.
Reply #31 Saturday, February 28, 2015 8:35 PM
nstalling and configuring "OldNewExplorer" like Andy mentioned, makes Windows 8/8.1 look and function almost exactly like Windows 7. If you put 7 and 8 side-by-side, I don't think anyone could tell the difference.
Dunno.....looks like a reg hack to me.
Dunno about reg hack, but I have used Old New Explorer. It's fine, but I like the options available using the ribbon that Windows 8.1 provides, so I don't use O.N.E.
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Reply #21 Saturday, February 28, 2015 10:56 AM
Oh, and with the lobotomy thing, I doubt there'd be any getting used to it... cos it'd be unlikely that you'd know you had one... thus all would seem normal.
Actually, the lobotomized person knows he/she was lobotomized - just doesn't care.