Hello - please shunt this off to the correct forum if I've posted in the wrong area.

This is either a question or request - not sure what at this stage.

I hear that the W7 UI will allow greater customization in the form of themes. Many themes for Vista aim to remove the back tint from the Start Menu/Taskbar to make it another color or clear(er).

Problem is with this is the way that the taskbar/SM text is rendered is different from that of window titles, and therefore makes use of clear themes and light-toned wallpaper impossible.

The Aero UI, in respect to how the text is rendered, has always looked like it was the result of 2 schools of thought.

Please can we have a consistent rendering of text, preferably the cool "hazed" effect, across the UI?

you say that as though someone here actually has the power to make that change in windows. it's not like we all work for microsoft lol. i fact there's only one guy who does but he doesn't have anything to do with the feature you are discussing.

you may have more luck here --> Aero Taskforce

I'm not sure if anyone from MS is actually looking through the submissions (I hope they are since its a free bug finding crew). However, if you really want it to be seen by folks who care about that sort of thing, that would be the place to go IMO.

PS, the guy from MS on this board (Brandon Live) may be able to tell someone else about it, so its always worth asking I suppose.

thanks - I couldn't recall the forum/site, but this is much more relevant- please delete this thread?

Screenshots may help describe what it is your mean. Is there an Aero TaskForce entry for this?

Hello Brandon,

The Aero Taskforce entry is http://www.aerotaskforce.com/view/1115#comment-6059

The effect I am referring to is that the text rendering for window titles is designed to ensure the text is readable over any background, works with complete clear-glass borders and looks rather cool.

The text on the Start Menu & Taskbar is white over the black tint; Many theme developers have removed to back-tint, giving a (much better IMO) all-glass UI, which is also unusable as the white text on the Start Menu (particularly) becomes unreadable when a white window is underneath it.


My clip of the Start Menu text is with Notepad maximized behind it. Still readable; remove the tint and it is not.

Maybe Windows 7 will not openly allow themers to remove this tint - which is fine. I think I've learned since the original post that the enhanced theming will probably not be so granular.

I don't expect you to answer that part, we'll just have to wait and see!

I think the "frosting" behind the text is mainly used for black text, not white text.